* President Buhari of Nigeria and President Bongo of Gabon will join President El-Sisi of Egypt next month at the Africa 2016 forum.
* The Forum will discuss key issues impacting African economies, as well as highlighting the African opportunity.
* The Forum will showcase investment opportunities from 18 countries.
President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon and President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria
CAIRO, Egypt, 21 January 2016, -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria and President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon will be some of the key speakers at the Africa 2016 investment forum, hosted by HE President of Egypt, H.E. Abdel Fateh El-Sisi.
The two-day meeting in Sharm el Sheikh, will bring together over 800 high level government and business leaders to discuss projects and ventures across a range of sectors. Day one will see African Heads of States sharing their views on a range of topics in the opening Presidential Roundtable discussion.
Speaking ahead of the forum, Ambassador Dr. Hazem Fahmy, the Secretary General of the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD) was keen to highlight the need for greater regional collaboration: “We are delighted that President Ali Bongo of Gabon and President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria have accepted our invitation to attend this special forum. We need greater economic engagement to accelerate trade and investment throughout Africa. We have considerable expertise and know-how in some important areas such as healthcare and logistics. Others have a comparative advantage in agriculture. We need to collaborate more in order to find solutions to common challenges. And the engagement of these two important African, and global, leaders will help make this a reality.”
The private sector will be well represented at the forum, with several business leaders confirming their participation. Emphasising the broad corporate and institutional presence, Ashraf Salman, Minister of Investment for Egypt said: “We have some excellent board and executive level delegates joining us in Sharm el Sheikh. Among them are Dr. Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank and Dr. Ahmed Heikal, Chairman and Founder, Qaala Holdings in Egypt. Chris Kirubi, the Chairman of Haco Tiger Brands in Kenya will be joined by Karim Awad, the Co-CEO of EFG Hermes, from the UAE. We expect very fruitful and lively discussions, based on their unique insights and real experiences.
18 investment promotion agencies (IPAs) from across Africa have undertaken to showcase the wide range of national and regional commercial opportunities that are available in their respective countries as well as small, medium and large scale projects seeking investments.
Heba Salama, who heads COMESA’s Regional Investment Agency, was delighted to see so many IPAs confirm their attendance: “This unique gathering will show that Africa is truly open for business. We have made massive strides in improving the investment climate throughout the continent. With so many IPAs present, investors will find out for themselves the endless opportunities across many sectors.”
Africa 2016 will be held in Sharm el Sheikh on the 20th and 21st of February. It is a by invitation event, but interested parties can find out more and register interest on the official website www.businessforafricaforum.com. This forum is being billed as the biggest investment event to take place in Africa this year.
For more information visit www.businessforafricaforum.com
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of IC Publications.
MEDIA CONTACTS
LONDON: Audrey Mpunzwana (a.mpunzwana@icpublications.com)
