2023-06-09 18:56:49
The stakes are immense, the answers multiple. They vary from country to country, from sector to sector. And even more, perhaps, from one interlocutor to another. What measures should be put in place to promote the emergence of a new African generation of African economic champions? What can governments do? What strategy should be deployed within companies already strongly present on the continent’s markets?
During the two days of debates, workshops and meetings, these questions were at the heart of the Africa CEO Forum 2023*, on June 5 and 6 in Abidjan. We put them to policy makers, executives of some of the largest companies on the continent, analysts. Here is the selection, in video, of some of their answers.
Integrate African companies
“We won’t make great national champions as long as we don’t allow our companies to participate and be present in structuring and strategic projects. For Adama Bictogo, President of the Assembly nationale Ivorian and boss of Snedai, the public authorities have a decisive role in imposing national or regional companies in major infrastructure projects, as well as in the exploitation of the resources that abound on the continent.
How to bring out new African economic champions? Adama’s response #Bictogo
To read the interview in full: https://t.co/oYaqJYxyVD#ACF2023 #championsafricains #BICTOGO pic.twitter.com/hYhiMOadxT– Young Africa (@young_africa) June 5, 2023
“Africa has natural resources. It produces gas. When a structure comes to produce energy in Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Burkina Faso or in any other country, as soon as the State makes its natural resources available, that the promoter must make exploitation, and therefore production, it is good that a national company participates in the exploitation, to benefit from the transfer of skills following a certain number of years”, he explained in particular during his visit to the Grand interview of the economy RFI / Young Africa.
Turning crises into opportunities
Exogenous shocks continue to disrupt the development of the continent’s economic potential. On the food sovereignty front, the extreme dependence of many African countries on imported cereals is thus a major obstacle to food self-sufficiency. Paradoxically, moments of crisis can also have the effect of an electric shock, as demonstrated by the growth – still quite relative – in the use of local cereals to reduce dependence on imported foodstuffs.
To read
Cassava, an African alternative to the wheat crisis?
This is the opinion of Makhtar Diop, Managing Director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC, or IFC in English), who regrets that Africa is “the only continent that has not made its green revolution”. Asked by Young Africa on the sidelines of the ACF, however, he believes that “the climate crisis gives Africa the opportunity to do things differently. Local cereals are more resilient to climate change. »
In terms of health, too, the Covid-19 crisis has led to a real awareness, believes Myriam Lahlou-Filali, of Pharma 5. “During the Covid, Africa was not served [en vaccins], recalls the Moroccan leader at the microphone of JA. This raised awareness of the need for the continent to have an industry of vaccines completely sovereign. And, on this front, the Maroc Biotechnologies project (Marbio), in Benslimane, aims to be one of the tools of “the desire to regain African dignity” on vaccine independence.
[ACF2023] Myriam Lahlou-Filali (Pharma 5): “With Marbio, Morocco wants to provide Africa with a sovereign vaccine industry”
????For more information: #vaccine #Morocco #Health #ACF2023 pic.twitter.com/lSDgoRbTrJ– Young Africa (@young_africa) June 6, 2023
Building on the strengths of the continent
Paradoxically, the Nigerian Abdul Samad Rabiu, Executive Chairman of BUA Group, considers that competition between the major players in the African economic sphere is healthy and also helps to promote the emergence of national or continental champions. Asked regarding possible fears that the opening of the mega-refinery of Aliko Dangote would weigh on the one he intends to create, Abdul Samad Rabiu, following a smile, assures that there is room for all .
To read
Abdul Samad Rabiu: “We have de-risked the France-Nigeria relationship”
“Competition is a good thing. I like competition,” slips the Nigerian billionaire, before detailing his vision: “In the Gulf of Guinea, 5 million barrels of crude are produced every day. What are we refining today? A marginal quantity: 1 or even 1.5 million barrels. So there is a potential of 3 million barrels. “For the Nigerian tycoon, it is a certainty, “the regional market is there because the crude is there”.
[ACF2023] Abdul Samad Rabiu: “Competition is a good thing. I love competition”
???? Does the Executive Chairman of BUA Group fear competition with Aliko Dangote?
???? For more information: #ACF2023 #Wednesday #Oil #Nigeria #BUAGroup pic.twitter.com/N3d92HL5w5– Young Africa (@young_africa) June 6, 2023
Mustafa Rawji, boss of Rawbank, the first bank in the DRC, believes for his part that it is essential to bet on the main wealth of the continent: its population. The banker thus assures at the microphone of JA that he is still “only at the beginning of the exploration of the potential financial surface of the DRC”. And if he mentions the establishment by his establishment of “new financial services” and “new opportunities” for the Congolese population – in particular to help raise the rate of banking – he also claims to want to “stay focused on development of our country “.
[ACF2023] Mustafa Rawji (Rawbank): “If we are there, it is thanks to the DRC”
???? An interview conducted on the sidelines of THE AFRICA CEO FORUM, to be discovered very soon in full on JA.
To know more : #ACF2023 #rawbank #Rawji #RDC pic.twitter.com/VFhZ81bLW1– Young Africa (@young_africa) June 6, 2023
* The Africa CEO Forum was created in 2012 by Jeune Afrique Media Group and is co-organized with IFC – Groupe of the Banque world.
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#Vidéos #Rabiu #Rawji #LahlouFilali #keys #Africa #strengthen #economic #sovereignty #Jeune #Afrique
