The port of Antwerp-Bruges organized a roundtable on Thursday September 26, 2024 in Belgium that allowed elite Belgian investors and players in the African economy to strengthen business opportunities. The Director General of Customs of Burkina Faso, Adama Ilboudo, represented our country at this Club Afric meeting which promises to break.
A new page in Africa-Europe partnership is opening. In Belgium, the community of businessmen is organizing itself with a view to creating a new cooperation with the Black Continent. The African club was born in this context. “Africa, with its great potential for economic and commercial growth, is a vital trading partner for the port of Antwerp-Bruges. Club Afric wants to connect the port community with the various stakeholders who do business with Africa,” explained the director general of Port Antwerp-Bruges International, Kristof Waterschoot. The club had a full house for the first activity they have
Speaking at this platform, the Namibian Ambassador to Belgium, Mekondjo Kaapanda-Girnus welcomed the creation of this platform. She points out that in a rapidly changing global environment, there is more time than ever to redefine the content and forms of South-North cooperation. The Afric club, writing its approach in a way where economic partnerships are negotiated or created directly between economic actors, responds to this desire.
Therefore it is expected that this new instrument will be a break in the relationships that have always characterized the relationship between Africa and Europe. The Afric club announces that it will put aside bilateral cooperation with the proportion of distortion to try to get an agreement among the direct actors. Belgian investors who were obviously attracted by the African offers wanted to ensure the level of security of the potential investments. Responding to this expectation, the General Director of the Lomé container terminal, Rachid Baho, made a presentation in which he cleared any doubts. For his part, the Director General of Customs of Burkina Faso said that he left this meeting fully satisfied.
“The narrative about Africa’s partners has clearly changed. And that’s motivation. Africa regains its dignity. It is a formula that two economic actors come into contact to define the framework of their exchanges that makes it possible to avoid abuse. We came to see. We are now waiting for goodwill to translate into economic realities to the great joy of our people,” said Ilboudo Adama.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the CEO had several “B to B” discussions that bode well for good opportunities.
Jeremy NION, Press officer in Brussels
