From the 14th to the 18th of February 2022, the “EABF EU-Africa Business Forum 2022” took place in Brussels. This event, co-organised by the European Union, the African Union Commission and African and European business organisations and partners, takes place every three years, together with the EU-Africa Summit.
This year EABF took place in the context of the already existing investment partnership between Europe and Africa. The African Continental Free Trade Agreement entered into force in May 2019 – which creates significant momentum for a continental integration – and the ultimate ambition of an African continental single market. Also bearing in mind that the African population, with a high percentage of young people, is expected to grow and reach 2.5 billion citizens by 2050. Looking at the challenges still very present today in Africa, the EABF had as the main theme “Building stronger value chains for sustainable growth and decent jobs”, developed through three main axes:
- Creating and enabling framework, in order to develop the EU-Africa trade and investment relations
- Building stronger value chains, that have the most potential both from a pan-African and EU-Africa perspective
- Making it work for the people and for the planet, focusing on youth and entrepreneurship and on digital innovation and sustainability.
On Monday 14th European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME had the honour to open the Africa Week at 10:00 am CET with our online workshop, organised together with our Belgian member OVO, as well as with our African partners SVAI and Einstein Rising, on “Supporting a solid entrepreneurship mindset through mentoring and accelerating sustainable and shared value business ideas”. Moderated by CEA-PME Associate Director for Economic Cooperation, Prof. Horst Fischer, it focused on the importance to create shared value, as well as social and environmental impact by the private sector thanks to private sector development.
The following day, our Managing Director, Mr. Stefan Moritz, participated in the online workshop of DG GROW on “Sustainable Finance”, in order to advocate a more hands-on approach to SME finance that supports and does not punish sustainable SMEs, like current policies for green investments decided by the EU tend to do (eg. “taxonomy”, CSR – Corporate Sustainability Reporting).
And following, during our High-Level event organized in cooperation with our African continental partner PACCI on “How to foster entrepreneurship for young people through education and professional training”, and moderated by former MEP Dr Stefan Gehrold, we focused on showcasing the potential of a work-based professional training approach to foster an entrepreneurial mindset and hence support sustainable development with new entrepreneurs.
On Wednesday 16th, the High-Level Panel organised by the European Commission on “The road to economic recovery: fostering the Pan-African Opportunity” saw the participation of the President of the European Commission, Ms Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the African-Union Commission Mr Moussa Faki Mahamat, of the EU-Commissioner for International Partnerships, Ms Jutta Urpilainen, of the AU-Commissioner for Industry and Trade, Mr Albert Muchanga, as well as the President of European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME and CONFAPI, Mr Maurizio Casasco.
The Panel focused on the importance of the private sector for economic recovery, together with the importance to develop EU-African economic partnerships and projects for sustainable development. Our President Mr Casasco intervened on the topic, stating that “Entrepreneurs want to build bridges that foster not only the exchange of goods but also of values, training and know-how that support the contamination of ideas and the transfer of experience”.
On the 17th, European Entrepreneurs Managing Director, Stefan Moritz, participated, together with the European Commissioner Ms Jutta Urpilainen and Austrian Commissioner for Education, Universities and R&D Mr Mohammed Belhocine in the Panel on “Bridging the finance, investment and skill gaps and making Youth and Entrepreneurship development work for a stronger EU-Africa partnership”.
The discussion focused on the necessity to correctly train young people with work-based and project-based learning, the only way to learn skills necessary to become later entrepreneurs. Moreover, we need to help millions of informal entrepreneurs to incorporate and thus to grow, giving in this way jobs to many young people. One takeaway of the Panel was also the necessity to learn from good experience of other countries on grants for direct investment that offers professional training and creates new jobs for Africa, like “Invest for Jobs” of GIZ”, on business coaching (Sustech Accelerator Fund – OVO), and creating bridges for the gaps in skills and investments so that new SMEs can thrive and create jobs across the two continents.
