Prof Dr Elmar Steurer, Director of the Africa Institute, welcomed the almost 90 participants to Vöhlinschloss Illertissen and officially opened the forum. For almost 15 years, HNU has been committed to building bridges between the regional economy and the dynamic markets on the African continent. The Africa Institute pools experience and networks to support companies from the region in entering the market sustainably.
Right at the beginning, Michael Baukloh, Head of the International Department at the Karlsruhe Chamber of Industry and Commerce, emphasised Africa's diversity: 1.5 billion people, 2,000 languages, 54 countries and different legal systems - a diversity that offers equally great economic opportunities. Günther Schmid from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism emphasised the importance of a coherent Africa policy that overcomes silos between development and economic promotion in order to establish sustainable partnerships. Prof Dr Thomas Bayer from HNU, who has been active in business and education projects with African partners for many years, quoted Thomas Schäfer from the SAFRI network, who wrote in the Handelsblatt: "Africa is not a social project, but a strategic partner." He thus emphasised the potential for medium-sized companies.
Concrete and practical: support and best practices
In several keynote speeches, experts provided information on specific support programmes for companies:
- Felix Guntermann from the Africa Business Network presented consulting services and market development assistance - including up to 85% co-financed consulting vouchers.
- Marc Krupp from DEG presented financing programmes such as ImpactConnect and TradeConnect, which support companies with sustainability goals and export financing.
- Dr Nader Imani from Festo Didactic showed how technological education can support market entry - for example in automation and digitalisation.
In drei thematischen Panels wurden erfolgreiche Geschäftsmodelle aus der Praxis vorgestellt sowie Chancen und Herausforderungen in bestimmten Branchen diskutiert:
Panel 1 - Mobilität:
- Serge Kamuhinda, CEO of Volkswagen Mobility Rwanda, explained the VW branch in Rwanda with assembly, sales, mobility services as well as e-tractors and charging infrastructure.
- Thomas Wölfle, Managing Director of Wölfle GmbH, showed how his company has established a site in Morocco and is continuously increasing local value creation.
- Peter Schmitz, Manager Africa/Middle East at GTAI, presented the dual role of foreign trade promotion: Location marketing and market information. The focus countries for the automotive industry are currently Morocco and South Africa.
- The discussion made it clear that financing, customs bureaucracy and infrastructure remain challenges - but the opportunities, particularly in the field of renewable energies and well-trained employees, are great.
Panel 2 – Lebensmittelwirtschaft:
- Paul März, Managing Director of fairtrade Messe GmbH & Co. KG, presented international trade fairs such as agrofood and plastprintpack as platforms for establishing contacts with African business partners.
- Petra Mayer, Market Manager Germany at the Wines of South Africa association, explained how the non-profit organisation promotes trade relations for a special product of African origin.
- Geraldine Quelle, Project Manager at Phaesun GmbH, presented solar cooling technologies for small farmers, developed from an R&D project - a modular concept with components from Germany and local materials.
- The discussion showed that higher added value and local product quality are crucial for marketable prices. Individual cold rooms alone are not enough - viable business models and worthwhile products for export are needed.
Panel 3 – Digital Boom:
- Dr Monika Erath, Delegate of the German Economy at the AHK East Africa, reported on support services for market entry in the region provided by the local AHK networks.
- Thomas Kündiger, BOS Balance of Storage Systems AG, spoke in favour of long-lasting solutions instead of short-lived technology. Among other things, the company is electrifying clinics in Malawi and focussing on long-term partnerships with local players.
- Carlos Schmidt, Managing Director of Itomatics GmbH, showed how digital strategies emerge from Tunis and Abuja. Among other things, the aim is to offer prospects to well-trained specialists locally.
- The discussion emphasised that local partners are key - they need trust, training and funding in order to implement digital innovations sustainably.
Abschluss und Get-together
Beim abschließenden Networking im historischen Ambiente des Vöhlinschlosses wurden Gespräche vertieft und neue Partnerschaften angestoßen – getreu dem Geist der Veranstaltung: Kooperationen stärken, Brücken bauen und Chancen nutzen..
