The first-ever Virtual Indo-Africa Summit, running from 4 to 6 November 2020 on Hopin, will bring leaders from India and sub-Saharan Africa together while showcasing opportunities for collaboration within finance, geopolitics, infrastructure, pharma, technology and communication. Organised by IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IMC) and Africa Business News (CNBC Africa), this free summit will include a line-up of influential speakers from the business and political spheres across both continents.
“India and the African sub-continent have a long history of productive collaboration, and with the economic stagnation that has resulted from the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s vital that we enter into bilateral discussions around potential areas of growth,” explained Roberta Naicker, Group Managing Director, ABN Group.
“The summit aims to take forward the vision set by our Honourable PradhanMantri ji during his visit to Uganda in 2018 to empower Africa and enhance bilateral ties. Our mission is to enhance ties to 100*100 matrix by 2025, ie, A target of 100 billion USD of bilateral trade and 100 billion USD of Investment between India and Africa.” said Rajiv Podar, President; IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“Africa is home to some of the fasted growing economies of the world offering promising investment opportunities in high growth sectors like pharma, banking and finance, infrastructure and digital communication. The 3-day Indo Africa Virtual Summit from November 4 to 6, 2020 to be broadcasted live on CNBC Africa will discuss such opportunities.” Said Madhusudan Agrawal, Chairman; Summit Organising Committee.
Dinesh Joshi, Chairman of IMC International Business Committee, said: “Africa and India are both emerging markets with tremendous potential. There is synergy for both to co-operate in the development of infrastructure, energy exploration, mine and minerals, agriculture, finance, and many other sectors.”
Ajit Mangrulkar, Director General, IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry mentioned that IMC and CNBC Africa decided to host virtual Indo-Africa Summit because this was the right time as both India and Africa must find ways to revive and resurge its economies post Covid as our historical ties and huge potential for scaling up economic engagement work in advantage of both India and Africa which we must leverage.
There is a combined market of 2.5 billion people in India and sub-Saharan Africa, with a GDP totalling $5.5 trillion. By sharing experiences and evaluating opportunities through this summit, it’s possible to uncover trade and investment potential between these two continents, stimulating economic growth and job creation following the devastating effects of Covid-19.
Busi Mabuza, the Chairperson of the Industrial Development Corporation and Chairperson of the of the South Africa Chapter of the BRICS Business Council, who will participate in the discussion on Expansion of Trade – an Economic Overview said: “The long lasting social and cultural ties between India and South Africa provide fertile ground for further strengthening of the two nations trade and investment ties. We have never needed each other more!”
Madhusudan Agrawal, Vice Chairman of Ajanta Pharma – one of the prestigious event sponsors – commented: “From the age of colonialism to the age of globalisation, through thick and thin, India and Africa have done much together. But, there are still challenges that need to be addressed. There are still frontiers that need to be crossed.”
#IndoAfrica2020 Speakers
Addressing these challenges and identifying these frontiers will be a leading panel of speakers at #IndoAfrica2020. Among them are:
· Busi Mabuza – Chairperson IDC, Chairperson Brics South Africa
· Mr Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog
· Stavros Nicolaou – Senior Executive: Strategic Trade: Aspen Pharmacare
· Shri Yogesh Agrawal – Managing Director, Ajanta Pharma Limited
· Shri David Rasquinha – Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Export-Import Bank of India
· Shri Sanjeev Agarwal – Executive Director (International Business), KEC International Limited
· Shri Manoj Kanodia – CEO, Inspira Enterprise Pvt. Ltd.
· Shri Tanmoy Chakrabarty – Group Government Affairs Officer, Tata Sons Private Limited
· Sanjeev Gupta – Executive Director, Financial Services and a Member of the Board of Africa Finance Corporation’s (“AFC”)
· Mduduzi Mbada – Head of Policy; Gauteng Office of the Premier
#IndoAfrica2020 Inauguration Guests
· Dr Amina Mohamed – Kenyan lawyer, diplomat and politician
#IndoAfrica2020 Programme
– Wednesday, 4 November
1pm: Inauguration / Opening Ceremony
2pm: The changing landscape of Indo African geopolitics
3pm: Expansion of trade – An economic overview
– Thursday, 5 November
1pm: Big Pharma – Innovation and new business models
2pm: Banking and finance – Digital inclusion
– Friday, 6 November
1pm: Infrastructure – Paving the way for expanded trade
2pm: Opportunities for collaboration in digital and communication
In addition to the compelling programme, #IndoAfrica2020 gives all virtual delegates the opportunity to network throughout the three-day event. There is also the option of registering for all the sessions, or selecting preferred sessions for attendance. To register for this free-to-attend summit, or view more event details, visit https://cvent.me/xqmkmn.
Keep up-to-date on all Virtual Indo-Africa Summit news and announcements, follow:
@cnbcafrica @IMC_India (Twitter)
https://www.facebook.com/Cnbcafrica
https://www.facebook.com/IndianMerchantsChamber
@cnbcafrica @indianmerchantchamber (Instagram)
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