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Mihaela Balan

Managing Director at Systems Thinking for Development

Mihaela Balan is a prominent figure in the field of sustainable development and circular economy initiatives in Africa, particularly in her role as Team Leader at EU Africa RISE (Reform for Investment and Sustainable Economies).1

Professional Background

Mihaela Balan has held various leadership positions throughout her career, including:

  • Team Leader at EU Africa RISE
  • Managing Director (previous role)
  • Deputy Team Leader at EU Africa RISE (previous role)

Her work with EU Africa RISE has taken her to several African countries, including Eswatini, Botswana, Angola, and Mozambique.2

Areas of Expertise

Balan specializes in:

  • Circular economy implementation
  • Sustainable development
  • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
  • Public-private partnerships
  • Regional economic development

Notable Contributions

Mihaela Balan has been instrumental in several key initiatives:

  1. Circular Economy Regulations: She played a significant role in organizing a conference on implementing circular economy regulations in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).1

  2. EU-Botswana Business Forum: Balan contributed to the EU Botswana Business Forum 2023, supporting human capital development through education, health, and research.3

  3. Digital Waste Management: She has supported sustainable and greener digital solutions for waste management in African countries.4

Leadership Approach

Balan is known for her collaborative approach, often emphasizing the importance of:

  • Mobilizing regional business, government, and civil society leaders
  • Identifying and disseminating best practices
  • Encouraging local ownership of sustainable development initiatives
  • Facilitating public-private partnerships

Her vision for Africa includes leveraging the continent's vast untapped natural resources and fast-growing populations to leapfrog to a low-emission and climate-resilient development model.1

Highlights

Jun 14 · linkedin

There is a universally held consensus that digital technologies will continue to grow in importance across the economic sector. The digitisation of the economy allows almost instant access to products, services, discounts, advertising, government services, amongst others. Both equity and debt investors will no doubt be attracted to the potential returns offered by digital infrastructure; public institutions and large financial institutions will have a role to play.

But that's not always the case in Africa. According to the International Telecommunication Union only 40% of Africans have access to internet, the lowest rate of any continent. The majority of Africans can't afford a smartphone or an internet data package. Everything takes longer for these people who are excluded from the internet. The reality for the majority of Africans.

Investing in digital technology is one of the five investment areas under the EU #Global Gateway. EU Africa RISE (Reform for Investment and Sustainable Economies), we saw digitalisation as a high priority area on our beneficiaries agenda. The Facility has invested 7% of resources in 10 projects within and across Eastern & Southern Africa as well as the Indian Ocean.

In Botswana we supported Botswana Investment and Trade Centre with a market assessment of the #ICT sector and identification of investment opportunities. We now take these opportunities to #deal making by reaching out to investors.

Where are we now? 🌱We have 8 #investment-ripe businesses identified in Botswana, with investees ready to ‘pitch’ to digitally-savvy investors on why co-investing in #datacenters, #cloudcomputing, e-commerce, outsourcing (BPO), Purchase order financing, education or property tech, will help (impact) investors make a difference, # social or #environmental benefits while also benefiting #bottomline.

🎯10 million US$ in funding are sought.

🌱 Botswana is a country worth investing on: •   It has Top Credit Rating: Botswana boasts the best credit rating in mainland Sub-Saharan Africa. •   A Stable Democracy: It is a stable, democratic country with an independent judiciary system. •   A Growing Macroeconomic Environment: Improving fiscal discipline, well-capitalized banking system, and a stable exchange rate system. Recorded the highest GDP growth rate in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2021 and continues on a strong recovery trajectory. •   Central Location: Positioned centrally in southern Africa, serving as a gateway to the region. •   Investment Support: Botswana offers low tax rates, no foreign exchange controls, and a streamlined business registration process with no restrictions on capital outflows through financial institutions.

To learn more about these investment opportunities or connect with investees please contact EU Africa RISE (Reform for Investment and Sustainable Economies) RISE or BITC.

Botswana Investment and Trade Centre Thierry Sanders Paul Baker Emmanuel Barreto Jonathan Mwewa Sebastian Frisch

Jun 10 · linkedin

Minerals are essential #Climate & Energy as building blocks for clean technologies. As the renewable energy industry grows, demand for minerals increases. A 2020 World Bank Report found that the production of minerals would need to increase by 500% by 2050 to meet the growing demand. The EC proposed its Critical Raw Materials Act in March 2023, to pave a pathway towards resilience & strategic autonomy by building partnerships with other countries.   EU Africa RISE (Reform for Investment and Sustainable Economies) investments towards Global Gateway Climate&Energy investment area increased recently. 21 of our 85 projects, and 28% of investment contribute to Climate&Energy. 4 projects in Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia and SADC work directly on CRM addressing the development of #value chain for automotive sector, opportunities #FDI and #value addition.   In Zambia we supported EU Delegation with #Market Assessment of copper value chain and investment in value addition. A EU-Zambia Copper business forum was organised in Kitwe  in April 2024 by the EUD and the Ministry of Mining under “Growing the Copper Industry through sustainable value chain“.   Over 250 international investors, European private sector, DFIs, impact investment funds, government, manufacturers,mining companies, came together to discuss investment, learn #invest in Zambia, and engage #B2B sessions.   The results were impressive, with high expectations they will drive progress towards the Climate&Energy transition and leverage funds towards 2027 #Global Gateway. 🎯President of Republic of Zambia His Excellency Hakainde Hichilema focused on the importance of mutually benefiting business relationship “we would like the inflow of capital at a fair price, the latest first grade technology in the mining industry, joint partnerships where European and Zambian business come together with mutual benefits” 🎯Hon Elisha Matambo Minister of the Copperbelt confirmed: “Copperbelt is committed to increasing the value addition” 🎯Karolina Stasiak, Ambassador of the European Union to Zambia and COMESA, spoke about forum's key objective to explore opportunities between Zambia and Europe.   What we EU Africa RISE (Reform for Investment and Sustainable Economies) learnt #BF, the 2nd high level BF we participated after the successful #EBBF in Oct 2023: 🌱We continue to play a catalytic role in the market. While our role is temporary and will exit at some stage, other market players are ready to continue beyond 🎯The Facility made the most effective use of TA by addressing key pressing topics: in Zambia our work supports EUD and GoZ with positioning the country for a copper-plus future 🌱Partnerships are central to Global Gateway, including on CRM; when we work together, we pull resources, deliver faster, with wider and deeper impact.

Dr Patience Mpofu Jeremy Weate mwansa Matokwani Dario Pomodoro Manisha Dookhony Sebastian Frisch Emmanuel Barreto Omar Abdelrahman Abulheija Thierry Sanders Roseta Chabala

Related Questions

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Mihaela Balan
Mihaela Balan, photo 1
Mihaela Balan, photo 2
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Location

Brighton East, Victoria, Australia