By: Miningmx

Consultancy firm Alvarez & Marsal has opened its first African office in Cape Town, targeting a continent attracting growing investor interest as competition between China and the West intensifies over critical minerals used in defence, electronics and the energy transition, said Reuters.

The office, launched this week, currently employs 20 staff with plans to exceed 100 within three years, said Johan van der Westhuyzen, who leads the new operation after 15 years in the Middle East. The African team will support clients across infrastructure, energy, mining and industrial sectors.

“We are seeing the flow of potential funds coming to Africa and what we do basically is to help companies to have their plans and attract these funds. Once they have the projects, we help them to deliver,” said Marcos Ganut, A&M’s global head of infrastructure and capital projects.

China’s restrictions on mineral exports with potential military applications have pushed rivals, including the US, to seek alternative supply chains, directing investment towards resource-rich African states. The Iran conflict has further highlighted the region’s inadequate energy infrastructure in the face of volatile global prices.

Drawing on experience in Brazil, where it worked on liberalising the power sector, A&M aims to address infrastructure inefficiencies and competency gaps across the continent.

“We are not pushing the flag of let’s privatise everything,” Ganut added. “What we’re pushing is efficiency and execution.”

Globally, A&M’s infrastructure division comprises more than 1,000 professionals within a firm of nearly 15,000.