EU & Africa & US Business and Investment Forum
Venue: Casa de America - Plaza de Cibeles 2
(Metro Banco de España)
www.casamerica.es
Date: April 13th, 2015
Overview
EU-Africa & US Business and Investment Forum is aimed at members of the African business
The
community seeking partners for investment projects, European and US companies looking for investment
opportunities in Africa and conversely.
The event will bring together business leaders, government officials, as well as development partners and
senior officials from major international organizations, to exchange views on the challenges and opportunities
faced by Africa and to discuss possible partnerships and strategies in regards to the role of private sector in the
overall sustainable development in Africa.
In addition to high level presentations and panel discussions on the business and investment climate in Africa,
the one-day forum will facilitate networking, one-to-one meetings and interactions between African-EuropeanAmerican companies and investors to explore more than 20 specific projects and investment opportunities
which are currently being identified and screened for presentation at the forum.
Objectives
• Inspire greater action by business and Government.
• Discuss possible partnerships and strategies in regards to the role of private sector in the overall sustainable
development.
• Enable a synergetic transfer of knowledge and expertise between the private and the public domains.
• Provide a platform for best and emerging practices by sharing and reviewing lessons learned with an emphasis
on moving beyond anecdotal examples.
• Produce a call to action on business engagement in supporting sustainable development in Africa for
companies and investors from all over the world related to Africa.
10:00 – 10:30 AM Registration of Participants
10:30 – 11:00 AM.- Opening & Welcoming Remarks
Diana Ruiz Vicente, Vice Chancellor UCJC
President of Voices of Leaders
Founder & President of World Investment News
President of SNCIDA (Spanish Nigerian for Commercial and Industrial Development Association)
11:00 – 11:30.- Session 1 – Connecting Africa: Logistics and Transport
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The African continent is ideally located as a global logistics and transport hub. Easily accessible by air, sea and
land, this natural advantage attracts a rising movement of goods and people through and inside African
countries. The African Governments have early recognized the need for efficient logistics and transportation
structures for any kind of economic activity, and hence substantially invested in their establishment and
modernization. As a global transit hub for multiple means of transport, the African continent offers various
business opportunities for internationally operating enterprises.
Moderator: Prof. Michelet Montina, President/CEO Specialized Marketing and Logistics, S.L.
Panelists (5 out of 9):
Integrated Logistic Services, Ltd
Fortune Global Shipping & Logistics, Ltd
Meca-Systems, S.L.
Logistica Grupo TecniPublicaciones
Cargo Services, S.A.U.
DHL
M&M Air Sea Cargo, S.A.
SEUR
Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce & Industry
DEBATE
11:30 – 12:00 Session 2 – Construction and Housing: Trends & Projects
The value of construction and infrastructure contracts in Africa has been raised up, and all the African
governments having publicly committed to the improvement of infrastructure, there are numerous
infrastructures for investment and business cooperation. The commitment has also to be seen with the larger
determination of governments to continue the process of diversification away from oil.
Moderator: Sr. Daniel Gabalda, General Manager, Business GoOn S.L.
Panelists (5 out of 10):
Monje & Partners
Global Trade & Marketing S.A.
Barcelona Housing Systems
FPB Group
Federal Housing Authority
Hawthorne Group
Siport 21
Synconsult
Asociación Técnica Española de Galvanización
Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry
DEBATE
12:00 – 12:15 Coffee Break
12:15 – 12:45 Session 3 – Development of the Health Sector in Africa
The African governments have made healthcare a priority and taken proactive steps to improve and expand
healthcare infrastructure, decrease dependence on expatriate medical professionals and seek increased avenues
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for private sector participation. In the near future, African’s healthcare sector is expected to exhibit brisk
growth owing to increased populations, and income levels, insurance penetration, medical tourism and
prevalence of lifestyle related diseases.
Moderator: Sr. José María Párraga, Director INCYDE - Cámaras de Comercio de España.
Penelists (5 out of 7):
Clínica CEMTRO (Wireless Arthrocopy Device)
Cesma Medical Group
World Health Identification
Chemo Group
Normon
Madrid Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Laboratorios Muñoz Caro
DEBATE
12:45 – 13:30 Session 4 - Knowledge Exchange: Education and Vocational Training
The education sector in Africa has in recent years undergone vast growth and development. The number of
students graduating with a bachelor’s degree is expected to increase 11 million by 2020 with African
governments and companies investing large resources into raising their educational talent, developing key
relationships with leading universities and other higher education institutions worldwide and promoting local
managerial talent to play an active role in their national economies. African countries are all aware of the need
to improve the quality of education, enhance skills of local population and reduce dependence on expatriate
labor in order to support economic development.
Moderator: Sr. José Díaz Canseco, Founder/CEO The Human Touch, S.L.
Panelists (5 out of 8):
IESE Business School
Escuela Superior de Publicidad
Edibon International
eBiz Africa Review
Escuela Europea de Lideres
Youth Business Spain
JUNG Escuela de Emprendedores
Africa 2.0
Cambra Tarragona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
DEBATE
13:30 – 14:15 Session 5 – Towards Sustainability: Cooperation Projects in Energy, Water and
Environment
Africa is one of the fastest growing consumers of energy, driven by its rapidly growing population and largescale development projects. African countries have begun to invest in the post-petrol era as a mean to assist
economic diversification efforts, as well as to profit from their competitive advantage in many critical energy
sectors. Africa lacks modern efficient power efficient technologies, and the power generation efficiency is low
and distribution losses are above global average.
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Moderator: Sr. Joaquin Boston, President, International Board of Entrepreneurs and Business People
Panelists (5 out of 8):
Ingeteam Power Technology, S.A.
Smart Hydro Power GmbH
Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency
Eco Recovery Systems, Inc.
Africa Factor Humano
Africa Supply
Jesim Power Quality
Nexus Energía
DEBATE
14:15 – 14:45 Session 6 – Diversifying African Economy: Industrialization & Investment Opportunities
Industrialization is one of the key priorities in the African continent; many African governments have paved the
way for strengthening the industrial sector in their respective countries by focusing on specific sectors with
comparative advantages and creating industrial zones. The focus is here on opportunities and challenges for
industrial clusters of importance and relevance. In the industrial sector, there are vast chances for Spanish small
and medium sized as well as large businesses to enter the African project market.
Moderator: Prof. Michelet Montina, President/CEO Specialized Marketing and Logistics, S.L.
Panelists (5 out of 7):
Eurasian Development Bank
European Investment Bank
KFW Development Bank
Socios Inversores
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
Club de Exportadores e Inversores
European Private Equity & Venture Capital Association
Spotcap
Borago Inversores
Dynamis Living Lab for Sustainability, Spain
DEBATE
14:45 – 15:15 Cocktail for Participants to Mingle and Interact
15:15-16:30 Lunch Break
16:30 – 17:15 Session 7 – Opportunities Unfolding: Food Security & the Retail Sector
Food Security plays a growingly important role in Africa. With a scarce domestic supply of agricultural goods,
many African countries are designing strategies how to best guarantee a stable and constant food supply.
African governments have to decide on the mix of food imports and local production, bearing in mind the
trade-off between saving water and irrigation for boosting a local agriculture.
Moderator: Sr. Pablo Fernández, CEO, Profiles International Spain
Panelists (5 out of 11):
INGAL
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CIRAD
CEIGRAM
Dynamis Living Lab for Sustainability
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture
Agro Process
Ediciones y Publicaciones Alimentarias, S.A.
VAE/DFPEA/HAITI/USDA/UC DAVIS
Warri Industrial Business Park
Corenco
AYESA
InKoa
DEBATE
17:15 – 17:45 Session 8 – Business Proposal Presentations and Financing: Approaches to Strategic
Partnerships
The economic cooperation between Africa and Europe and USA needs a strong framework to prosper. This
includes insurances, financial means and wider legal mechanisms that support foreign trade. The possibilities
for European and US companies to invest in Africa are enormous and include many different kinds of
investments. Companies can establish themselves in the form of joint-venture with a local partner as limited
liability companies or professional partnerships.
What are the measures that can reduce risks to potential investors? What do African governments need to do for
financial institutions and business community to become more engaged in Africa?
Moderator: Prof. Michelet Montina, President/CEO Specialized Marketing and Logistics, S.L. & Sr. Joaquin
Boston, President, International Board of Entrepreneurs and Business People
Panelists (5 out of 9):
African Development Bank Group
Banco Santander, Spain
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
BMCE International
African Export – Import Bank
African Trade Insurance Agency
Africa Factor Humano
La Caixa, Spain
Sabadell, Spain
DEBATE
17:45 – 19:45 Session 9 - B2B and Business Networking Africa - USA – Europe
Each participant will be provided with a previously arranged agenda of appointments on the basis of the
information provided in the registration form. All participants must have their own necessary logistic materials
such as laptop, leaflets, catalogs, etc, in order to guarantee a successful meeting.
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