EU-African business summit set for September

The European Union (EU)-Africa Business Forum has announced that it will meet in Nairobi, Kenya from the 28th to 29th of September, 2009, to discuss ways of improving the investment and business climate in Africa. The 3rd EU-African Business Forum, which will be an opportunity for businesses to share their views and to network with other businesses and policy makers, also intends to raise the profile of doing business in Africa. A statement on the ACP Business Climate says that the forum will play a key role in bringing together entrepreneurs and public and private investors from both Europe and Africa. ACP is a facility that provides technical assistance for improving the business climate in Africa, Pacifica and Caribbean. The 3rd EU-Africa business forum is organized under the theme: “Africa and Europe: On the road to new win-win partnerships”. The ACP business climate said this is an integral part of the EU Strategy for Africa adopted in December 2005. The forum, which is supported by the European Commission and the African Union, will be hosted by Raila Odinga, Kenya’s Prime Minister. The statement says that it will bring together African and European business leaders representing multi-nationals, large corporations, small and medium-scale enterprises and confederations, multilateral and regional institutions. ”The forum will consider how to better engage political leaders in a constructive dialogue, defining an effective process of communication and reporting on progress made in implementing recommendations, “Besides advocacy, participants will be encouraged to use the Forum as a launch-pad for visible initiatives aimed at meeting the EU-Africa partnership challenges.” According to the statement, it will also seek to formulate specific and precise recommendations, as well as implementation roadmaps in five key areas including trade, infrastructure, ICT, SME entrepreneurship and energy and raw materials. “This will be achieved through debates in breakout sessions, following presentations by figureheads to reflect on global and regional issues and guide the work of the Forum.” Ends

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EU-African business summit set for September