Gro Ventures Established to Provide Data, Analysis and Advisory Services on African Commodities

Feb. 7, 2013 - PRLog -- HONG KONG — Gro Ventures, a specialized information and advisory business focused exclusively on African commodities, announced the formation of its two initial operating units, Gro Intelligence and Gro Energy.   The announcement was made at the Goldman Sachs 2013 Global Macro Conference in Hong Kong by Gro Ventures Senior Partner Ali Mufuruki during his speech “Investment Opportunities and the Competitive Advantages of Africa.”   The text of his speech is available at http://www.gro-ventures.com

With head offices in Nairobi, Kenya, Gro Ventures capitalizes on its co-founders’ in-depth knowledge of Africa and the commodities sectors to advance African commodity market development  through solutions that effectively balance market dynamics and government policy.  Gro Ventures’ co-founders are Sara Menker, CEO, and Ali Mufuruki, Senior Partner.  Ms. Menker, an Ethiopian national is a former Vice President in Morgan Stanley’s Commodities Group, with substantial experience in risk management and trading. Mr. Mufuruki, a Tanzanian national is founder, Chairman and CEO of Infotech Investment Group (Tanzania) and Chairman of Wananchi Group Holdings (Kenya).  

Gro Ventures’ initial operating units are Gro Intelligence, providing timely African agricultural commodity data and analysis, and Gro Energy, providing African energy market advisory services.   Gro Intelligence is its data aggregation, reconciliation and analysis service that fills costly information and knowledge gaps about African agriculture to provide clearer, more comprehensive and timely reporting to reduce inefficiencies across the value chain.   It serves the financial sector, public sector, agriculture input providers, producers, processors, logistics providers and other participants in African agriculture.   Interested parties can sign up for a free, live preview of Gro Intelligence at http://www.gro-ventures.com.  

“The availability of accurate, real-time data will favorably impact African agricultural market stakeholders ranging from policymakers to global businesses to individual farmers,” said Sara Menker, CEO of Gro Ventures.  “We believe that the shortage of timely agricultural market data and analysis affects major policy decisions, the timing and levels of financial investment, and the availability and utilization of African processing facilities, among many others.   Gro Intelligence will fill the acute need for reliable African agricultural data and analysis that we believe will break the logjam that impairs investment in African agriculture.”

Gro Energy is Gro Ventures’ advisory service on African energy commodities.   Gro Energy provides highly customized services in the areas of energy law and regulation, finance upstream and downstream services, power generation, business development strategy and fiscal policy development strategy.   It serves both government and private sector clients in African energy.

“The rapid growth of oil and gas exploration in Africa has created a challenge for many governments to manage potential producer interest and undertake key energy-related fiscal and other policy development initiatives,” said Ali Mufuruki, Gro Ventures Senior Partner and co-founder of Gro Energy.  “In addition, many energy businesses need help understanding African energy’s operational and economic landscape.   Gro Energy’s advisory services help governments better prepare and design policies that will facilitate investment by businesses, as well as optimize outcomes for African nations.”

About Gro Ventures

Gro Ventures is a specialized information and advisory business focused exclusively on African commodities that seeks to advance African commodity market development through solutions that effectively balance market dynamics and government policy.   With head offices in Nairobi, Kenya, Gro Ventures two operating units are GRO Intelligence, providing timely African agricultural market data and analysis services, and GRO Energy, providing African energy market advisory services.  For more information please visit http://www.gro-ventures.com.