Event
On February 13th, Dar hosted a summit at Sidara’s headquarters in 150 Holborn, London to celebrate over 55 years of delivering high-impact projects in Africa and serving communities across the continent.
The event brought together leading public officials from across Africa as well as global business leaders with an interest in supporting sustainable development in African countries. Guests included representatives from the embassies and high commissions of Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda to the United Kingdom as well as senior representatives from the United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF), the UK Department for Business and Trade (UKDBT), the British International Investment (BII), Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Meridiam, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, , ABSA Group, and many more.
The summit was an opportunity to bring together African government officials – who have extensive knowledge of the visions of their respective countries – with representatives of international financing organisations which have a demonstrated track record or interest in supporting key building and infrastructure projects that have brought value to communities around the world. These conversations were moderated by Dar’s Directors of Operations and area managers in African countries such as Angola, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda, who have collectively worked for stakeholders across the continent and obtained insights into both the local contexts and the specifics of delivering strategic building and infrastructure projects.
To facilitate this conversation, the event featured opening remarks by the Rt. Hon. Mark Simmonds, the former UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) Minister for Africa and a Board Advisor for Invest Africa. Dar London’s Managing Director Daniel Horner then gave a speech welcoming guests and outlining Dar’s history in Africa.
“With its resources and, most importantly, with the vibrant momentum of its young and ambitious generations, Africa is playing an ever more significant role in global affairs. And for over 55 years, we have been supporting communities across the continent in designing and building the infrastructure they need to expand that role.” – Daniel Horner, Managing Director for Dar London.
The opening keynote speech was delivered by Mr. Sanjeev Gupta, Africa Finance Corporation’s Executive Director and Head of Financial Services. Meanwhile, British International Investment’s Covering Director – Africa, Ms. Vivianne Infante, also shared insights before closing remarks from the UKEF CEO, Mr. Tim Reid, brought the evening to a close.