DUTCH AFRICAN - ENTERPRISE FAIR 2006
How to succeed in Africa: Linking Dutch and African Businesses
25-26 January, WTC Rotterdam

Announcement / Invitation

· Investment & Financing
· Trade, Import & Export (Africa, Netherlands/EU)
· Fighting poverty with Profit

THE AIM OF THE FAIR

We are pleased to inform you about the first Dutch-African Enterprise FAIR 2006 to be organized in the Nederland.

The FAIR is business-to-business investment, matchmaking and networking event and aims to facilitate business and investment between Dutch and African Enterprises and African Diaspora Enterprises in the Netherlands. The FAIR is not a charity. It aims to create new commercial approach to development, to succeed in business, create jobs, and fight poverty.

The link between trade opportunities, investment and poverty eradication in Africa is now part of global economic debate concerning Africa (e.g. G8 and Gleneagles Meetings). The “image” of Africa is seen as a major constraint to do business with African countries. But in spite of all these fears, recent international financial reports (Worldbank, African Development Bank, EU, etc.) are showing that the growth rate of African businesses is impressive. Large-scale import-export and venture capital companies (International & African) are known to be enjoying high returns on direct foreign investments. The Ghana Stock Exchange tops the list of the world’s highest-performing stock markets. The ICT & Telecommunication is the highest profitable foreign and local investment sector in Africa (e.g. CELTEL mobile telephones).

The FAIR offers entrepreneurs great opportunity for trade and investments in African and Dutch & EU markets, and to learn where others have succeeded and failed in business in Africa. African embassies, Dutch Chambers of Commerce, business organisations, and business experts will actively participate in the FAIR.

Business Sector Focus at the FAIR

The FAIR focuses on some business sectors in Dutch and African business relations;
- Investment
- Textiles
- Trade and Export
- Transport and Infrastructures
- Tourism
- Micro-Credits & Financing
- Social Corporate Responsibility (CSR)
- ICT & Telecommunication
- Energy-Water-Sanitation
- Carbon Credits (CDM)
- Branding
- Education and Knowledge
- Maintenance
- Agro-business

The FAIR Welcomes You – The Way Forward

The FAIR takes a positive approach to business, trade and investment opportunities in African countries – North and South Sahara. We gratefully welcome persons to the FAIR who share this positive approach, to build successful business ventures in Africa. Africa has woken up as the last of “sleeping continent’’ and is fast moving into global economy and business. Small and medium enterprises are starting to grow even in the poorest of African countries – Mali, Benin, Rwanda, and Zambia. The Ghana, Botswana, South Africa stock exchanges are one of the most profitable global investment markets. The new and young African business elite have stopped to migrate to the West, and are staying in Africa as their business profit base in Africa in – agriculture, tourism, infrastructure and reconstruction, clean water and sanitation, energy, oil, education, ICTS, tourism, health, outsourcing. Celtel (mobile phones, ICTs) is the largest and fastest foreign investment in Africa. Outsourcing of international phone/mobile calls are booming business in Ghana and Kenya. The Chinese realize this in Sudan, Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique, South Africa and many African countries, more than the “hesitant Western businesses’’. They are grabbing enormous potential business opportunities that Africa will offer in the 21st. Century as key to global business - the raw materials, trade, energy, oil, minerals, human resources and skills, agri-businesses, large growing middle class market, in growing 900 million modernizing diverse African population.

We organize this FAIR because, we see a positive and bright future in Africa, where new business initiatives, a new proud and confident creative younger generation with global skills and vision have emerged and strongly believe that they will make the difference, will create a better future, good economy, better quality of life and leadership in Africa. We organize this FAIR as an example of a new commercial approach to international development cooperation, were all stakeholders and beneficiaries to the FAIR - Dutch/African businesses, embassies, public sectors, Diaspora businesses, governments – equally pay for all services offered to them by the FAIR, as the basis of financing FAIR expenses.

The Business Scan sessions especially will provide advice to Dutch/Africa/Diaspora businesses in FMO and EZ/EVD/PSOM/PESP projects in Africa. The speed-dating meetings should lead to concrete agreements by the parties involved to start serious business talks after the Fair. These talks will be accompanied and facilitated by Chudi Communication Consult and other expert organizations. Once these talks lead to business partnerships and possibly joint ventures, there will be another formal occasion, in 2006/2007, where these contracts are officially signed and presented as the actual outcome of the FAIR. Hopefully, minister Agnes van Ardenne will be invited and we would be pleased if she could be present again to give it her formal blessing in the signing of the joint ventures that emerged from the FAIR. In view of this, we propose to the Minister and others to collaborate with us to achieve this GOAL. We thank all the supporters to the FAIR. And we specially thank all the sponsors to FAIR – FMO, Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, NCDO, Chamber of Commerce Rotterdam, OBR-Rotterdam, for believing in the AIM and Results of the FAIR.

THE DUTCH AFRICAN ENTERPRISE FAIR 2006, JANUARY 3, 2006