The business meeting to conquer African and French excellence. Round tables, BtoB meetings and networking on November 19 and 20, 2024!

A new edition of Ambition Africa, which has become the unmissable annual event for Franco-African economic and commercial relations, will take place in the presence of ministers, ambassadors, influential speakers and business delegations from across the African continent.

Placed under the high patronage of Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, and supported by the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, as well as by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the 2024 edition of Ambition Africa brought together more than 1,500 French and African participants, representing up to 43 African countries, physically and virtually. Ambition Africa 2024 will take place over two days and will be structured around the following program.

Tuesday, November 19 – Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Industry

07:30 am : Arrival of participants, coffee & greetings

09:00 am : Official opening speeches

Didier BOULOGNE, Executive Vice President in charge of exports, BUSINESS FRANCE

Sophie PRIMAS, Minister attached to the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, responsible for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad

09:30 am : Africa’s economy: towards new heights

Nadia FETTAH-ALAOUI,Moroccan Minister of Economy and Finance

Cynthia GNASSINGBE ESSONAM, Special Adviser on Private Sector Involvement in FTAA

Thierry DEAU, Chairman and CEO, MERIDIAM

Samir Salem MOUTI,Investment Advisor to the President of the Republic of Djibouti

Christian YOKA, Africa Director, AFD

Jérôme PETIT, Global Air & Ocean Leader, CEVA

Moderated by Fatimata WANE-SAGNA, Journalist and news presenter, FRANCE 24

10:20 am : Doing Business: how to address a plural Africa ?

Moroesi REFILOE MOKHABI, CEO, BRANE AFRIKA

Caroline ROLSHAUSEN, Regional Advisor Intellectual Property Africa, INPI

Seynabou DIA SALL, Founder and CEO, GLOBAL MIND CONSULTIN

Abdelmalek ALAOUI, CEO, GUEPARD GROUP

Abdou DIOP, Managing Partner, FORVIS MAZARS

Moderated by Fatimata WANE- SAGNA, Journalist and news presenter, FRANCE 24

11:10 am : Agrifood processing in Africa: heading towards food sovereignty

Karim AITTALB,Deputy Managing Director, ADVENS-GEOCOTON and initiator of the ALFA coalition

Prof. Bubaker HAMAD ALMANSORI, Chairman and CEO, VISION CONSULTING, LIBYA

Marc DEBETS, Chairman, APEXAGRI

Arnaud FLORIS, Africa Director, BPIFRANCE

Daniel IBRAHIM, Senior Advisor, EDENRED

Pierre CADET, President, FADIA

Moderated by Christophe DANSETTE, Journalist, FRANCE 24

12:00 pm : Keynote: Françoise REMARCK, Minister of Culture, Ivory Coast

12:10 pm : Networking Lunch

1:40 pm : Energy mix: innovations and development

Samuel GOLDSTEIN, Africa Business Development Director, MERIDIAM

Marie-Laure MAZAUD, CEO, STOA

Dalia WAHBA, CEO, HASSAN ALLAM UTILITIES

Bestine KAZADI, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of International Cooperation and Francophonie, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Aphi AMOUSSOU NANAN, Deputy Central Equipment & Works Manager, CI ENERGIES

Hairaty ZADA, Renewable Energy Sales Manager, EIFFAGE Energie Systèmes

Moderated by Marie-France REVEILLARD, Economic Journalist, Forbes Afrique

2:25 pm : Hassan Allam signs MOU with Business France

Signed by Hassan ALLAM, CEO of Hassan Allam Holding and Didier BOULOGNE, Deputy Managing Director of Business France

2:30 pm : Water sanitation and waste recycling in the circular economy era

Michael ROES, Co-founder and President, TOOPI ORGANICS

Peter Anyang NYONG’O, Governor of Kisumu, KENYA

François DOUSSIN, Managing Director, SUEZ Afrique

Jérémie PELLET, Managing Director, EXPERTISE France

Moderated by Arnaud FLEURY, Economic Journalist

3:20 pm : Food products: challenges and consumption trends

Christian RAIMBAULT, General Manager, Brand Development Director, GROUPE HOLDER

Justine TAFFARELLO, Regional Sales Manager Retail (EMEA), VALRHONA

Olawale ROTIMI OPEYEMI, Founder and CEO, JR FARMS AFRICA

Moderated by Arnaud FLEURY, Economic Journalist

4:05 pm : Transport and logistics: strategic challenges for the continent

Cédric VIRCIGLIO, Strategic and forcasting planning Director in charge of international and european affairs, HAROPA PORT

Adeline GABILLAUD, Regional Director West Africa, CMA CGM

Serge AGNERO, Regional Managing Director, AGL

Hervé CORNEDE, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board, SOGET

Habib Mohammed IYA, Head of the Kribi Port Office in Douala

Abdillahi Adaweh SIGAD, Managing Director, SGTD-Société de Gestion du Terminal à conteneurs de Doraleh, Djibouti

Moderated by Gaelle ARENSON, Editor-in-Chief, AFRICA BUSINESS (JEUNE AFRIQUE MEDIA GROUP)

4:50 pm : Smart cities: how to address urban challenges while meetings the population’s needs

Belkacem Khalifa HAFTAR, Chairman, Libya Development & Reconstruction Fund

Emmanuel EDANE, Directeur Général de la Société d’aménagement la Façade Maritime du Champ Triomphal, FMCT

Gauthier RICORD, Head of Commercial Operations Africa – Middle East – Asia, IVECO

Loïc PERRET, Head of infrastructure, PROPARCO

Christ-Anderson AHOUA-BOUA, Head of communications EDF Africa

Animé par Arnaud FLEURY, Economic journalist

5:35 pm : France Invest’s Africa Commission Round table “Private equity – A partnership tool for the internationalization of French and African SMEs”

Nicolas MANARDO, Senior Partner, AMETHIS EUROPE EXPANSION

Aziz AKL, Group CFO, CAPITAL BANKING SOLUTIONS

Clémence KOLB, Investment Director, AFRICINVEST EUROPE

Michel TUENI, Managing Director, Capital Banking Solutions, CBS

Kevin NIRSIMLOO, Development Director, ALTEREO

Animé par Luc RIGOUZZO, co-founder and Managing Partner, AMETHIS

6:20 pm : Concluding remarks with our Guest star

Cheick Sallah CISSE, Olympic and World Champion, Chairman of the Athletes’ Commission and World Taekwondo Board Member

6:30 pm : Networking cocktail

Wednesday, November 20 – Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Industry

09:15 am : Opening speech by Thani MOHAMED-SOILIHI Secretary of State for Francophonie and International Partnerships

09:30 am : African leaders: professional training, partnership and talent management

Asma ENNAIFER, Executive CSR and Communications Director, ORANGE MEA

Abdul Fahd FOFANA,Ministry of Community Development, Financial Inclusion, Youth, and Youth Employment, Togo

Trycia VAN DEN BERG, Head of Public Relations and African Communities, INVEA

Patrick SEKONGO, Director of IECD, Ivory Coast

Animé par Hichem BEN YAÏCHE, Editor in Chief, African Business French Edition

10:20 am : Fireside Chat avec Wamkele MENE, General Secretary of AfCFTA

10:30 am : Artificial Intelligence at the core of the African economy

Luc MISSIDIMBAZI, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Congo on Post, Telecommunications and Digital Technology

Akoua AWOUDJA, Expert advisor on digital transformation in the public-private sector, GIZ TOGO & WIA YOUNG LEADER 2024

Adil TOURABI, Sales Director Africa & Middle East, OVH CLOUD

Yaya SYLLA, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, SAH ANALYTICS INTERNATIONAL

Thierry KIENTEGA, CEO, OUIcoding

Ludi AKUE, CTO Digital, BPIFRANCE

Moderated by Sihame ALLALI, CEO, PGT Group

11:10 am : Cultural and creative industries in Africa, a social and economic development driver

Jean-Michel ABIMBOLA, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Arts, Benin

Saidou BERNABE, Co-Fondateur, PARRALEL 14 via IOM

Grace LOUBASSOU, Institutional relations and CSR Director, CANAL+INTERNATIONAL

Jean-Michel BONARD, Head of Music Business, TRACE

Animé par Arnaud FLEURY, Economic journalist

11:55 am :Keynote of Gisèle TSHAMALA, ANAPI’s Director of Investment Promotion

12:00 pm : Networking Lunch

1:30 pm : Extractive industries in Africa: heading towards transparency and inclusivity

Bruno Jean Richard ITOUA, Minister of Hydrocarbons, Republic of the Congo

Florent LAGER, President of Fédération des Mines Solides du Congo, Deputy Managing Director MPD Congo S.A.U.

Christophe PETIT, SVP Country Manager France, SIBANYE-STILLWATER, Afrique du Sud

Vincent DUFIEF, Vice President Public Affairs, IMERYS

Moderated by Pierre-Samuel GUEDJ, CEO, AFFECTIO MUTANDI

2:20 pm : How to improve access to funding for SME’s in Africa ?

Emmanuel MILLARD, General Secretary, GROUPE ENDRIX & Chairman International CFO alliance

Olivier Vincent, Executive Director, Export, BPIFRANCE

Papa Amadou SARR, Executive Director for Mobilisation, Partnerships and Communication, AFD

Moukaramou CHANOU ALAO, CEO, Ecobank International

Moderated by Gaelle ARENSON, Editor-in-chief, Africa Business (Jeune Afrique Media Group)

3:10 pm : Africa, the new Eldorado for beauty products

Izar HYACINTHE, CEO, CONCRETIZ

Salwa PETERSEN, Chairman and CEO, CHÉRIBÉ

Freda OBENG-AMPOFO, CEO, KAEME (Ghana)

Aude DJAMPOU, founder of STUDIOS ANAE

Joëlle ANDELY, Regional Manager West & Central Africa, ELLA AFRIQUE

Moderated by Arnaud FLEURY, Economic journalist

4:00 pm : Training, technologies & cooperation: a winning trio for African healthcare

Benjamin HOUNKPATIN, Minister of Health, Bénin

Laure LECHERTIER, Director of Market Access, Communication and Public Affairs, Corporate Social Responsibility, PhD., UPSA GLOBAL

Frédéric PONELLE, Managing Director, Servier West and Central Africa

Jean-Pierre BOFFY, President, French Healthcare

Stéphanie BONTEMPS, Marketing Director Africa, Biomérieux

Bertrand PLOUVIEZ, International Relations Director, Toutenkamion

Xavier MAURIN, Director, Telemedicine Division, Enovacom

Moderated by Arnaud FLEURY, Economic journalist

4:50 pm : Sports in Africa: an innovative growth lever

Céline GILQUIN, Head of the Social Links Division (gender, inequalities, sport and culture), AFD

Khady Diène GAYE, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Senegal

Adil SARHIRI, Area Manager Africa & Middle East, METALU PLAST

Christ-Anderson AHOUA-BOUA, Former professional footballer

DAWALA (Badiri DIAKITE), Founder of WATI SPORT CONSULTING

Moderated byArnaud FLEURY, Economic journalist

5:40 pm : Concluding remarks by Marc CAGNARD,  Director of the Sub-Saharan Africa Zone et Michel BAUZA, Director of North Africa Zone, Business France

6:00 pm : End of the event