ELO ATTENDED THE EBCAMs MEETINGS IN BRUSSELS

Thursday, 19 April 2012 15:02

ELO attended the EBCAMs General Assembly see Agenda in Brussels on the 22th March as well as the Board meeting on the 23rd March.

Also on the 22th March took place at EBCAMs headquarters a meeting of the European African Meetings on Private Sector focused in Eastern Africa. This meeting gathered the EBCAMs members and the ambassadors of Burundi, Kenya and Sudan as representatives of this African region. During the meeting were discussed ways to improve the business climate and investment in the region.

ELO present at the start of EBCAM’s Swiss Presidency

Thursday, 22 September 2011 14:04

EBCAM’s Board held meetings in Basel on 30th June and 1st July 2011.

ELO was represented by its Executive President who, as a Board member of EBCAM, took part in the meetings that marked the beginning of SWISSCHAM – AFRICA Presidency. Every member country was represented with the outgoing President, Zoltán Szedlacshó of AHEAD Global Hungary, making a short speech of thanks and farewell before handing over the Presidency to the new Chairman Mr. Peter Hartmann of SWISSCHAM – AFRICA.

Also present at the meetings as special guest was the President of the  US Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), Stephen Hayes who spent the morning of 1^st July in discussing the CCA’s activities with EBCAM’s board members namely the US – Africa Business Summit to be held in Washington next October and reviewing the joint programmes to be carried out under the Cooperation Agreement with EBCAM.

Besides routine administration matters, such as financial statements and approval of minutes of previous meetings, the issues addressed by Board members, amongst others, were:

-Tour d’Horizon on Africa by the Members.

-International Partnerships Conference in Tenerife. Presentation of results and perspectives by the CCINSCT (Tenerife), Spain.

-Involvement of EBCAM in the next International Partnerships Conference in Adis Ababa 2012. Implications and visibility towards the Africa Union and the African Union Commission.

-Proposal by the CCINSCT (Tenerife) regarding the 2011 US Africa Business Summit in October 2011.

-Presentation of BIAC – Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OCDE, the EBCAM sponsored Statement and, the NEPAD-OCDE Investment initiative Ministerial Meeting and Forum held in Dakar last April 26^th and 27^th, by DI.

-The new DEVCO organizational chart. Strategy to be adopted by EBCAM.

-AfDB – Discussion on strategy to develop relations with EBCAM.

-News Members. Invitations officialy sent to Austria, Italy and Norway. Future strategy and involvement of the Members.

-SGP Proposal by the EC. Call for comments and position of EBCAM (at the request of ELO – Portugal).

-Technical Meeting with the EIB (European Investment Bank) in Luxemburg.

The speaker at the official dinner, on July 1^st, was Prof. Paul Jenkins of the University of Basel.

The next meetings will be held in Brussels on the 13^th and 14^th October 2011.

ELO in the Seminar “Doing Business in Lusophone Africa”

Wednesday, 21 September 2011 14:13

ELO’s Executive President, Mr. Francisco Mantero, was one of the speakers at the Seminar “Doing Business in Lusophone Africa” held in London on the 13^th September 2011, organized by BCA – Business Council for Africa – UK.

ELO TAKES PART IN MEETING BETWEEN EBCAM

Monday, 06 June 2011 13:27

ELO TAKES PART IN MEETING BETWEEN EBCAM AND THE ACP COUNTRIES (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) BRUSSELS GENERAL SECRETARIAT

On the occasion of EBCAM’s AGM and Board Meeting on 17th and 18th March, a working meeting was held on the 17^th between EBCAM Board members, the ACP General Secretary Dr, Ibn Chambas (Ghana) and the Committee of ACP country Ambassadors who are accredited to the European Union in Brussels, currently chaired by the Nigerian Ambassador.

The private sector in Africa, both African and European was discussed during the meeting under various themes, including credit constraints on SME’s and ways to overcome these obstacles, agricultural subsidies in the EU, USA and other countries and their impact on economies and producers in Africa, as well as the need to move ahead with regional integration throughout the continent in order to create larger markets.

The meeting concluded with the decision to create a Permanent Working Group as soon as possible between EBCAM and the ACP Countries General Secretariat, in order to keep this important communication channel open, eventually widening it to include the European Commission and the European Investment Bank in matters relating to the Cotonou Agreement its private sector Investment Facility.

The AGM approved EBCAM’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2010 as well as the Auditor’s Report and the budget for the 2011 Activities Programme. 

EBCAM’s Board discussed ongoing business topics and held a lengthy debate about the common position to be presented by EBCAM on April 2^nd in Tenerife at the “International Partnerships for Doing Business in Africa” Conference, organised by the US Corporate Council on Africa.  Apart from the US organizers and EBCAM, Business Associations from Canada, Japan, South Africa, Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana will also take part in this Conference.