Crowe Infrastructure Africa
Crowe Infrastructure Africa, or Crowe Infra, is Crowe's consulting firm for public and private infrastructure advisory services in Africa. As a specialized boutique financial consulting firm, Crowe Infra has a unique and highly competitive delivery model based on an uncompromising commitment to quality, agility and responsiveness.
Crowe Infra is providing consulting services in identifying, structuring and developing large-scale bankable infrastructure projects for public and private clients through to financial close, by building pipelines of projects, performing due diligence and feasibility studies of high-return investment projects and raising debt and equity capital for infrastructure developers.
Stefan Kauder, the firm's founder and Managing Partner, explains how the concept of Crowe Infra combines and builds on all partners' decades of professional experience in capital projects and infrastructure development, gained in Africa and globally and while working with governments and development finance institutions, international investment banks, private equity funds and large consulting firms, including the Big Four:
“We have seen first-hand what our clients really want and not always get: personal commitment and direct involvement of partners and senior management; creative problem solving capabilities in addressing challenges, which are almost around every corner when dealing with complex infrastructure projects; access to the best specialists when needed; as well as the ability and stamina to bring deals securely to financial close. And we knew we had to come up with really smart solutions, if we were to make a mark and succeed in this highly competitive market, to large extent dominated by some of the biggest advisory firms in the world”.
While each member of Crowe Infra's senior management team has over 20, 30 and more years of outstanding professional experience, reputation and resulting networks, industry contacts and insights, the firm invested in a smart approach to using technology and select subscription services to gain access to deep and comprehensive market intelligence, economic and financial data and databases of profiles and resumes of almost one million infrastructure specialists in relevant disciplines from all over the world.
From the outset, Crowe Infra has adopted a paperless office approach with all data stored and shared securely in the cloud, office and mobile phone services supported by IP PBX, and all applications and working tools geared towards mobile and remote teamwork. “By applying smart technology, we are able to do things faster, more efficiently, and at better quality and prices than many other consulting firms in this market”, says Stefan.
Lately, John Ouko, with over 20 years of experience in investment banking in Europe and East Africa, banking and advisory in infrastructure and renewable energy, and project management has joined the team as an Executive Director to lead the firm's rapidly growing corporate finance practice.
John sees the potential for cross-border projects in infrastructure sectors for Crowe: “I was speaking with other corporate finance experts in the network, for example with the members of Global Corporate Advisors, and I realized that a number of Crowe firms in other regions have significant consulting experience with renewable energy, transport, urban infrastructure, IT and telecommunication projects. As a global network, we need to collaborate and jointly build and capitalize on our international credentials and expertise.”
Crowe Infra is now leading an initiative of a group of Crowe corporate finance experts and firms engaged in infrastructure and capital projects that spans around the globe. This, the firm's management team believes, will be the beginning of a successful journey of Crowe to offer top-quality and competitive infrastructure finance services wherever in the world clients want to go.
Currently, Crowe Infra has the mandates to raise capital for developers of largescale renewable energy and electrical vehicle projects in East and West Africa, to identify and structure equity investment in mega infrastructure projects in Africa for global private equity funds and international merchant banks, and to provide due diligence services for African and international top-tier investment banks engaged in infrastructure debt finance.
Crowe Infrastructure Africa
Kenya