The 4th EU-Africa Business Forum to be held on the eve of the Africa EU Summit in Libya
Brussels, Belgium; 28 July 2010: The EU-Africa Business Forum (EABF), the European Commission and African Union Commission are pleased to announce that the 4th EU-Africa Business Forum will take place from the 26 to 28 of November in Tripoli, Libya, on the eve of the 3rd Africa-EU Summit of Heads of State and Government.
Meeting in Libya for the 3rd time, Heads of State and Government are expected to take note of progress and challenges in the implementation of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JEAS) and will provide political guidance on how to address those challenges and to deepen the partnership. On the eve of this important summit, the EU-Africa Business Forum will bring together leaders from across Europe and Africa to discuss and deepen the findings and recommendations of previous fora and reflect on key relevant issues tabled for discussion at the Heads of State and Government Summit.
In attendance will be African and European business leaders representing multi-nationals, large corporations, small and medium-scale enterprises and confederations, multilateral and regional institutions. The strong participation of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) will consolidate dialogue already initiated and will be a crucial step towards giving additional impetus to, and enhancing partnerships with the private sector in the implementation of concrete transformational actions.
The 4th EU-Africa Business Forum will be held on the eve of the Africa-EU political summit, with the objective of bringing the views of business to European and African political leaders on critical issues pertaining to EU-Africa relations. Cognizant that the private sector is a critical partner for achieving the objectives of the JEAS and the MDGs, the Forum will provide the highest level platform to engage with political leaders in a concrete and constructive dialogue where parties involved hold each others accountable. The Forum holds the vision that Africa's great potential is within reach through genuine and constructive partnerships where the European and the Africa private sector is fully engaged.
The Forum will deliver a venue for entrepreneurs and public and private investors from both Europe and Africa to discuss ways of improving the investment and business climate and to raise the profile of doing business in Africa through dynamic panel discussions led by policy makers, market leading investors, and renowed experts. Topics to be discussed include trade & regional integration, ICT, infrastructure, and SME development.
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About the EU-Africa Business Forum - www.euafrica-businessforum.org
The forum is an integral part of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JEAS). Its role is defined under the 3rd partnership on trade, regional integration and infrastructure. The Forum is a platform for private sector views on EU-Africa cooperation. It brings together entrepreneurs and public and private investors from both Europe and Africa in order to discuss ways of improving the investment and business climate and to raise the profile of doing business in Africa.
