Egypt will host the 2015 Business for Africa, Egypt and the World Forum from October 30 to 31, to discuss how accelerate private sector engagement and investment within Africa and help develop new ties and partnerships, as well as highlight the African opportunity.
Africa 2015, which is a must-attend African international business forum for those concerned with doing serious business in Africa, will take place in Egypt’s Sharm el Sheikh, a luxury seaside resort that offers unparalleled Red Sea scuba diving, among others facilities.
The forum will provide the platform needed for the public and private sector to network, discuss and further advance African business projects.
Africa 2015 is expected to bring together over 1,500 high-level delegates from Africa, the Gulf, Eastern Europe, Asia, India, South America and other traditional markets interested in African business opportunities for the following sectors: Energy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), financial services, trade, agri-business, health care and pharmaceuticals.
Africa 2015 is being organised under the high patronage of His Excellency Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
It is also being held under the umbrella of the African Union Commission through the Egyptian Agency of Partnerships for Development (EAPD) of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), in partnership with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Investment Agency (COMESA RIA), with the support of the Ministry of Investment of Egypt.
Africa 2015
The Secretary General of the Egyptian Agency of Partnerships for Development (EAPD), Ambassador Hazem Fahmy, announced these during an interaction with African journalists who were in Egypt on an official visit that Africa 2015 would demystify the African bottom-line and answer pressing questions.
He said the forum would also address such issues as: What are the current opportunities? Will policies continue to be conducive to business, and if so, for which sectors? Who are the main players and how did they make it? and what are the hurdles and where do they get the needed support to do business?
Africa 2015 reaffirms Egypt’s commitment to participate actively in Africa’s rennaissance and its commitment to strengthen partnerships and promote cross-border private sector engagement.
Participants
Personalities to expect at the forum include Africa’s most enterprising minds such as heads of state/presidents and vice presidents, ministers, policy makers, political leaders, and senior government officials from Africa and around the world.
Others are international business leaders – chief executive officers, managing directors, chief operating officers, directors, with current and potential investment in Africa, financiers from the banking and non-banking world, international organisations and multilateral agencies.
The forum will bring together consultants, analysts, economists, legal experts, academics, risk professionals, advisors and leading international and local media.
Why attend Africa 2015
Africa 2015 delegates will have the chance to attend, visit and participate in plenary sessions featuring world-renowned personalities who are shaping the future of business in Africa and the world; captivating TV debates; one-to-one and one-to-two discussions where highly influential industry professionals will be sharing their African business know-how.
Ambassador Fahmy said the delegates would also participate in the ‘Invest in Africa Space’ where African countries would showcase their current opportunities and answer specific questions regarding doing business in their home countries.
The delegates will also take part in the Business to Business (B2B) ‘Meeting Space’ to secure important meetings with public and private sector decision-makers; a large array of executive-level impromptu networking occasions at the venue’s salons.
Background to the forum
With interest in the African continent growing exponentially, some of today’s newest business players are originating from non-traditional regions such as Africa itself, South America, Eastern Europe and the Gulf.
The decision by Egypt to hold the forum is strategic as it is positioned at the crossroads of Europe, the Gulf, Asia, and Africa, where trade and investment have been taking place with cultures crossing paths for over 7,000 years.
With eight per cent of global seaborne trade between the East and the West passing through Egypt’s Suez Canal, a number which is expected to grow with the new Suez Canal Regional Development Project, it is easy to comprehend Egypt’s ever-growing business potential.