What: The AfCFTA Business Forum 2023

Who: The conference is being convened by the AfCFTA Secretariat and the Government of the Republic of South Africa.

When: The AfCFTA Business Forum 2023 will be held from 16 – 18 April 2023. The briefing brunch will be held on 15 April 2023.

Where: The Business forum will take place in-person at Cape Town Convention Centre (CTCC) in Cape Town, South Africa.

Objective:

The overall objective of the conference is to provide a platform to foster private sector participation in the implementation of the AfCFTA on the journey to Creating one African market. The general objectives of the Business Forum:

1. Create awareness of the current business and investment opportunities in the AfCFTA among Africa’s business community;
2. Connect businesses to funding opportunities for AfCFTA value chains;
3. Establish a private sector engagement platform for continued consultations on private sector needs in the implementation of the AfCFTA;
4. Promote a private sector-friendly environment, especially for MSMEs led by Women and Youth, to unlock more accessible and affordable access to finance and markets.

The conversations will focus on the following sectors among others (i)agro-processing, (ii) automotive, (iii) pharmaceuticals, (iv) transportation and logistics, and (v) digital trade and payments. It will include plenaries sessions, roundtables discussions, fireside chats, and side events highlighting trade and investment opportunities in the above sectors.

Participants:

The Forum expects participation of Africa’s private sector, strategic investors, financial institutions, investment promotion agencies, business councils, chambers of commerce, multinational corporations, African women and youth business organisations, as well as Heads of States and Government, AfCFTA Partners and members of the media. Journalists are invited to cover the AfCFTA Business Forum 2023 at the Cape Town Convention Centre (CTCC) in Cape Town, South Africa from 16 – 18 April 2023.

Please note that the media briefing brunch will be held on 15 April 2023 at a different location and will be communicated in due course.

For further information, please contact: