Westminster is pleased to announce that it has appointed Mr. Mawuli Ababio as strategic advisor to the Board on business development within Africa.
Mawuli Ababio has over 20 years experience in transactional analysis and legal documentation for equity and project financing in Africa and has also been involved in developing initiatives for improving financial intermediation and Africa’s capital markets.
Mr Ababio has held posts with Societe Internationale pour les Investissements et Developpement en Afrique (SIFIDA), Switzerland, and the African Development Bank. He also has private equity experience as the General Manager of VFMC Ltd (now Aureos Ghana Advisors Ltd), the management company for the Ghana Venture Capital Fund Ltd (GVCF), and the Enterprise Fund, a €3.5 million European Union fund for small businesses.
GVCF was sponsored by the Commonwealth Development Corporation Group and was Ghana’s first ever SME equity fund. Under his management, GVCF was fully invested and realised at least three exits via listings, trade sales and an IPO.
In 1999 he co-founded Faith Brothers Ltd, Ghana, as an investment and corporate advisory partnership and as Chief Executive, successfully led the acquisition of a leading micro-finance company in Ghana. This company was subsequently acquired in 2005 by Intercontinental Bank plc of Nigeria and converted into Intercontinental Bank Ghana Limited.
Mr Ababio is currently based in Johannesburg, South Africa and holds a BA (Hons) from Keele University, UK, an MA from the University of Reading, UK. He is a Director of several companies in Ghana and Nigeria. He is fluent in French.
Commenting on his appointment, Peter Fowler, Chief Executive of the Westminster Group said:
"Mr Ababio has, in the past, assisted Westminster with one or two projects in Africa, in particular Ecobank for which we have already been awarded several contracts and I am delighted that he is now joining us formally as advisor to the Board. He will advise on business strategy within Africa with a particular focus on Francophone countries, advise on project financing and assist with selection and monitoring of agents in the region. His expertise and experience in African business matters and project financing will be of immense benefit in helping us realise the significant potential for our products and systems in the region."