Africa

Agri-Business Conference, What Will the Future Bring for Africa?

A conference in Paris to Develop Africa's Colossal Potential

June 13th, 2016

Every year, The African Business Lawyer Club organizes a conference in Paris with the MEDEF International to promote the interests of Africa. This year's conference, taking place on the 13th of June in Paris will focus on agri-business in Africa and its challenges and its future.

Agriculture is the main work field in Africa. The sector employs around 60% of the population of the continent and more than 30% of the GDP of many African cities. Even though the average growth of many countries of the continent reaches 5% every year, the processing of raw materials is very underdeveloped and the scaling up of agri-business remains to be done. For instance, the African Union vowed to ban the hoe, but only by 2025.

The agribusiness conference will gather the key actors of the field as well as actors from the MEDEF International (the French business organization). The debates will be divided into three round tables on the following subjects: 'the new agricultural situation in Africa, catalyst of economical diversification: sight or mirage?', 'How to free all the potential of African agri-business?' and 'Words of entrepreneurs: what key factors for an African success story?'. Many investors from the private sector will attend the conference as for example Gagan Gupta, general director in Gabon of the group Olam, Eleni Gabre Madhin, CEO of the organization specialized in agricultural products trading Eleni and so on. '

From quantitative perspective, the agro business in Africa “offers excellent growth expectations for companies because the potential and need are huge” said ABLC's president, Alex Bebe Epale. The African Business Lawyer Club wants to create an event about agri business to raise awareness but also to gather experts, investors and other actors to create new solutions to all the challenges Africa faces. The ABLC itself is a club that gathers young legal business professionals to promote the African business world.

Such initiatives re-enforces the place of the different countries constitutive of Africa on the international economical scene but also shows that states such as France are willing to cooperate with emerging countries. It is a way of recognizing the potential of Africa as a continent but also each African country individually as potential partner.

References

Cultural Diplomacy News
Julie Essertel, CD News