MBR_Issue_27 -January 2017 low res

Malta Business Review
ECONOMY
BUSINESS APPOINTMENT
Malta Business Review
An Economy
Mediterrania Capital Partners appoints
Senior Director for Sub-Saharan Africa
that is facing a
number of threats
I
n its staff concluding Statement on Malta published on 16 December 2016, the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) gave its assessment on the Maltese economy. Similar to the assessment
given by the Central Bank earlier on this month, the IMF’s report speaks of an economy that
is growing but also of an economy that is facing a number of threats.
The IMF in particular makes reference to:
• the possible negative effects of Brexit on the Maltese economy;
• the economic and financial risks arising out of the rapid increase in property over the
past months;
• the need for more responsible and sustainable public spending;
• the delay in Air Malta’s restructuring;
• Enemalta’s elevated government-guaranteed debt;
• the need to incentivise long-term savings and for further measures to align the
effective retirement age with life expectancy;
• challenges being faced by the local banking sector;
• the need to bolster further the resilience of the private sector;
• the need for ongoing vigilance of the financial sector particularly in view of the
demand for the Individual Investment Programme (IIP) and of the importance played
by the financial services sector and gaming sector to the local economy.
None of these points were made by the
DOI which was, again, selective in its report,
seeking to hide from the public the full picture
of what is being stated by the IMF.
These points were raised by the Nationalist
Party over the past months. Our economy
could very well be skating ahead but one
needs to constantly check on the thickness
of the ice beneath our feet. It is clear from
both the IMF and Central Bank’s reports that
there are cracks in the system which need
to be addressed while there is still time. Left
unchecked, these cracks could lead to very
serious consequences and threaten the
sustainability of our economy.
The Nationalist Party is again calling on
government to take heed of these challenges
and of the challenges highlighted by the
Central Bank of Malta rather than focusing
solely on the selective economic indicators.
The Nationalist Party furthermore refers to
its policy papers, in particular to the two prebudget
documents, to the policy paper An
Economy for the People and the Policy for
Retailers, containing hundreds of proposals
that can help boost the country’s economic
performance even further.
The Nationalist Party reiterates the need for a
stronger focus on small economic activities, in
particular to start-ups and innovation-driven
enterprises. The future of our economy
cannot be sustained merely on the back
of consumption trends but needs to be
based on substance and a strong local SME
environment. MBR
Creditline: From PR signed by Mario de Marco,
Deputy Leader of Parliamentary Affairs &
Shadow Minister for Finance, PN; Claudio Grech,
Shadow Minister for the Economy, PN.; PN Media
INSIST PN
OFFICIALS
Strategies to
combat the dangers,
drive productivity
enhancements, and
build present and future
prosperity.
31 January 2017, Malta/Barcelona.
Mediterrania Capital Partners, the
regional Private Equity firm focusing on
growth investments for companies in
North African and Sub-Saharan countries,
announces the appointment of Mr Pacôme
Zahabi as Senior Director for Sub-Saharan
Africa, based in Abidjan.
With 20 years of professional experience in
the finance industry in Africa, Mr Zahabi is
responsible for identifying new investment
opportunities and driving financial and
risk analysis of potential projects. He is
also in charge of the legal processes and
negotiations related to new investments,
for the monitoring of Mediterrania Capital
Partners’ portfolio companies in the region
as well as for the exit strategies.
“We are delighted with the appointment of
Mr Pacôme Zahabi to lead our operations
in Sub-Saharan Africa. Mr Zahabi’s strong
financial background and deep experience
in a wide range of industries and markets
are an enormous asset for Mediterrania
Capital Partners, and make him the ideal
candidate to drive our expansion plans in
the region”, said Albert Alsina, CEO and
Mr Pacôme Zahabi, Senior Director for the Sub-Saharan region, Mediterrannia Capital Partners
Managing Partner of Mediterrania Capital
Partners.
Prior to joining Mediterrania Capital
Partners, Mr Zahabi collaborated with
La TULIPE Group, an Independent
Advisory and Investment Banking Firm
which offers financial services to Private
and Corporate Sector Organisations,
Institutional Investors, Family Offices, and
Governments. Mr Zahabi also worked
at NSIA Participants, SA, where he was
Group Head Investments, and spent three
years at UBA Group in different positions
related to Credit Analysis, Global Investor
and Securities Services, and Business
Development. Mr Zahabi also worked at
the Central Depository & Settlement Bank
(DC/BR) as Head Operations and Business
Development for Ivory Coast and West
Africa; and at the Bourse Régionale des
Valeurs Mobilères (BRVM) for Ivory Coast
and West Africa, as CFO.
Mr Zahabi is a graduate from ESLSCA,
Paris, France; and holds a Master’s Degree
in Audit and Consulting from ESCP-AP from
Paris, France. He speaks English, French
and Spanish. MBR
About Mediterrania
Capital Partners
Mediterrania Capital Partners (www.
mcapitalp.com) is a dedicated Private Equity
firm focusing on growth investments in
SMEs and mid-cap companies in Africa.
The company started its operations in 2008
under “Fons Mediterrania Capital” and since
2013 is an independent General Partner
Structure. With offices in Abidjan, Algiers,
Barcelona, Casablanca, Tunis, and Malta,
Mediterrania Capital Partners takes an
intensely proactive, hands-on approach to
implementing its growth strategy by leading
the governance of the companies and driving
the key internal value creation process.
The partners of Mediterrania Capital have
extensive experience in managing companies
spanning commercial experience, strategy
formulation, finance, and operations.
Consistent with its strategy, Mediterrania
Capital Partners continues to search for
SMEs with an equity value of €25 million
to €400 million and expansion strategies
into North African and Sub-Saharan African
markets. Mediterrania Capital Partners is
a regulated financial investment manager
licensed by the Malta Financial Services
Authority (MFSA). Mediterrania Capital II is
also an MFSA regulated Private Equity Fund.
For more information, please contact
communications@mcapitalp.com.
Website: www.mcapitalp.com YouTube
channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCmBxa-
EDilIWakYJr1_J6SQ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.
com/company/mediterrania-capital-partners
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