80 FR 53280 - U.S. Institutional Investor Roadshow

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 171 (September 3, 2015)

The Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, Global Markets, Office of Africa is seeking representatives of 15 U.S. institutional investors to participate in the launch of the U.S. Institutional Investor Roadshow. The Roadshow will provide a platform for U.S. institutional investors and African government representatives to discuss and implement best practices for reducing governance risk, strengthening capital markets and increasing long-term investment flows. The program is designed to help U.S. financial institutions and exporters participate in large-scale business opportunities arising from transformational infrastructure projects in Africa. Representatives of several African governments, including one or more heads of state, are expected to participate in the launch event. U.S. institutional investors and U.S. investment fund managers that represent U.S. institutional investors are invited to express interest in participating in the launch event and on-going roadshow.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 171 (Thursday, September 3, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53280-53281]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21973]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


U.S. Institutional Investor Roadshow

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of an opportunity to participate in the U.S. 
Institutional Investor Roadshow.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, International Trade 
Administration, Global Markets, Office of Africa is seeking 
representatives of 15 U.S. institutional investors to participate in 
the launch of the U.S. Institutional Investor Roadshow. The Roadshow 
will provide a platform for U.S. institutional investors and African 
government representatives to discuss and implement best practices for 
reducing governance risk, strengthening capital markets and increasing 
long-term investment flows. The program is designed to help U.S. 
financial institutions and exporters participate in large-scale 
business opportunities arising from transformational infrastructure 
projects in Africa. Representatives of several African governments, 
including one or more heads of state, are expected to participate in 
the launch event. U.S. institutional investors and U.S. investment fund 
managers that represent U.S. institutional investors are invited to 
express interest in participating in the launch event and on-going 
roadshow.

DATES: The launch event will be held on Tuesday, September 29, 2015. 
Space is limited. Requests to participate in the launch event must be 
received by 5:00 p.m. EDT on September 18th, 2015. The U.S. 
Institutional Investor Roadshow is an on-going program. Requests will 
be accepted on an on-going basis for the duration of the program to be 
added to the distribution list for information about the program and 
about upcoming events.

ADDRESSES: The launch event will be held in New York, New York. The 
address will be provided to invited participants. Future Roadshow 
events are expected to occur in the United States and Africa. To 
express interest in participating in the launch event or to be added to 
the Roadshow distribution list for information about the program and 
about upcoming events, please submit your request to: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe Wereszynski, the United States 
Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC 
20230, telephone: 202-482-4729, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: On September 29, 2015, the U.S. Department of Commerce, 
in partnership with McKinsey & Company, will hold a one day event in 
New York, New York to launch an U.S. Institutional Investor Roadshow 
for Africa. The Roadshow is a U.S. Department of Commerce program that

[[Page 53281]]

will provide a platform for leading U.S. institutional investors, such 
as state pension and teacher retirement funds, and African government 
officials to discuss and implement best practices for reducing 
governance risk, strengthening capital markets and increasing long-term 
investment flows. At the same time, the program will help U.S. 
financial institutions and exporters to learn about and how to pursue 
opportunities to participate in large-scale business opportunities 
arising from transformational infrastructure projects in Africa. The 
goal of the Roadshow is to bring a new level of transparent and 
flexible private sector funding while providing private sector tools to 
improve the investment climate to allow more U.S. companies to close 
business deals.
    The Roadshow is an initiative developed by the U.S. Department of 
Commerce in response to the need expressed by African leaders and the 
U.S. private sector for increased access to long-term private capital 
to fund large scale infrastructure projects in Africa. It is a direct 
follow-up to the 2014 U.S.-Africa Business Forum and an official 
recommendation made by the President's Advisory Council on Doing 
Business in Africa. For more information on the Roadshow concept, 
please see the official recommendations made by the President's 
Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa: http://www.trade.gov/pac-dbia/docs/PAC-DBIA-Report_Final.pdf. The inaugural launch in New York, 
New York will be the first event in a series of high-level engagements 
that are expected to be scheduled to take place across the continent of 
Africa. The Global Market's Office of Europe, Middle East and Africa 
has entered into a joint project with McKinsey and Company to organize 
and hold the launch event. The launch event will comprise of 
approximately 20-25 individuals consisting of U.S. Government 
officials, government officials from African countries (expected to 
include at least some government Ministers and one or more heads of 
state), and representatives of U.S. institutional investors. The 
program will include keynote speeches, panels, and other presentations 
by attendees from both government and business. The program will 
include an overview of the financial business climate, a discussion of 
some of the leading proposed African infrastructure projects, and 
roundtable discussions on reactions to the proposed projects (including 
how to structure projects to attract foreign investment and factors 
that the U.S. private sector looks for and considers when assessing 
whether to invest).
    Public Participation: U.S. institutional investors or U.S. 
investment fund managers that represent U.S. institutional investors 
(state pension and teacher retirement funds), are eligible to apply for 
participation. Please note that space is limited at the launch event 
and applying does not guarantee participation. All applicants will be 
evaluated based on their ability to meet certain conditions and best 
satisfy the selection criteria as outlined below. Due to space 
limitations, participation is limited to no more than two 
representatives of each participating U.S. institutional investor or 
U.S. investment fund managers that represent U.S. institutional 
investors. If you are interested in being considered as a participant 
for the September 29, 2015 launch event, you must apply by sending an 
email to the address below by September 18th, 2015. The email must 
include the name of the proposed participant(s), title(s), company 
name, business contact information, a brief bio of the proposed 
participant(s), and a description of the company's interest in the 
event (including any relevant past, on-going, or planned investments or 
intent to invest in infrastructure and/or in Africa). Investment fund 
managers also must certify that they represent U.S. institutional 
investors. Do not include any business confidential or proprietary 
information in the request. Requests to participate in the launch event 
will be evaluated by the Department of Commerce and McKinsey and 
Company based on (1) level of institutional interest, knowledge of, or 
experience investing in infrastructure projects and/or in Africa, (2) 
experience and ability of the proposed participant to engage in a 
substantive discussion of factors influencing U.S. institutional 
investment decisions in the infrastructure sector in African markets, 
and (3) level of proposed participant within the company to be 
represented. Decisions will be made without regard to political 
considerations; referrals from political organizations and any 
documents containing references to partisan political activities 
(including political contributions) will be removed from an applicant's 
submission and not considered during the selection process.
    To apply send an email to: [email protected].
    If you are interested in being added to the distribution list for 
information about this program and about upcoming events, send an email 
to [email protected] with your name and contact information.

    Dated: August 31, 2015.
Joe Wereszynski,
Senior Policy Advisor for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Office of the 
Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. 2015-21973 Filed 9-2-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P