The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has announced its support for The Zanzibar Trade and Investment Forum which will take place on 30 November-1 December. The Forum will showcase investment opportunities and projects in Zanzibar, facilitate B2B engagements, as well as encourage joint ventures, partnerships and business deals within the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
This conference builds on Zanzibar’s existing mercantile foundations as an African trading hub, and member of key regional blocs including the East African Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and the Small Islands Development Economies (SIDEs).
Whilst covering a wide range of trade and investment opportunities available to and in Zanzibar, the Forum will discuss several topics including: the country’s blue economy potential; opportunities in Zanzibar’s tourism and real estate sector; improving conditions for business growth; enhancing the nation’s food security, agricultural productivity and agribusiness opportunities; as well as a broader strategy to enhance financing for Africa’s economic recovery.
The Forum is organised by Afreximbank in collaboration with the Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority (ZIPA), Zanzibar National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC), President’s Office of Labour, Economic Affairs and Investment, the East African Business Council (EABC), the Africa Trade and Investment Council (EATIC) and the Ministry of Trade and Industrial Development.
The Conference is expected to attract influential figures from across the private sector, as well as leaders from government and potential investors, exhibitors, and financial institutions from the East African business community and the rest of Africa. So far over 500 delegates have registered for the Forum, at which H.E Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, is expected to be in attendance.
Over the course of the conference, Afreximbank will actively participate in panel discussions as well as deliver speeches and presentations, as part of its wider role of stimulating trade and investment by encouraging B2B and B2G engagements.
Afreximbank supports the Island of Zanzibar in its investment and trade promotion efforts, as one facet of the Bank overarching commitment to the prosperity of the African continent and the fulfilment of the African Union’s 2063 vision ‘the Africa We Want” which calls for increased focus on intra-regional investment to accelerate regional integration and boost economic growth and competitiveness.
The Zanzibar Trade and Investment Forum creates an opportunity to encourage African Direct Investment which will prove pivotal in transforming Africa’s economic landscape and realizing the aspirations expressed in the development of the AfCFTA.
