This theme will cover financing for both technical cooperation and business investment. It will include investment in domestic enterprise development (patience capital vs. venture capital) and in public and private infrastructure (e.g. transport, ports, warehousing, cold chain). Some mechanisms to be covered are public-private partnerships (PPP), “Social Initial Public Offerings (IPOs)”, debt-for-development swap and carbon emission trading.
Theme Manager
Ron Kopicki
Ron Kopicki retired from the World Bank in 2008 after 16 years as its Supply Chain Advisor. He is currently involved in organizing a private development fund which will specialize in African agribusiness. In addition, Ron advises a number of private companies concerning their strategies for expanding into developing countries. While with the World Bank, Ron worked on more than 30 agribusiness and agricultural market development projects, as well as on projects involving food supply chain development. His field experience with the Bank was gained in more than 50 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Central America and the Caribbean. From the World Bank Ron was seconded to the FAO for two years, where, as an Agribusiness Development Economist, he worked with the Investment Center. Here he developed strategies for encouraging private sector investment in the agricultural sectors of developing countries. From within the FAO he assisted other development agencies, including IFAD and the African Development Bank, with their investment project preparation. Ron has extensive hands-on management experience in starting private enterprises and in building distribution channels, as well as in making and appraising private sector investments. He started three companies himself and has advised on many more. From 1978 to 1992, he worked for CSX (a Fortune 500 company) as Director of Strategic Planning and as Vice President with profit and loss responsibility for major business unit. Previously, as Manager Rehabilitation Planning, he assisted Conrail, a state owned railway company, restructure financially and privatize. Ron holds BA and MA degrees from Cornell University, as well as an MBA from Stanford University. His main areas of specialization include agribusiness development and farm-to-market value chains. He has lectured and spoken in work shops and seminars on these topics in several international venues. In addition to English he speaks some French and Italian.
