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We are pleased to invite you to the 2nd Edition of the West Africa Trade and Investment Forum: Conference and Exhibition (WATIF 2020) which is themed: “Facilitating Trade and Development Through Technology, Virtual Connections and Regional Cooperation”. The event is scheduled to hold in Ghana on the 24th and 25th March, 2020.

The maiden edition of the Conference and Exhibition (WATIF 2018) with the theme “Enhancing Collaboration for Regional Development and Economic Impact” took place on 27th March 2018 at the Lagos Continental Hotel. The conference focused on four major sectors of the economy – Education & Skills Development, Agriculture, Manufacturing and ICT. 

We realize that the buoyancy of our regional GDP and socio-economic development are determined largely by the Energy and Health sectors and are including these sectors as focus areas in the next conference.

The Proposed 2-Day Conference Highlights are:

  • Special presentations
  • Plenary Sessions
  • Sector-focused Presentations
  • Youth/SME Development Session
  • Women Empowerment Session
  • B2B Matchmaking Forum
  • African Heritage Night – a display of African Fashion and Culture
  • Award Ceremony

Key topics to be discussed will include:

  • Trade and Investment in West Africa: Opportunities for Collaboration and International Partnership
  • Global FDI Trends: Impact on Sub-Saharan Africa and how to overcome barriers to FDI in the region.
  • The Influence of Technology on Trade and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Facilitating Trade through Technology and Virtual Connections
  • Intra African Trade: The Key to Accelerating Economic Growth and Development

A look at opportunities for Trade, Commerce and Service Expansion from different business perspectives

Challenges, Success Stories and Initiatives for Growth and Development

  • Developing and Sustaining Local Content through Research, Technology and Innovation- Nigeria’s Success Story, a model for Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Establishing and Strengthening Product Value Chains through Infrastructure Development- Unlocking International Financing for Projects
  • Creating an Enabling Environment for FDI, Trade and Development through the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.

The West Africa Trade and investment Forum (WATIF 2020): Conference and Exhibition provides your organisation an excellent opportunity to:

  • Showcase your world class brand to an audience of top-level West African government officials, Industrialists, Indigenous and International Investors, CEOs of financial institutions, Donor Agencies, Key Stakeholders and top-level ECOWAS representatives.
  • Contribute effectively and positively towards the economic development of our region.
  • Expand your business opportunities with prospective investors and partners.
  • Network and socialize with business counterparts.

We would like to express our gratitude in anticipation of your partnership and support in making WATIF a catalyst for the economic advancement of our sub region.

EVENT OVERVIEW

The 2-day event will consist mainly of keynote addresses, presentations, sector break-out sessions/discussions which will focus on identifying practical opportunities, challenges and recommendations for fostering impactful regional business collaborations/partnerships within each sector, and plenary sessions to present outcomes. The sector sessions will also review reports from the last conference. The exhibition will showcase regional as well as global Educational and Skills Development, Energy, Health, ICT, Manufacturing, Agricultural and Allied products, services and brands.

Key Objectives of WATIF

  • To bring together public and private sector investors in the six sectors to identify and define major investment opportunities across the region and proffer recommendations to overcome existing barriers that preclude such investments from happening;
  • To leverage the significant information and support available in the public sector and donor sectors to support private sector investments;
  • To identify the major constraints to investment in the respective sectors and develop

mechanisms to address these constraints;

  • To support the development of infrastructure (hard and soft) required to foster greater trade and investment activities within the region and beyond;
  • To foster the linkages that should exist between private sector participants in the region in order to ensure access to and expansion of markets, the development of intra-regional supply chains, and the integrated financial systems that regional cooperation ultimately fosters and nurtures;
  • To seek out ways for business sector involvement in government initiatives, leveraging on existing platforms/channels of communication with the participating governments and their agencies;
  • To assess existing structures and mechanisms and proffer suggestions on

sustaining public-private partnerships and private sector involvement in regional collaboration projects.

Participants

  • Governments and their relevant MDAs
  • Major stakeholders and players in the four identified sectors
  • Indigenous and international investors
  • International Donor organizations
  • Banks and Other Financial Institutions
  • Chambers of Commerce and Industry
  • Industry and regional Consultative Forums
  • Business Associations
  • Embassies and Development Agencies
  • Next generation sector leaders (Youth SME’s)

Featured Image Source: WATIF

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This article was first published on 3rd February 2020

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