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THE LATEST FROM AFRIBOOM AND IT´SPARTNERS
Dipl.BW (FH)
J.L. Nguefack-Sonkoue
„How the German SME gain a foothold best“
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Content
1. Africa meets Business (March)...………………………………………...4
2. Gerd Mu ller– Press release ………………………………………………..5
3. Investment funds of the German Goverment……………………….6
4. Gambia/Senegal……… ……………………………………………………...10
5. Douala…………………………………………………………………………….12
6. Bratislava/Vienna……………………………………………………………13
7. Development cooperation………………………………………………..14
8. Sliepa……………………………………………………………………………...15
9. Successfully to Africa……………………………………………………….17
10. Review business trip 2019…………………………………………….21
11. Guinea Conakry……………………………………………………………..39
12. Bergakademie Freiberg………………………………………………….40
13. Financing by afriboom…………………………………………………...42
14. Manager without borders………………………………………………45
15. Cameroon……………………………………………………………………...46
16. Superlative furture market?..............................................................50
AFRIBOOM GmbH
Franziskanerhöhe 6
97337 Dettelbach, Germany
info@afriboom.de
+491718045367
Contributions from
Jonas Mutombo, employee afriboom GmbH
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BUSINESS TRIP 2020
04.06.-10.06.2020
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AFRICA MEETS BUSINESS
10TH EDITION!
On 10 March 2020, the 10th edition of
the event will take place at the Representation
of the Free State of Saxony
to the Federal Government. This
round birthday must be celebrated of
course.
We want to look back on what we
have already achieved and at the same
time look to the future. In order to
initiate further partnership projects,
we want to bring together entrepreneurs,
politicians and African diplomats
even more specifically next year.
Above all, we want to strengthen the
exchange between German and African
entrepreneurs.
Let us work together to ensure that
the credo of the African continent of
opportunity is lived much more
strongly on both the German and
African sides.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/
. „I am delighted to welcome you to
“AFRICA MEETS BUSINESS” and thank
you very much for coming.
For the ninth time now, we are bringing
together German entrepreneurs
and African diplomats alongside political
and administrative representatives
in order to strengthen economic relations
between Germany and African
countries. The increase in the number
of participants each year is evidence on
its own of the growing interest in Africa
as a key partner for the German economy,
and vice-versa. Africa ultimately
needs to stop being viewed merely as a
continent of opportunities. Instead, this
idea needs to be put into practice much
more often. For the CDU our neighbouring
continent is of particular importance
to us. I personally want to see
us meet on equal terms and, most importantly,
place the continent‘s economic
development at the heart of our
work. In this spirit, I look forward to an
enjoyable evening and wish you all
pleasant and above all productive
talks.“, Andreas Lämmel MdB
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Press release of 17.10.2019
BERLIN / WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the occasion of the World Bank Annual
Meetings, German Development Minister Gerd Müller stated: "Global climate
action, support for crisis regions and action to tackle hunger and poverty, especially
in Africa – when it comes to addressing challenges to the survival of
humankind, the World Bank is our key partner. In sub-Saharan Africa in particular,
we are faced with great challenges. According to World Bank data,
nearly 90 per cent of all people in extreme poverty will be living in sub-
Saharan Africa by 2030. Climate change will further exacerbate the situation.
The World Bank expects that 100 million people will slide into extreme poverty
by 2030 because climate change has destroyed their livelihoods. Thus, together
with the World Bank, we focus on climate action and on activities in Africa. We are jointly working on an
ambitious IDA replenishment for next year. And we launched the PROGREEN initiative, which supports investment
in forest conservation in the world's three major tropical forest regions – the Amazon region, Central Africa, and
Indonesia."
German Development Minister Gerd Müller and new World Bank President David Malpass had agreed to increase
the focus on Africa and to work together more closely on climate action and on addressing hunger and poverty.
Since the Spring Meetings, Minister Müller and President Malpass had met several times, for instance during the
United Nations Climate Summit in New York and then one week later in Berlin. During their meeting in New York,
they signed an agreement to launch the PROGREEN fund. Germany initiated this international forest protection
programme and is providing 200 million euros.
The World Bank's latest figures also show that, on a global scale, extreme poverty is decreasing. The number of
poor people worldwide fell from 1.89 billion in 1990 to 736 million in 2015. However, ten per cent of the global
population still have to live on less than 1.90 dollars a day.
In Africa in particular, progress on poverty reduction has been slow. Sub-Saharan Africa is already home to more
than half of all people in absolute poverty worldwide. By 2030, that share will be 85 per cent. In particular, the
high rate of population growth is presenting huge challenges for Africa. Its population is expected to double by
2050, reaching 2 billion.
BMZ State Secretary Martin Jäger will take part in this year's World Bank Annual Meetings. The Meetings will not only focus on climate action
but also on World Bank activities in crisis regions such as the Sahel, and on talks about the upcoming IDA replenishment.
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Use investment potentials
„In the next ten years more will be built in Africa than in Europe in the last hundred years; six of the ten fastest growing economies
are located there; countries such as Ethiopia, Côte d'Ivoire or Ghana are achieving economic growth of seven percent. But:
only one percent of German foreign investment and two percent of German foreign trade currently goes to Africa, and only
1,000 German companies are active on the continent.“, Agentur für Wirtschaft und Entwicklung
More SMEs to Africa and in Africa, is the principle: The Development Investment Fund offers the private sector tailor-made financing
solutions at favourable conditions. The aim is for even more German and European companies to become involved in
Africa, invest there for the first time or expand their business. The focus is on the reform-oriented twelve countries of Compact
With Africa. Overall, the fund rests on three pillars:
AfricaConnect: Support for German medium-sized businesses
AfricaGrow: venture capital for African companies
Wirtschaftsnetzwerk Afrika: Supporting companies in entering the market
©
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©
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©
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© Emad Aljumah/Getty Images
The new Africa Business Network established by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs
and Energy provides comprehensive advice and assistance, especially for German
small and medium-sized enterprises wishing to set up business operations in Africa. The
network consists of the established actors and programmes of German foreign trade and
investment promotion, such as the network of bilateral chambers of industry and commerce,
Germany Trade & Invest, the Market Development Programme, and the export
initiatives of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. It also includes federations,
associations and institutions with a focus on Africa.
In establishing the Africa Business Network, the Federal Economic Affairs Ministry is
fostering the implementation of the Development Investment Fund for Africa that was
announced by Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel on 30 October 2018. The Africa Business
Network constitutes the third pillar of this fund. The first pillar is AfricaConnect, a
fund managed by Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG), which is
designated for financing German investments in Africa. The second pillar, the AfricaGrow
Fund operated by Kreditanstalt fu r Wiederaufbau (KfW), provides support for
African companies.
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Individual Consulting
We offer individual solutions
for each of our
customers to realize
their projects. Depending
on your wishes, we
are at your side from
start to finish to support
you.
Meeting @
GAMBIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
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Visit @ Camrail, maintenance company for trains
In order for our work to continue to be successful, it is essential for
us that we always have a certain proximity to our customers. It is
therefore self-evident for us that we are not only represented in
Germany, but also in the countries in which we plan projects with
our customers in Africa. We have a permanent location in
Cameroon. From there, our employees manage our projects and
receive enquiries.
But also our managing director is regularly present in our target
countries in Africa. He often seeks talks with African companies in
order to ensure the best possible exchange between the German
and African markets. Because it is very important for us not only to
establish the first contact, but also to ensure that it continues and
that minor problems are not responsible for the failure of our joint
project.
During his stay in Douala, Mr. Nguefack- Sonkoue visited the company
Camtrail to discuss what afriboom can do to provide the company
with the appropriate support from Germany.
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23.04.2019 - 27.04.2019
Bratislava City Tour and
Walk through the Old
Town
Visit Bratislava Castle and
the monumental Slavin
Monument as well as the
SNP Bridge
Meeting with information
on Slovakia by the office
of the Friedrich-Ebert-
Stiftung Slovakia
Discussion with MEP
Vladimír Manka (S&D) at
Bratislava Castle
Visit to a ceramic manufactory
Meeting with the Social
Democrats of Bratislava-
Land of the party "SMER
(SPD) issues: Development
in Europe, relations
between Germany and
Slovakia
Reception at the town
hall in a village in the
Bratislava area
Meeting with representatives
of the SPÖ
Joint sightseeing tour of
Vienna or at your own
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What does development cooperation do?
Striking examples from Africa
The continent of Africa has again moved more strongly
into the fo-kus: human rights violations, civil wars, climate
change consequences and for some therefore only:
countries of origin for flight and migration. Development
cooperation (DC) is the magic word that can be heard
more frequently once again. But what can cooperation in
the most diverse forms bring about for a future worth
living? Many organisations are active in numerous countries
with various measures for different target groups.
The seminar is intended to provide exemplary insights
into the cooperation between governmental and nongovernmental
partner organisations and the impacts
achieved. It becomes clear: Africa is more than war and
hunger!
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Sierra Leone 2019
Exploring investment opportunities/doing business
Sierra Leone – Germany
Mission Stakes
Strengthen economic relations between Germany and Africa,
Sierra Leone in particular
Accelerate the industrialization of Sierra Leone thanks to German
technology
Organize the hosting of a strong delegation of German investors
in Sierra Leone
Create a fluid and dynamic business network between Sierra
Leone and its German partners
Help German companies interested in the Sierra Leonian market
to establish themselves
Faciliate the collaboration of local companies with German
companies
Accelerating the development of the african economy though
„made in Germany“
Sectors
Industry/Processing of raw materials into manufactured products/
Installation
Construction (buildings and public works)/Heavy Machinery /
Construction Equipment
Transport
Shipbuilding
Agriculture/Livestock
Education
Scaffholding– Coffrages—Shoring
Special equipment and machinery
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Safety and training in road and construction
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BUSINESS TRIP 2020
04.06.-10.06.2020
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Successful to Africa
-How the German middle class can gain a foothold best-
Statement by Dipl.-Betriebswirt(FH)
Lwanga Joseph NGUEFACK-SONKOUE
Managing Director afriboom GmbH
“We should take care of 99.99% of the market even more intensively“
ROADSHOW OF BVMW
15.10.2019
On 15.10.2019 Lwanga Joseph Nguefack
Sonkoue, managing director of
afriboom GmbH, and his assistant
Jonas Mutombo represented afriboom
GmbH at the roadshow "Successfully
to Africa - How the German middle
class can best gain a foothold".
At this unique event some representatives
of the politics, in addition, representatives
of medium-size companies,
as well as the BVMW were
present.
During the BMZ Roadshow on the
Development Investment Fund of the
Federal Government, the participants
were informed about financing possibilities
for German KMU interested in
African business and the newly developed
middle class Index Africa was
presented as an innovative market
analysis instrument for the first time.
Microsoft Publisher bietet Tausende
Development Investment Fund of the Federal
Government on Financing Opportunities for German
KMU
"It was with great pleasure that I was able to experience a real Africa event at which the ways of financing
are pragmatically presented. The Development Investment Fund of the Federal Government is taking
concrete structure. We should focus even more intensively on the 99.99% of the market, i.e. making
German technologies, knowledge and vocational training available to the African market. It will significantly
increase the chances of success on the African market, differentiate it from the competition and
ensure a clear positioning.
We are talking here about an economy with 59 countries, which is currently home to around 1.28 billion
people (source: Ref. landerdaten.info). The trend is rising and by the year 2050 we are heading for
around 2 billion inhabitants. This should be of great strategic importance for the Federal Republic of
Germany and Europe. Access to financing should be as direct and concrete as possible. The availability of
types of financing (e.g. investment funds) on site plays a decisive role - Through microfinance AFRIBOOM
FINANCE S.A. we have already set up a company in Cameroon in order to create realistic opportunities for
lone warriors, small businesses, start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises that want to finance the
procurement of equipment, commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, construction machinery, equipment,
machines and industrial plants from Germany. This will create direct added value, both for the German
economy and for Africa. It would be important for us to find out which path we should take in order to
obtain the funds for financing the so-called "business champions" of Africa, so that we can make our
"Made in Germany" products available in Africa. For this reason, we have launched our financing elements,
including microfinance institutoin of Afriboom and Afriboomcrowd. With these instruments we
want to provide access to the financing of equipment and projects. We are counting on our German
investors. They should recognise these opportunities and become part of our crowd so that we have the
opportunity to successfully implement our vision and that of our African partners.
At this point I would like to emphasize that through our regular AFRIBOOM GERMAN-AFRICAN BUSINESS
FORUM (business trip with business meetings and B2B events between German and African countries)
we have built up a strong network of companies in Africa and in Germany. The number of qualitative
business contacts is constantly growing and more and more African countries are being connected. We
visit individual companies and explore their businesses and working environment in order to provide
them with the best possible advice. These actors are real artists of the African market, in view of the
operational but not exactly simple business conditions, they create sustainable business bases, values
and profitability, but also 17 jobs.“
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IMPRESSIONS
Afriboom Gmbh @Roadshow BVMW
From our point of view these are the right partners for the fight against poverty, illegal immigration
and many other problems - I don't know any successful mechanic, bricklayer, electrician, ... so
no African with professional qualifications who gives up everything without a good reason to take
the risk of dying somewhere in the Libyan desert or crossing the oceans on the way to Europe.
They get up every day and somehow try to earn money with their skills. They can then feed their
families, school their children and recover from health problems.
We have already found broad, diverse industry of enterprises, which could be made possible the
direct entrance to the African market by the binding to the Federal association of middle-class
economy - BVMW. A strategic company management should be quickly and rapidly integrated
into the "Business with Africa" in its sales region or field of activity. German companies would be
able to enter the market very quickly if they had realistic financing instruments at their disposal.
German SMEs should also benefit from the potential of the African market. For several years now,
major infrastructure projects have been underway in almost all African countries (road construction/motorways,
bridges, ports, water dams, real estate,...). In addition, however, there has also
been rapid growth in the number of Chinese trucks on construction sites. Our German quality is
very much in demand and desired! The rulers in the African countries need sustainable solutions
and are already making very strong efforts and offering investment incentives!
We think that the Development Investment Fund of the Federal Republic of Germany should also
provide such an incentive in Africa so that German companies can take advantage of realistic
opportunities on the African market in the sense of a "win-win" situation. African companies will
thus be able to multiply their profitability and create local jobs. The German economy could thus
increase and consolidate its market shares in Africa!
Congratulations for this roadshow event where real Africa competences are bundled and useful
space is created for networks, creativity, innovation around the German-African business. The
politicians are doing exactly the right thing when they reach out to the already involved organisations,
companies and individuals who deal with the matter (investments, business development
between Germany and the African countries) on a daily basis, in order to work together efficiently
on it. With real, pragmatic and immediately implementable solutions, the successes with Africa
will soon become visible. The BVMW Allianz Mittelstand Afrika makes an important contribution
to this. I expect even more courageous steps, but quicker decisions, so that a rapid operational
implementation of the development investment fund of the Federal Government takes place.
With the help of German entrepreneurs and their African partners, it is to be implemented in
Africa as quickly as possible.
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Afriboom is a member and representative of BVMW—middle class companies
for Cameroon & CEMAC– countries, Nigeria, Se negal, Gambia, RDC, Guinea
Conakry, Sierra Leone and MANORIVER-countries.
Community makes you strong!
With more than 555.000 members, the BVMW is the largest german corporate network: 300 branches organize more than
2000 events per year, connecting medium-sized companies with more than 700000 direct contacts
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The cetrac GmbH is specialized for used scaffholdings!
They´re buying used scaffholdings in Germany to refurbish them. After that the customers are able to
buy used scaffholdings with the value of a new one.
www.cetrac.net
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AFRIBOOM GERMAN-AFRICAN BUSINESS FORUM
Germany 2019
Again this year an economic forum was organized by afriboom GmbH.
As in the last years we have tried very hard to bring a delegation of African entrepreneurs to
Germany which is very interesting from an entrepreneurial point of view. Of course, we have
also ensured that the individual interests of Africans are satisfied and that they can constructively
exchange ideas with the German partners about their projects.
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Cameroonian delegation visiting
Würzburg!
The city of Wu rzburg is one of the most famous cities in Bavaria and
plays an important role in culture, economy and science.
On 17.06.2019, for example, a delegation of entrepreneurs from
Cameroon began their journey through Germany in Wu rzburg as part
of the AFRIBOOM business trip.
Beside the visit of the Eurolux GmbH as a trading partner for used machines
of all kinds, also a conference in the Eurocenter in Wu rzburg
was on the agenda. But also some distraction from the business should
be provided.
Würzburg as it live and live!
As the sixth largest city in Bavaria and the "capital" of the Lower Franconian
wine region, Wu rzburg is not only known for its delicacy, but
also for its culture, sports and economy. Some examples worth mentioning
are s.Oliver Baskets, Brose GmbH, Ko nig & Bauer GmbH and flyeralarm
GmbH. But not only these "Global Players" enjoy a high attention,
but also the numerous medium-size enterprises, which are
resident in local and region, profit from their first-class reputation.
Of course, we should not forget to mention the first-class Julius-
Maximilian-University Wu rzburg and FHWS. Known above all for its
humanities and natural sciences, it is one of the best universities in
Germany.
Due to all these different sectors, the city of Wu rzburg and its region
has been able to stand out from the surrounding competition in recent
years and a "hotspot" of first-class humanities and natural sciences has
emerged. But also with regard to economic efficiency, Wu rzburg can
usually only be praised.
Stations
Wu rzburg
Karlstadt
Chemnitz
Leipzig
Sittensen
(Hamburg)
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Arrival in Würzburg!
After the Cameroonian delegation, led by
Dipl.(FH) Joseph Lwanga Nguefack-Sonkoue,
landed well in Frankfurt, the journey continued
to the Franconian town of Wu rzburg.
Arrived at the Hotel Wittelsbacher Hoeh, the
Cameroonians now had the opportunity to
enjoy their first impressions of Germany
and especially Wu rzburg, with a great view
over the city.
After the businessmen could use the first day
for "relaxation", the first business appointment
was already on the agenda on Monday.
A meeting was scheduled with Eurolux
GmbH in their branch in Karlstadt. Eurolux
GmbH deals with the purchase, repair and
subsequent resale of used machines of all
kinds. After a very warm and cordial reception
with a get together including coffee and
cake, the managing director of Eurolux
GmbH, Mr. Paul Lambrecht, personally introduce the Cameroonian
entrepreneurs. He always took the interests of the individual partners
into consideration and presented the machines to them, which
could be of great benefit to the Africans. In the end, Mr. Lambrecht
succeeded in arousing the interest of the African business partners
through his open and very professional manner, which led to the conclusion
of the first deal between Eurolux GmbH and Mr. Felix Meukemgang
at the end of the meeting. Mr. Meukemgang is currently setting
up an avocado plantation in Cameroon. With the support of AF-
RIBOOM e.V. he travelled to Germany to find used machines which
could help him with the agricultural work on his plantation, but also
with the further processing of the avocado into avocado extracts.
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Under this appeal of Dr. Gerd Mu ller, Federal Minister for Economic
Cooperation and Development, the next event took place in the following
morning. At the AFRIBOOM business forum "Meeting in Bavaria",
which took place in the Eurocenter Wu rzburg, a targeted
exchange was to take place between our Cameroonian delegation
and German company representatives from various industries. The
aim of the organizers ( Afriboom and Stephan Behringer, BVMW
Ufr.) was to create a constructive exchange regarding individual projects
of the African and German parties in order to recognize and
exchange common interests. Thus the BVMW, a co-operation partner
- the middle class BVMW for Kamerun & CEMAC countries, Nigeria,
Senegal, Gambia, took over the entrance into the meeting.
The Managing Director of AFRIBOOM GmbH, Lwanga Joseph Nguefack-Sonkoue,
formulated the concerns of the event as follows :
"Looking at the medium/long-term, it is reckless not to use the potential
of the African economic market. The AFRIBOOM GmbH sees
its role in a supporting function, which makes it easier to organize
the framework projects for the exchange between both cultures in a
meaningful way and to inform about chances to do profitable business
in Africa".
The first part of the meeting was successfully concluded when each
person introduced themselves individually and briefly. The
Cameroonian guests felt welcome and in this way everyone had gained
a good first impression, which made the subsequent presentations
and B2B discussions much easier.
After the introduction, the German company representatives took
the floor to present themselves and the work of their company. Mr.
Hans Pfister, Managing Director of Suntec Energiesysteme GmbH,
started the presentation. He presented his ideas to use the market of
renewable energies in the form of solar energy in Cameroon sensibly
and pointed out possibilities which his employer has to offer in order
to start a profitable and efficient project.
This was followed by Beecomp Technologies Inc. Although Beecomp
Technologies Inc. has a completely different business model, the intentions
of most of the companies that took part in the event in the
Eurocenter Wu rzburg hardly differed. Basically, in addition to increasing
the turnover of their own company, they wanted to do something
good for the economy and the people in Africa.
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Beginning with a good idea
to revolutionize shipping
with foldable paper containers,
Beecomp Technologies
Inc. developed later an
innovative solution for affordable
housing in developing
countries. Because by
this initial idea, the founders
succeeded in constructing
a model house system
from paper. With a potential
point load of up to 30
tons, which can be realized
by a special honeycomb
technique, this company
has found a very effective and robust form of construction, which offers the opportunity
to tackle interesting projects, which in the future can offer and represent
a great potential the African real estate market.
The representative of the ROADAX GmbH took over the conclusion of the
presentations. Following the motto "Pictures say more than a thousand words",
he presented the newly developed technology for road construction with the
help of an image video. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK_q5yYL61I).
Between the individual presentations, short breaks were inserted and also after
end of the official meeting still a cosy get-together in the external area of the
euro center took place. As before, direct concerns were discussed here during
the breaks and an open, lively exchange succeeded.
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It was the 6th event "Business meets Africa", to which the Chamber of Industry
and Commerce Chemnitz together with the Chemnitz Member of Parliament
Frank Heinrich had invited on 19 June to the IHK in Chemnitz.
Traditionally, embassy representatives from African countries come to Chemnitz
to meet Saxon entrepreneurs. The significance of this event can be seen in
the large number of ambassadors who want to personally attend "Business
meets Africa". This year, embassy representatives from 18 African countries as
well as 160 participants from business and politics took part in the event.
Many of the African and German participants are familiar with the event from
previous years and used the event to renew and establish contacts and to explore
ways for their business ideas. After the release of the development investment
fund for the countries of the "Compact with Africa" by the Federal Government,
information on financing, promoting and securing business with African
partners was of particular interest to the entrepreneurs.
The event was opened by IHK President Dr. h. c. Dieter Pfortner. He spoke out
clearly in favour of improving German export business with Africa.
(Source: https://www.chemnitz.ihk24.de/System/vst/1954364?
id=198992&terminId=349849)
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AFRIBOOM DELEGATION ATTENTS
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AFRIBOOM GERMAN-AFRICAN
BUSINESS FORUM
04.06.-10.06.2020
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The city of Leipzig is known to
many people all over the world.
Maybe because of its long trade
fair tradition, its culture or as a
constantly growing business hotspot
- the city in the heart of Saxony
is a hub for economic and
cultural exchange.
On 20.06.2019 it led a delegation
with entrepreneurs from
Cameroon to Leipzig as part of
the afriboom business trip. In
addition to the visit of cetrac
GmbH as a trading partner, it was
a great pleasure that the city of
Leipzig officially welcomed the guests from Africa in the New Town Hall. The
Office for Economic Development in person of Mr. Wennemar de Weldige welcomed
the delegation and carried out the official part in the historic town hall.
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Mr. de Weldige received the delegation led by afriboom initiator Joseph
Lwanga Nguefack-Sonkoue in front of the New Leipzig City Hall. After words
of welcome and the history of the New Town Hall, we went directly to the
historic town hall. What makes Leipzig so interesting and profitable? What
advantages does Leipzig offer over other locations? Many examples from
the worlds of business, sport and culture made it clear that visionary thinking
combined with entrepreneurial action and a great deal of local commitment
made this development possible. The Office for Economic Development
is in charge of current and future projects. In addition to the focus on
local and regional projects, the Office will in future increasingly strive for
international exchange - especially with Africa.
Afterwards, a visit to cetrac GmbH as a trusted business partner was on
the agenda. As a locally based company already active in Africa, we
would like to thank both our company and the participants of the afriboom
Economic Forum of the City of Leipzig, represented by the Office
for Economic Development in the person of Mr. Wennemar de Weldige
and Ms. Katja Roloff of the Office for International Relations, for the
warm welcome.
www.afriboomcrowd.eu
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Frank Heinrich (Minister German Parliament, CDU)
Dr. Konstantin Kostas, EZ Scout IHK Chemnitz
Mr. Norbert Barthle, parliamentary state secretary
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Cetrac GmbH offers all known scaffold manufacturers. The tight schedule of the
travel group only allowed the demonstration of two systems. We opted for
Layher Blitz and Plettac SL. The Layher SpeedyScaf as one of the best-known
systems made the start. This scaffolding can be erected with just one man, the
individual components are easy to assemble and the advantages of use are obvious.
It is also easy to transport and store. Second, the aluminium construction of
the Plettac SL was demonstrated. Similar to the Plettac SL, but much easier to
use due to the use of aluminium as the frame material. It was clear to everyone
what these systems could achieve. The combination of steel assembly frames
with 2.57m Layher robust floors and aluminium frames with 2.00m Plettac
wooden coverings also gave the participants an idea of which material combinations
were possible and most advantageous for the respective application.
The demonstration regarding the erection and dismantling of our scaffolds was
followed, of course, by the question of the costs for the acquisition. For an established
contractor, the costs for acquisition, transport and incidental costs for
customs, for example, are clear. For small companies and start-ups in the field of
construction services, there was plenty of need for explanation. It should not be
forgotten that Cameroon, for example, is in a mood of economic awakening, but
the financial possibilities of the individual are very limited. So why not pack
several small items into one container and share the costs? This idea then made
the initial investment considerably more manageable, so that many business
cards exchanged owners and there was talk of some concrete enquiries.
Our vision that we have set ourselves with cetrac GmbH
Industrial safety in Africa
Meeting the need for scaffolding
Workshops
Training courses
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Sittensen showed his sunniest side when the delegation from Cameroon arrived at
the end of the business week. The alga company has been based in Sittensen since
1968. From the former auction of the facilities of a bankrupt door factory in Sittensen,
alga was developed! It is a company successfully managed by Horst Gaßmann
for the purchase and sale of new and used trucks, semi-trailers, trailers, construction
machinery and buses.
Right at the beginning the representatives algas, Jo rn-Michael Wittkuhn, Ralph
Brunkhorst, Marcel Behrens and Hinrich Behrens welcomed their guests warmly.
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From now on, Mr. Wittkuhn, Commercial director and authorized
officer, took over the moderation and management of the
meeting. After a short introduction of all participants, he
presented the historical development and the current business
activities of alga. For more than 50 years alga has been dealing
with used and new commercial vehicles, construction machinery,
buses and special vehicles. Thus, a current status of 1000
to 1500 vehicles in the fleet can be recorded. In addition to the
trade with vehicles and machines, alga also offers workshops on
service and maintenance work for their traded machines under
the name of TBS Trucks & Services. And this is exactly where the
interests of the company and the Cameroonian delegation meet.
For the Africans it is of great interest to import trucks and machines,
but these also have to be maintained and repaired. Alga
would like to make offers exactly here and make it by means of
her valuable expertise African workers possible to learn an equivalent
know-how in order to manage in the future independently
and competently repair work.
Also Mr. Gaßmann, managing director of alga, made it possible
to participate in the meeting. The African businessmen
presented their projects in his presence. Mr. Gaßmann exchanged
intensively with the Cameroonians and expressed constructive
criticism, suggestions and recognition from his experience.
This was also very well received by the Cameroonians, as they
want to constantly improve themselves and their projects. After
the presentations a delicious lunch was provided.
The delegation was then able to view all the vehicles on the alga
site, ask questions and obtain offers. After each of the participants
had expressed their potential interest in favorite vehicles,
the visit was followed by more concrete business negotiations.
Mr. Brunkhorst took the time for each individual customer to
select the best possible offers and coordinated them with the
interests of the Cameroonians. At the end of the meeting it can
be said that alga, afriboom and the Cameroonian delegation had
another successful meeting.
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Business in Guinea Conakry
Together we are
stronger!
According to this motto,
we always strive for solid
partnerships, both
with afriboom and
among German and African
entrepreneurs.
If you are not able to
get ahead on your own,
you are welcome to
contact us, so that we
can provide you with a
strategically useful partner.
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Bergakademie Freiberg
In October we visited the Berkakademie Freiberg. Here we were introduced to a wide variety of process
technologies with which, for example, new important materials such as soil improvers, building
materials, pellets and fibre mats can be produced from raw material residues.
As we are very much impressed by the work of the Bergakademie Freiberg and we would like to work
on the fact that raw material residues etc. can be better recycled in Africa instead of simply being
burnt down, we hope to be able to implement a project in this field together in 2020.
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Mr. Dieter Jerowsky and Mr. Egbert Hebert
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Difficulties in financing
afriboom GmbH is pleased to inform you that this year we have taken
a big step in the area of financing.
In the past it has often been shown that we are able to successfully manage
the exchange between German and African companies, but unfortunately
there was always a certain hurdle in our way:
The financing of goods and services.
Ourselves were very disappointed that our work did use the potential
as it might be possibile. We took this to heart, analysed the causes and
developed concepts to remove these hurdles.
So at the end we can proudly present our new financing instruments
afriboomcrowd.eu, a crowdinvesting platform and afriboomfinance a
microfinace institution (IMF) in the third category and our crowdfunding
platform afriboomcrowd.eu.Our goal has always been to support
entrepreneurs with visions. And such "African champions" cannot be
measured by their equity capital. Thanks to our microfinance institute,
we are finally in a position to provide financial support to entrepreneurs
of all sizes. We can bring our commitment and expertise to projects
ranging from €100 to millions and support them with our financing
elements if we are convinced of their background and vision. We
want to help Africa's lone fighters, who are struggling to survive in
spite of their difficult environment, the kind of support that will help
them to advance their entrepreneurial development
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Our company is growing and so is the size of our customers. Nevertheless,
we do not want to leave the small entrepreneurs on
the sidelines. No especially they´re very important to us. So from
now we can proudly announce that we have been able to set up
a microfinance company in Douala in view of small financial assistance.
Over the past few months, we have been able to comply
with all the regulations and we will soon be able to help small
businesses in Cameroon achieve their entrepreneurial goals
through small loans. And later we want to expand to other african
countries.
Application.
Connection.
Financing.
Success.
Create
“Made in Africa“
With the help of
“Made in Germany”
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We are happy to have finally found the last piece of the puzzle for a
successful business exchange between Germany and Africa.
Together with CrowdDesk we were able to enter into a cooperation
which enables us to finance selected projects in Africa.
Through our own crowd investing platform afriboomcrowd.com we
are able to collect money to grant loans to our African customers so
that they can finally implement their projects. So the problem of financing
is solved.
Within 5 minutes investors have the chance to make their contribution
to development aid in Africa and at the same time they receive an
above-average return.
Become a part of our crowd!
Become a part of our Crowd!
powered by
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On 30.10.2019 we were invited for a meeting by „Manager Without Borders“ in Stuttgart. We were
very pleased about the positive outcome of this meeting. For a cooperation, it was important for
both sides that the interests match. Fortunately, this was confirmed very quickly. Both Managers
without Borders and afriboom are have the opinion that the continent of Africa cannot be helped
by the constantly discussed development aid. You have to help the economy and promote its development
in order to provide more prosperity, peace and contentment. Because we believe that these
are the basic qualities that can help an African to lead a happy life.
So we have exchanged first possibilities how a future cooperation could look like.
Therefore we can state that in future we will be operating under the heading ManagerohneGrenzenPlus.
We are glad that we could enter into a partnership with MoG. In the future we will go common
ways in the development of the African continent. In the future, our contacts should lead to more
consulting assignments of MoG in Cameroon and other African countries. We will increasingly
represent and coordinate MoG abroad. In this way we would like to help to optimise and expand
the events and operations on site.
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It is a key part of our strategy always being close to our customers.
Therefore, we attach great importance to be available in Africa and Germany. From
December 2019 to January 2020, we were also on site in Cameroon to cultivate our
business relations, acquire new customers and promote our economic forum for the
year 2020.
In retrospect, we can say that this stay in Cameroon was a successful farewell for the
year 2020, which motivated us to start the new year just as successfully as we end
with 2019. We were able to gather a lot of positive feedback, win participants for our
Forum 2020, establish new contacts and, above all, represent our partners from Germany
and strengthen their business relations with our network in Africa.
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During our stay in Africa it was very important for us to see the progress of different
projects personally.
One of these projects, which we have been pursuing for years, is the establishment of a
sustainable avocado farm.
We are proud to be able to accompany this project, because on the one hand the background
is very important to us and we see a lot of potential in the implementation as
well as in the project owner. In our eyes, this is an exemplary project, as it not only promotes
the regional economy, but also allows the region to derive great social benefits
from the project in many places. This is exactly why we will continue to do our best to support
the project in the future by providing the appropriate equipment and financing.
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As our next Business Forum will take place soon, it was of a very high priority for us to find
suitable, competent and interested partners for our Forum. So we have trained our team
from afriboom, located in Douala, to prospect the right group of business people, so that
we can bring new but also already known and trustworthy partners to Germany in July
2020. For us it is very important that we do not give every trustworthy looking partner the
opportunity to establish business relations with us in Germany, but that they also represent
our interests so that we can do real business. This requires a trained eye from us again and
again to recognize who really represents the characteristics we want to have. It is very important
for us to maintain our reputation and to give our German partners the confidence
and security that they can implement safe, future-oriented and sustainable projects and
relationships in Africa with us.
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“The BVMW is the German Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses. It is
a politically independent association which caters for all commercial branches and
professions, and represents the interests of small and medium-sized businesses in
politics, with administrative authorities, with trade unions and with major companies.
Medium-sized businesses – around 3.3 million individual enterprises in all – are
the backbone and impulse of the German economy...”
Mario Ohoven (President of the BVMW)
Overview Important participants:
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