Private Equity and Value Creation in Frontier Markets: The Need for an Operational Approach

Abstract

Nowhere else is operational value creation approach more in need or more in demand than in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region. Advocating and building operational capabilities requires active investment in business processes, human capital and a long term horizon. By developing capabilities of managers to deliver value from operations will not only result in building great companies, but also raise the bar for human talent and organizational capability in the region. In the long term, such an adrenalin injection of new generation of business leaders could have a profound effect on the regional economy, its competitiveness, and overall integration of MENA private equity markets.