At the 7th edition of the International Africa Development Forum (FIAD 2024), two spaces were particularly in the spotlight. The first was dedicated to B-to-B meetings for the African private sector, which reached a record level, with more than 6,000 meetings. The second was the investment market, through which the African public sector was able to introduce to the African private sector all the investment opportunities to be seized and the measures aimed at promoting investment in African countries. The head of this investment market, Nabil Kadiri, details the role and objectives of this space.
“It was a great success, and we witnessed a perfect convergence between the African public and private sectors during this 2024 edition of FIAD”says Mr. Kadiri, who holds the position of Executive Director responsible for Group Coverage at Attijariwafa Bank, Hespress Fr.
This senior banking official first wanted to recall the important place of the investment market within the International Africa Development Forum 2024, organized by the Attijariwafa Bank Group in partnership with the Al Mada Investment Fund. “It is indeed a hub for meetings between the African public sector, represented in particular by the 11 countries in the spotlight this year (Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Gabon, Mali, Mauritania , Morocco, Senegal and Togo) and the African private sector in all its diversity”he says.
And Kadiri continued: “We have a certain number of private operators in different sectors of activity from more than thirty African countries, beyond the eleven present here, and in this space they come in search of information, opportunities, being that the African public sector is systematically represented by the National Agencies for the Promotion of Investments and Exports which each hold a dedicated space in the form of a country stand which allows to exhibit a certain amount of information, but also to welcome the participants and to share with the audience a certain number of opportunities and to talk about the promising sectors and development policies, but also to talk about all the measures and incentive mechanisms for investment whether on the tax, land, attractiveness of production factors, etc.”.
It is therefore a real fair to promote African destinations to investors, and “We have had very positive feedback from the exhibitors – the 11 countries in the spotlight – through their delegations, their officials, government representatives and also ministers, because I recall that within the framework of this process of promoting investment in Africa, we had the honour of welcoming a number of ministers representing these countries, who had the opportunity to express themselves loud and clear through the investment promotion pitches. These pitches took place in the very heart of the investment market, on the central stage, the square called the agora, which was a huge success, with a large turnout of participants who were able to follow all the pitches live with great enthusiasm and interest.”.
“It was therefore a great success, not only for the exhibitors who came to promote their countries, but also for our participants, guests and customers who rushed to visit the stands, meet the different representatives, attend the pitches and I think they left with ideas on investment opportunities that could encourage them to go to these countries to see the reality on the ground”Kadiri concludes.
