In the wake of Neom, the largest hydrogen deal closed to date, all eyes remain trained on Saudi as more and bigger projects come to market. The day before the conference kicks off, join us for an in depth briefing that takes an in-depth look at the opportunities in one of the most promising countries in the region.

• The project pipeline in Saudi Arabia

• Which borrowers should investors keep their eyes on?

• What ECA led innovations could be applied in Saudi?

Accompany us for a visit to the Museum of the Future where we will immerse ourselves in the cutting edge advancement of science, technology and innovation. We will meet at the Museum at 16:45 for a 17:00 entry. Don't forget to RSVP here! 

Join us for a relaxed evening of networking at our official icebreaker located in the beautiful Cana by Tamoka Beach Bar!

Time: 19:00 - 21:00

Don't forget to RSVP here.

Welcome to MEA 2025, brought to you by TXF, Proximo & Uxolo! To open the event, we take you through the leading trends impacting the Middle East & Africa today, informed by Exile Group's Intelligence. 

Our hosts welcome you to Middle East & Africa 2025, taking you through an inspiring overview of aspirations and opportunities in the UAE. 

This session takes you through a country risk outlook on the Gulf region and Africa including trade flows, ongoing investments, and debt sustainability

Local ECAs are still relatively new for the Middle East, but in their short lifespan they have invigorated projects across the globe. Across Africa, local institutions have been established for longer and still have a vital role to play. This session brings local ECAs from Africa and the Middle East together to consider:

●     What role do the Middle East's ECAs have to play in Africa? What notable transactions have already closed, and how will the ECAs continue to support development across the continent?

●      What innovative structures have our ECAs offered clients?

●      How have ECAs used untied financing to support international projects?

• How can regional ECAs partner with international institutions to bolster growth in key markets? 

Grab a coffee and exchange business cards before our next sessions

The Middle East remains a hub for large-scale infrastructure projects involving a range of financial institutions - from local and international banks to ECAs. This session examines the pipelines of large scale developers and borrowers:

• What does the project pipeline for large scale infrastructure look like in the MENA region?

• Which developers are looking to tap the ECA market, and for which projects? If not, why not? 

• What could ECAs and financiers do to better support borrowers in MENA?
• It's been a bumper year for rail infrastructure - how are huge projects like Hafeet faring? 

Local expertise is a vital component to any deal, but especially those in Sub-Saharan Africa. This session digs in to their irreplaceable know-how:

• Why are local partnerships so important for African transactions? 
• Which African institutions are leading the way when it comes to partnerships with international firms? 
• How can global institutions keen to work in Africa engage with the right local partners?

Whilst conventional renewables remain robust and reliable, sustainable fuels and new energy technology with be a vital piece of the puzzle when it comes to the Middle East's energy transition. This session considers the burgeoning sector in depth:

• What role do ECAs have to play in financing sustainable fuels in the Middle East?
• What legal and logistical challenges does the sector pose to developers?
• What does the project pipeline look like, and what bankable projects are on the horizon?

Large scale infrastructure projects such as transport, energy transmission, and water simply would not happen in emerging markets without agency support. This session takes a holistic view of critical infra prospects in emerging markets across the Africa, considering:

·       What do developers and manufacturers need most from ECAs and DFIs in critical infrastructure projects?

·       What differences have recent innovation in ECA products, such as longer tenors and untied financing, made to large scale critical infrastructure projects?

·       What creative solutions, including blended finance, could we use to consider Africa's infrastructure gap holistically? How do we coordinate multiple organisations and authorities to provide robust, sustainable infrastructure solutions? 

Amongst energy security concerns, critical mineral requirement for the energy transition, and concerns over food security, establishing reliable natural resource supply has never been more important. Enter the commodity traders, who have increasingly worked with ECAs to support resource security across the Middle East. This session considers:

• The role that traders play in securing natural resources
• How traders partner with ECAs and other organisations, and the importance of untied financing 
• How local banks can better support traders

Digital connectivity is no longer a privilege - in today's interconnected world, it's a right. But across Africa, digital infrastructure and services are not as accessible as they should be. This session considers Africa's digital landscape holistically, asking:

• How can different organisations, especially those who may have been siloed in the past, collaborate to increase digital connectivity in Africa?
• What impact does digital connectivity have for local communities, and especially for women? 
• How do we ensure that digital infrastructure projects go ahead when some ECAs are reticent to take non-sovereign exposure in emerging markets?
• What role can DFIs and multilaterals play in Africa's digital space?

Although strides are being made with new technology in MENA, conventional renewables - notably solar - are still leading the way. This session considers:

• The project pipeline for MENA's renewables
• Upcoming wind projects in Saudi
• The prevalence of solar in the UAE
• The potential for decarbonising industrial players, supporting the transition from baseload to renewables

Demand for social infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals, remains high across Africa - but the small tickets often required can mean that even the most necessary projects go un-financed. This session brings dealmakers together to discuss:

• The unique challenges that arise in financing hospital and education infrastructure
• How ECAs and DFIs can work on creative solutions to bring more social infra projects to financial close
• The role of local expertise in closing these deals

Across the Middle East & Africa, sovereigns play a vital role in propelling projects - without their support, many vital infrastructure transactions could not go ahead. This session brings together sovereigns who are borrowing on the ECA market to consider:

•  How can ECAs best appeal to governments with their sights set on large scale projects?

• What impact do stringent ESG requirements have on emerging market borrowers?

• What do the project pipelines look like for each of our government representatives?

COP28 saw all eyes on Dubai, and MEA more broadly, in the global conversation about climate change; at the same time, many African countries cannot access basic electricity, yet are expected to transition at the same pace as developed economies.  This session considers the topic of sustainability holistically:

• What policy and regulation is in place to monitor Net 0 goals in Africa and the Middle East? How do we take inspiration from frameworks used in other parts of the world, adapting them to suit the needs of this unique market? 
• How should we approach the energy transition in an African context?

• What role should international developed markets play to ensure that emerging countries are assessed in their own right? Do ECAs and DFIs need to up their game in emerging markets?
• How can individual companies in Africa and the Middle East become more sustainable in their business practices, and how do we encourage this without applying unfair standards in countries that have urgent development needs? 

We invite all guests to join our relaxed roundtable session dedicated to celebrating women in export, project, and development finance

In this session, hear a comprehensive overview of risk profiles in the region, including which sectors to keep an eye on for 2025. 

DFIs play a vital role in emerging market transactions, crowding funding into projects that, whilst critical for the local community, may otherwise not reach financial close. This session gathers DFI leaders to consider:

• What DFIs can bring to a transaction, and how they partner with the likes of ECAs and commercial banks

• How to crowd in the private sector

• How blended finance can support emerging market transactions

• Specific examples of transactions that would not have happened without DFI involvement

Although establishing itself as an export hub, the Middle East remains an important destination for ECA finance. When it comes to Africa, many projects simply wouldn’t be bankable without the ECA option. We invite ECAs from around the globe who have projects in the Middle East and Africa to discuss:

• The latest initiatives they have planned for MEA projects

• How international ECAs partner with local ECAs and banks to best support clients

•  How have changes to the OECD consensus impacted ECAs, and what innovations should we see as a result?

• Which markets ECAs are looking to support

Things might not have been smooth sailing in Egypt recently, but the country demonstrates a strong history of mega projects, and need remains high. This session considers:What developments will we see in Egypt’s transport and renewables pipelines in the near future?

• What developments will we see in Egypt’s transport and renewables pipelines in the near future?

• What role does the Egyptian sovereign play in closing deals in the country, and how could the finance market better support development?

• Which ECAs and DFIs are eyeing up Egypt?
  

Africa is notoriously resource rich, with what could be thriving agriculture and metals sectors that could bolster economies and provide food security. But, when considered holistically, there are some gaps that mean value is lost along the chain. This sector considers Africa's resources holistically:

• How does the continent's infrastructure need to develop to better support Africa's commodities industries?
• What role do ECAs and DFIs have to play to support these infrastructure projects? Is there enough financing and insurance available?
• How does the geopolitical landscape affect the commodities industry in Africa?

Whilst plenty of attention is directed to MENA’s largest markets, there are vital projects that need to be done in smaller, often developing economies too – and all too often, they struggle to access financing. This session considers opportunities in MENA's smaller markets which can be perceived as 'riskier' by the international banking community.

●      What role can ECAs and DFIs play in supporting transactions in smaller markets such as Iraq and Jordan? What does the project pipeline look like?

●      What impact do the rising political tensions in the Middle East have on newer markets seeking finance?

●      How should commercial banks and ECAs approach ESG requirements in emerging markets which still rely heavily on fossil fuels?

The past few years have seen significant Middle Eastern investment into Sub-Saharan Africa, including the development of large renewables projects. This session considers:   

• How MENA can support Sub-Saharan African development     

• Successful investments into Africa, and how more Middle Eastern companies can get involved   

• The importance of government-to-government support from the Middle East into Africa