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 French Presidency of the Council of the European Union In presence of the President of the French Republic Mr Emmanuel Macron and the President of the Republic of Senegal Mr Macky Sall, Fébruary 2022 16 14:00-19:00 (CET) On-line AFD Group invites you to attend the live conference  |
| Ahead of the EU-AU Summit on 17 and 18 February 2022, and as a follow-up to the Summit on the financing of African economies in May 2021 and the New Africa-France Summit in Montpellier in October 2021, this high-level event is a chance to encourage and highlight new forms of partnerships between European and African players, to meet investment needs in Africa. JOIN THE LIVE CONFERENCE Add to calendar Program : Conference moderated by Ele ASU, Journalist. 2:00 pm: Introduction : Jean-Yves LE DRIAN, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs 2:30 pm: Workshop 1: Contributing to the new alliance between Africa and Europe Following the New Africa-France Summit in Montpellier and the report submitted to the French President by Professor Achille Mbembe on the new Africa-France relationship, fresh reflection has begun on the language of development. This workshop will discuss the scope of the change in vocabulary, the work that has already been done, and the work that remains, to continue to reinforce the partnership of equals with Africa. Introduction : short video of testimonials from personalities on the change of narrative Speakers : Hervé BERVILLE, Member of the French Parliament Koen DOENS, Director General, International Partnerships (INTPA), European Commission Serge EKUÉ, President of the West African Development Bank Khaled IGUÉ, President, Club 2030 Africa Achille MBEMBÉ, Historian, Philosopher, Professor of History and Political Science at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Chrysoula ZACHAROPOULOU, Member of European Parliament 3:30 pm: Workshop 2: Investing in sustainable infrastructures For many years, most African governments have made infrastructure development a priority. The annual financing needs for quality infrastructure in Africa remain considerable and are estimated by the OECD to be nearly USD 170 billion per year. This workshop will aim to identify and promote strategies and practices that mobilize more European and African actors, more effectively, in both public and private sectors, in a bid to structure projects that produce greater impact. Introduction : Presentation of the activity of the Infrastructure Unit attached to the South African Presidency, Kgosientsho RAMOKGOPA, Head of Investment and Infrastructure Office at The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa Speakers : Aurélie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU, Minister of Digital and Digitalization of Benin Akinwumi ADESINA, President, African Development Bank (AfDB) Thierry DEAU, CEO, Meridiam Ambroise FAYOLLE, Vice-President, European Investment Bank (EIB) Christiane LAIBACH, Member of the Executive Board, in charge of international affairs, KfW Group Valérie LEVKOV, Vice-President Africa-Middle-East, EDF 4:30 pm: Break 4:45 pm: Workshop 3: Financing SMEs, vector of African growth and jobs of tomorrow One priority of the Africa-Europe partnership is the development of the local economic fabric – the engine of growth and a generator of sustainable jobs, for women and young people in particular. Enabling SMEs to have access to the means by which they can continue to develop during risky periods however, remains a challenge. Using lessons from success stories, workshop participants will share from their own experiences and approaches and discuss the adjustments already underway or which they will have to undertake individually and collectively, to scale up. Introduction : Experience of two young Senegalese SME supported by the General Delegation for Rapid Entrepreneurship of Women and Youth of Senegal Bamba LO, Founder and CEO, PAPS Dicko SY, CEO, Dictaf Corporation Intervenants : Makhtar DIOP, CEO, International Finance Corporation (IFC) Tanja GÖNNER, Chair of the Management Board, GIZ, and co-President of the Practitioners’ Network Grace MULIISA, Managing Director, Ecobank Uganda Odile RENAUD-BASSO, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Papa Amadou SARR, Minister, Delegate General for Rapid entrepreneurship of women and youth, Republic of Senegal Jean-Michel SEVERINO, President, Investors & Partners Bruno WENN, Chairman, European Development Finance Institutions (EDFI) 6:00 pm: Closing Restitution of the workshops: Ele ASU, Journalist Papa Amadou SARR, Minister Delegate General for Rapid entrepreneurship of women and youth of Senegal Rémy RIOUX, CEO, AFD Group, Chairman, International Development Finance Club (IDFC) and Finance in Common Executive Committee Conclusion by Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic, and Macky SALL, President of the Republic of Senegal JOIN THE LIVE CONFERENCE |