Event in Nairobi gathered more than 350 international leaders in trade and export finance

(Parsippany, New Jersey) – 24 April 2017 – Paul Sullivan, Vice President of International Business Development at Acrow Bridge, a leading international bridge engineering and supply company, took part in the Trade and Export Finance (TXF) Africa 2017 conference in Nairobi, Kenya, March 29-30, 2017.

Sullivan spoke on a panel called Joining the Dots: Transport & Construction Infrastructure that examined rail, road, port and airport financing; ensuring projects are bankable; and with manufacturing and services serving as a growth strategy for many African nations, how local, regional and international players can finance construction of new plants and commercial real estate. The panel was one of many presentations during the summit that brought together senior international leaders from government and industry to discuss access to finance, regulation at central banks, African development finance institutions, microfinance institutions and international institutions.

“Infrastructure investment is a critical element in the economic development of Africa,” said Sullivan, who is a frequent speaker at international development conferences. “Expanding the pool of financing options, both domestic and foreign, for infrastructure initiatives in Africa is a key agenda item for African officials as well as the investor community. American companies can play an important role in these markets, but they have to understand the immense importance of tailoring their offerings to the needs of local governments and stakeholders in terms of financing and project implementation, including the prioritization of local skills capacity building.”

Sullivan’s co-panelists were Andrew Patterson, Regional President for Africa, Bechtel; Suresh Samuel, Managing Director-Africa OPIC-Overseas Private Investment Corporation; Vishal Argawal, Development & Investments Leader, GE Africa; and Karen Mulder, Vice President-Transport & Social Infrastructure, KfW IPEX-Bank. Mark Norris, Partner, Sullivan & Worcester served as moderator.

About Acrow Bridge
Acrow Bridge has been serving the transportation and construction industries for more than 60 years with a full line of modular steel bridging solutions for vehicle, rail, vessel, military and pedestrian use. Acrow’s extensive international presence includes its leadership in the development and implementation of bridge infrastructure projects in over 80 countries, covering Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.acrow.com.

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