THE ABIDJAN PORT AUTHORITY TOOK PART IN THE 9TH EDITION OF THE AFRICA CEO FORUM

Autres Monday 18 September 2023

On 05 and 06 June 2023, Côte d'Ivoire hosted the 9th edition of the Africa CEO Forum at the Sofitel Abidjan Hôtel Ivoire. The theme of the event was " Succeed despite the crises - From 300 to 3,000: How to speed up the emergence of the next generation of African champions. "

The event, which brought together more than 2,000 economic and political stakeholders from 70 countries, including 43 from the African continent, provided a forum for discussing the conditions that will enable Africa to secure its economic sovereignty.

The Abidjan Port Authority (PAA), a partner in this major economic forum, had a stand to present the potential of the Abidjan Port hub, a pillar of the Ivorian economy and an essential link in the logistics chain on the continent's Atlantic seaboard.

The opening ceremony of this international gathering, held for the 4th consecutive year on Ivorian soil, was attended by the President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, HEM. Alassane OUATTARA and several members of the government.

In his speech, the Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire, Mr Patrick ACHI, highlighted the two major challenges facing the African continent, namely crises and changes, and the extreme youth of its population. According to the Head of the Ivorian government, tackling these challenges brings us back to two other strategic issues. The first is the question of identifying the prime sectoral sources of economic transformation and integration into the global value chains.

And the second is how to identify, facilitate the emergence of, promote and nurture the economic leaders, the African national champions who have the potential to reach international stature and who are necessary for the continent's emergence. "It is the State that must take part in these major historical transformations; it is the State, in close partnership with the private sector, that must co-manage this transformation," he emphasised.

The Kingdom of Morocco was also represented by its Head of government, Mr Aziz AKHANNOUCH. Together with his Ivorian counterpart, they gave their vision of the economic situation in Africa, with specific features linked to their respective countries, before addressing in the debate the measures to be implemented to stimulate post-COVID foreign investment. They also hope to strengthen their economic sovereignty by mobilising national savings and improving credit to the private sector (Plan 2030) in the case of Côte d'Ivoire and, in the case of Morocco, by subsidising local industrial production (Bank for Industrial Projects).

The annual summit of the largest international gathering of the African private sector involved a number of panels and B2B meetings. A number of players from a wide range of sectors took part in the discussions covering a wide variety of topics.

Discussions over the two days focused on agriculture, a key sector for several economies, energy development through ongoing investment projects in liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals, gender issues specifically the promotion and development of start-ups run by women, the training of African talent to meet the future needs of the private sector, and the role of the private sector in universal health coverage.

Numerous panels also provided an opportunity to discuss, among other things, ways and means of making a success of the generational transition of African family businesses, the possibilities for Africa to create a circular economy for plastics, and the decarbonisation of the African BTP industry.

At the end of this high-level summit, which closed its doors on 06 June 2023, Mr Sergio PIMENTA, Vice-President of IFC (International Finance Corporation) for Africa, reiterated the urgent need for Africa to define an effective strategy to support its innovators and champions: "This strategy must be developed with the aim of improving the lives and situation of the people of Africa in a sustainable way, with particular emphasis on improving the resilience of the African population and its businesses in the face of climate change. With this in mind, let us make a joint commitment to work together for Africa's success," he declared.

He also reiterated his group's commitment to supporting sustainable partnerships, as well as the promising projects mentioned throughout this international conference.

It’s worth noting that the Africa CEO Forum was created in 2012 by Jeune Afrique Média Group and is co-organised by the IFC-World Bank Group.