“Building back better together”! This is the slogan of the fifth edition of Italia Africa Business Week (IABW) (https://IABW.eu), the first and most important Italian-African business forum, which will take place the 9 and 10 October 2021 in Rome, in Conference Centre of Villa Aurelia, via Leone XIII 459, 00165 (Piazza Pio XI), in hybrid form, i.e. both online and live.

Download document: Programme 2021 (IT)

The new edition will start immediately after the Third Conference Italia Africa (7/8 October 2021) organised by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

“Italian SMEs are the best partner for African SMEs” Cleophas Adrien Dioma, Executive President of Italia Africa Business Week.

As in recent years, this edition too will be organised by Association “Le Réseau” with the support of Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale (for the opening conference) and of the Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo. The forum has also a partnership with the Confederazione Nazionale degli Artigiani e delle Piccole e medie imprese (CNA), Confindustria Assafrica&Mediterraneo, with Promos-Italia, Businessmed, Loukil Group, and with the Università Luiss Guido Carli. Main sponsor of the fifth edition is the legal firm BonelliErede.

“Africa is a key Continent for Italy”, Marina Sereni, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs with appointment for International Cooperation.

Italian and African institutional guests will participate such as the deputy minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Marina SERENI; the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar, Patrick Rajoelina; the Minister of International Cooperation and of public-private partnership of the Republic of Congo, Denis-Christel SASSOU; the Minister for Energy of Kenya, Charles KETER; the representative of the EU for Sahel, Emanuela Claudia Del RE, representatives of the private sector such as Gianpiero SUCCI, Partner BonelliErede, Tameru Wondm Agegnehu, Partner fondatore di Tameru Wondm Agegnehu Law Office in partnership with BonelliErede, Ruggero Aricò, Vice President of Confindustria Assafrica&Mediterraneo, Andrea CHIESI, Head of special projects - Chiesi Farmaceutici, Saliou DIEYE, Presidente del WAUTI (Union of Fiscal Institutes of Western Africa), Sandra MOMAH, President of the African Network of Women Experts, Federico BEGA, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Promos Italia Scrl, Christian Richmond Nzi, founder of Mygrants S.r.l., Piergiorgio VALENTE, President of CFE Tax Advisers, Marco Francesco MAZZU, Recruiting Leader and Professor of Marketing & Digital, Università Luiss Guido Carli, Bertrand TCHANA, Head of paediatric cardiology Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria di Parma, Gerard Komonsira Dioma, Pharmacist, Yalgado Ouédraogo University Hospital Center and many others.

Innovation, Digitalisation, Sustainability, Communication, Ecological Transition will be the beating heart of this new edition of the forum, all in the context of the wider Italo-African business networking platform. Not only business and investments: IABW 2021 will host specific panels on science and scientific research in the African continent and on the opportunities for growth and development represented by the university world, on the value of culture and knowledge, on new prospects and opportunities for Italian SMEs in Africa, on the enhancement of young people, women and the African diaspora and migrant entrepreneurship as key players in co-development and post-pandemic recovery action

Hundreds of African and Italian companies, professionals and experts from various business sectors will be present in the hall, as well as a large representation of the African diplomatic corps (more than 15 African embassies in Italy are represented at IABW by ambassadors, consuls and diplomatic counsellors) to participate in the fifth edition of IABW.

Because IABW is a space to organise high-level bilateral institutional meetings, B2B and B3B meetings between Italian and African companies, professionals and institutions, Country Presentations and high-level conferences. Moreover, it represents an opportunity for in-depth analysis and networking to explore new business opportunities for Italian companies in Africa and vice versa and visibility for those who intend to accompany entrepreneurial realities through their products and/or services.

In this sense, IABW is the ideal place to bring together supply and demand, to build bridges of high economic value and growth between Italy and Africa, with a special focus on start-ups and small-medium enterprises. IABW 2021, which confirms itself as the first event of its kind in Italy, will be multilingual and multi-level, a great opportunity for Italian and African entrepreneurs to meet and build new economic and business relationships based on mutual knowledge and new opportunities.