Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have become the new buzz word in Kenya.  Kenya’s Vision 2030 identifies the private sector as key towards developing much needed flagship infrastructure projects; however, the GoK estimates a funding gap of approximately US$44 billion is required to address Kenya’s infrastructure requirements over the next five to eight years.  To help overcome this financing gap, the government is focused on creating an attractive public-private partnership (PPP) framework via a recently approved PPP Bill 2011 draft that is to be tabled in Parliament in March 2012.  This new PPP legislation is expected to provide government bodies with the legal capacity to enter PPP contracts, create certainty and investor confidence, reduce negative impacts on risk profiles of PPP projects and provide a clear approval process for PPPs among others. 

This is therefore an opportune time to organize a strategy session to better position U.S. companies to participate in several upcoming PPP infrastructure projects in partnership with local Kenyan firms with IFI and USG financing.  The objective of this seminar is to share information and to begin a dialogue that will eventually result in increased U.S. public and private participation in Kenya’s upcoming PPPs in transportation infrastructure, energy, and tourism infrastructure.

Who should participate?  1. US Investors in Kenya  2. Potential local partners 3. GoK representatives from Vision 2030, Ministries of Finance, Transportation, Energy  4. IFIs and local banks that do project finance  5. Investment fund managers6. USG: Commerce, State, Treasury, OPIC, TDA,7. Donor funded programs w/ studies on improving transportation infrastructure: e.g. Compete, TM EA

8:00 am – Registration and Coffee

8:30 am - Welcome Remarks:  Highlighting U.S. Interest in Partnering with Kenya to Achieve Kenya’s    Vision 2030 Goals- U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Major General (Red.) Scott Gration- U.S. Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary Michael Camunez

9:00 am - Discussion of Kenya’s Evolving Legal Framework for Defining PPPs  This session will involve of a discussion of the protections that Kenya’s new PPP law will offer to U.S. investors.

10:15am - Coffee Break

10:30 am - IFIs Role in Project Finance – World Bank and African Development BankThis session will cover the current priority projects and industries for IFI financing, commercial opportunities for U.S. companies in IFI-funded PPP project pipeline, along with a discussion of co-financing possibilities from international and local banking and investment houses. 

11:30 am - Overview of Resources for Structured Finance – TDA, OPIC, TreasuryThis session will involve a dialogue on the advantages of USG Financing, the USG Criteria for Bankable Deals and how USG finance agencies can co-finance PPP projects with the IFIs.  

12:30 pm  - Lunch with Keynote speakers: 
- Assistant Secretary Michael Camunez on the U.S.-Kenya bilateral trade relationship
- Vision 2030 CEO Mugo Kibati (TBC) on Vision 2030 economic development priorities and attracting FDI through PPPs – what’s currently happening and what’s desired for future partnerships.

2:00 pm- PPP Case Studies in Africa and Similar Markets with USG Finance Support- OPIC, AfDB, WBSpeakers from OPIC the World Bank and the African Development bank will present functioning PPPs in other markets to open a discussion on how the PPP model can be implemented in Kenya.

3:00 pm - Discussion on Potential Bankable Deals in Kenya While Kenya has big local and regional plans for energy and transportation infrastructure projects, for the deals to be bankable, they must be broken down into smaller manageable pieces with some guarantee of return on investment.  Here we will discuss what the GoK is planning to invest in priority projects and what is possible in terms of structuring actual deals as PPPs with IFI, USG, and private financing.  
Potential projects to be discussed include:1. World Bank funded PPPs in Energy, Transportation  and Tourism Infrastructure2. African Development Bank funded PPPs  - speaker TBD3. Standard Gauge RR networks   - speaker from MoT or KRR tBDi) High Capacity Standard Gauge Railway Network from Mombasa-Kampala – a 1300 kilometer standard gauge railway network within the Northern Corridor that is estimated to cost US$ 5.8 billion.ii) KRA/MoT - Commuter Rail Services for Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu – to be developed through modernization and expansion of the existing meter gauge rail network in the three cities estimated at 100 kilometers at a cost of US$125 million

4. Oil refinery in Lamu (link to oil pipeline) – speaker from MoE TBD

4:30 pm Conclusions/Recommendations for a way forward/Vote of thanks  - U.S. Commercial Counselor Camille Richardson 

4:45 pm Event concludes.  Participants depart for Networking Cocktail 

5:00 pm Networking Cocktail at the U.S. Ambassador’s Residence