Geneva Hosts Africa's Biggest Swiss Investment Push

[00:00:00]African government and business leaders are gathering in Geneva, the capital of Switzerland, as the country plays host for the two-day investment meeting. This comes as the continent seeks a larger share of global capital to help speed up its economic development and transformation amidst growing global dynamics. Our London correspondent Julana Al-Anqe is in Geneva and has this report on our channel's Business Global.

[00:00:22]>> This week, Geneva is home to Africa Collective's flagship gathering, bringing together leaders from government, finance, and business for two days of discussion on Africa's place in a shifting global economy.

[00:00:34]>> Well, I'm representing the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, SECO, which is the Ministry of Economy and Trade in Switzerland.

[00:00:42]And we are a proud patron of the Swiss Africa Business Day.

[00:00:47]We have been for many years and it's a very close partnership we have with SABC and the team around Michael and Helena.

[00:00:55]It is their flagship event. It's our flagship event with them on all things regarding trade, investment with Africa.

[00:01:04]It's a great opportunity to engage with the private sector, with members of the diplomatic community of the African countries in Bern and Geneva, but also other colleagues, NGOs, and so forth.

[00:01:17]>> The platform driving these conversations is Africa Collective itself.

[00:01:22]>> I think that in recent years, many of the fastest-growing countries in the world from a GDP perspective have been on the continent. Of course, you have the demographic dividend that a great youth population on the continent that's really burgeoning and with with great ambition to to do work not only on the continent, but also beyond. And I think that that is something that means that Africa on a global context is gathering and is gaining more importance. And I think that gatherings like Africa Collective here in Geneva, but also in Davos, um, show that the interest on the to the continent of international players is definitely increasing.

[00:02:00]>> For Africa's development financiers, attention is turning to how that ambition gets funded.

[00:02:06]>> Believe that AFC that for the continent to industrialize itself, to be able to create the jobs for his next generation, to solve some of its complex problems like energy access, uh harmonization, and so on and so forth.

[00:02:21]A lot of softer issues, which are typically the harder issues I don't know why they call it soft. Needs to be dealt with, you know, policy, regulation, um data-driven decision-making, uh quicker execution, uh capacity development in the public sector, uh getting a better narrative for the African continent, uh telling stories that are legitimate, credible, coming from the continent.

[00:02:49]>> More from Geneva, including the full panel discussion on Channels Business Global this Friday.