LFS Advisory and Foster Lewis enter into a strategic alliance in Malawi

Berlin/Lilongwe, December 2019 - LFS Advisory GmbH (“LFS”), a leading global impact advisory firm based in Berlin (Germany), and Foster Lewis, a local consultancy with transaction focus based in Lilongwe (Malawi), have formed a strategic alliance to provide investment advisory and capital market services to investors and impact-generating enterprises in Southeastern Africa.

The collaboration was forged on the occasion of the joint work under the Investment Support Facility (ISF) in Malawi, a component of the Agricultural Transformation Initiative (see more information in this article). Going forward, the firms will collaborate more broadly in developing and carrying out consultancy projects aiming to catalyze economic growth and improve livelihoods in the joint focus region.

Under the joint cooperation umbrella, LFS and Foster Lewis will be able to provide clients with a complete set of services related to capital market transactions, including strategic financial advisory, financial modelling, investor identification, private placements, valuation, due diligence and data room services.

Patrick Schoeneborn, one of LFS’ Managing Directors, commented: “Teaming up with Foster Lewis is a key step within our strategy to expand the network of strategic partnerships to augment our regional service delivery capabilities. Foster Lewis’ strong team, excellent regional track record and deep technical expertise will supplement our existing capacities for the benefit of our clients.“

Ian Foster, Managing Director of Foster Lewis said, “Our mission has always been to showcase the best of the region’s investment opportunities to global investors. Our partnership with LFS Advisory enables us to take this to a new level by combining their global presence and network of investors with our deep understanding of doing business in the region. It’s an exciting time both for ourselves and for our clients seeking capital.”

About LFS Advisory

LFS is an advisory and management firm based in Berlin, Germany. We operates exclusively in or related to developing countries and emerging markets. Our focus is on projects that advance economic and social development through technological and financial services, with the goal to unlock the immense impact potential of target groups who are typically underserved or neglected by commercial market offerings, such as micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), smallholder farmers and enterprises in the renewable energy sector.

Over the last 20 years, LFS has built up a distinctive track record both as an operator/manager of financial institutions and as an advisor to transactions and projects in the impact finance space. LFS has sub-offices or permanent representatives in Tanzania, Malawi, Peru and Brunei. 

About Foster Lewis

Foster Lewis Business Services Ltd is a highly skilled business advisory firm focusing on financial services, inward investment and governance in Malawi. Our mission is to break down the barriers to investing and doing business in Malawi and the Southern African region. We do this by developing innovative ways to overcome market information asymmetries, filling capacity gaps and strengthening governance practices.

Foster Lewis has a strong track record of supporting private sector clients and financial institutions in Malawi whilst maintaining sensitivity to the developmental objectives of development partners with an interest in such programmes. Our work involves a deep understanding of the functioning of whole value chains and the interests of the stakeholders within and around them, then identifying how an organisation can position itself strategically and sustainably within those value chains.