The AfCFTA Business Forum is co-hosted by the AfCFTA Secretariat and the Government of South Africa, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Rescheduled to 16 to 19 April 2023 in Cape Town, it is billed as Africa’s biggest business event, with the aim of speeding up implementation of the AfCFTA and boosting trade and investment.
A focus on the private sector
The programme is designed as a platform for engaging the private sector, with five priority sectors:
- Agro-processing
- Automotive
- Pharmaceuticals
- Transport and logistics
- Digital trade
Panels, dialogues and side events set out business and investment opportunities and link businesses to funding for AfCFTA value chains. The forum gives particular attention to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, especially those led by women and young people, and will set up structures through the Secretariat for ongoing consultation with the private sector.
The format
Sessions include plenaries, roundtables, fireside chats and side events, alongside one-to-one business meetings, deal rooms, investment promotion and a cultural programme with an award ceremony, a gala dinner and a creative showcase. Businesses and entrepreneurs can pitch projects to a panel of investors and business leaders for investment, partnerships and mentorship.
Participants include private sector businesses, strategic investors, financial institutions, investment promotion agencies, business councils and chambers of commerce, multinationals, women and youth business organisations, heads of government, Regional Economic Communities, academia, the media and AfCFTA partners.
Why 2023 matters
This is the first business forum since the launch of the Guided Trade Initiative, so the instruments for trading under the AfCFTA are already in place. 2023 is also the African Union’s Year of the AfCFTA, under the theme “Accelerating the AfCFTA”, which lets the forum draw on African Union structures and Agenda 2063 to promote business and investment.
Source: AfCFTA Secretariat.