The Africa Asia Business Forum is a unique opportunity for selected
businesses in Africa and Asia to meet and negotiate business
deals, leading to the development of business linkages and expanded
trade between the 2 continents. The Forum is designed to promote
beneficial South-South business partnerships, as well as to
enhance economic and social development. The idea for the Forum
originated at the Second Tokyo International Conference on Africa
Development (TICADII), held in October 1998, which identified
a practical deal-oriented business meeting as a high priority
initiative for the TICAD process. This led to the successful
First
Africa Asia Business Forum (AABFI) held in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, in October, 1999, attracting over 230 business people
and resulting in over USD 20 million worth of business accords.
The Second Africa-Asia business Forum (AABFII) took place in Durban, South Africa in July, 2001. A total of 340 delegates attended the Forum events.
The Third Africa-Asia Business Forum (AABFIII) will be held in Dakar, Senegal at the Meridien President Hotel, from 12 to 14 January 2004. It is expected that over
300 senior business executives and entrepreneurs from 17 African countries and 9 Asian nations will use the meeting to form new strategic business relationships. An
important outcome of the Forum will be the enhanced understanding by participants of business conditions, investment and trade opportunities within the participating countries,
more so highlighting the potential and promise that Africa holds for companies from Asia and Africa willing to explore business opportunities there. The emphasis is on generating
Asia-Africa joint venture business plans (JVBPs) but Africa-Africa and Asia-Asia networking and deals will also be facilitated.
The AABF III Forum will feature: - Individual
meetings and negotiations between pre-matched Corporate Heads and Senior Executives
from 9 Asian countries and 17 African countries
- Meetings with officials from African countries promoting privatisation
and direct foreign investment in Africa
- Networking opportunities to meet
Executives and Entrepreneurs from other companies
- Forum Exhibition
- Sponsored
Social events
- Talks on specific aspects of conducting inter-corporate
linkages including negotiations, sourcing finance and structuring deals
- Business
linkage support services including financial and legal advisers, translators and
interpreters.
- Meetings with bankers interested in financing JVBPs
Funding for the Forum has been provided by the Government
of Japan and the United Nations
Development Program (UNDP).
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