SA and Europe business leaders unite

The event, which will take place in Johannesburg, was founded and organised by The European House – Ambrosetti (the no. 1 private Think Tank in Italy, fourth in Europe and among the top 20 globally), in collaboration with the Gauteng Province, GGDA and a selection of international public and private stakeholders, including DHL, Aspen, Sisal, Rome Expo 2030, Qatar Airways, the Italian Trade Agency, Finstone, CLN-MA, Italtile, the Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone.

In addition to 150 CEOs, this year’s list of confirmed participants includes: Enoch Godongwana, Minister of Finance, South Africa; Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, South Africa; Popo Molefe, Chairman, Transnet; Precious Moloi-Motsepe, CEO, Africa Fashion International; Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General, African Continental Free Trade Area; Jeffrey D. Sachs, Professor, Columbia University; and Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Namibia; Former Premier of Gauteng David Makhura.

The head of African Affairs at The European House – Ambrosetti, Pietro Mininni, says European companies are now more than ever committed to enhancing the growth of their businesses in Africa and supporting the continent’s economic development.

“In times of profound socio-economic change and unexpected challenges such as the ongoing energy crisis, rising inflation, and disruption in the global supply chain, Africa is at the core of this transformation. As the 6^th AU-EU Summit which took place in Brussels last February demonstrated, Europe wants a major presence in the continent, and looks forward to building a comprehensive and long-term partnership with its African counterparts. Our CEO Dialogue has always been an exclusive platform at the service of companies and institutions, with the aim of building a community of leaders for growing their countries and continents.”

Some of the topics to be covered in the 2022 agenda are:

- The African geopolitical, business and investment outlook.

- CEO’s views on African business.

- The future of African cities and regions: urban regeneration, sustainability and SME development.

- Africa’s rebirth: the power of the creative economy.

- The energy outlook in Southern Africa: challenges and opportunities.

The Summit follows a high-level business visit organised last August by The European House – Ambrosetti in Maputo, with the presence of H.E. Filipe Nyusi, President of Mozambique. The meeting, which saw the participation of 30 companies, was included in the activities of the CEO Community-African Chapter, a Club of top business leaders that integrates and enriches the outcomes of the annual conference.

This edition of the Southern Africa Europe CEO Dialogue will be enhanced with side events on these themes:

- Towards World EXPO 2030: the candidacy of Rome to engage people and territories of Africa

- The role of health diplomacy and partnerships between Europe and Africa to ensure Health Security

- Engaging private players to foster the Sudanese agro-industry

- Business site visit to the OR Tambo Special Economic Zone