The African Development Bank (AfDB) on April 28 hosted the first of its two business opportunity seminars for the year.
The seminar provided information to potential partners and contractors on the bank’s strategic priorities and procurement procedures.
The bank also uses the seminar to strengthen ties to the private sector in its member countries.
The virtually-hosted seminar offered a one-stop shop for individual and consulting firms, civil contractors, manufacturers, suppliers and diplomatic commercial attachés from the bank’s regional and non-regional members that are seeking to provide goods and services to the bank or otherwise partner with it.
Some of the participants included Japan-based NEC Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation, India-based Export Import Bank of India, Turkey-based Demes Kablo and Türksat, Korea-based Overseas Infrastructure and Urban Development Corporation, South Africa-based water treatment firm Ion Exchange Safic and France-based consultancy WSP.
During the seminar, the AfDB laid out six key sectors that offer opportunities for partners and suppliers, including agricultural finance and rural development, renewable energy and energy efficiency, human capital, youth and skills development, infrastructure, cities and urban development, financial sector development, and industrial and trade development.
Participants also posed questions to the bank that reflected concerns about how the Covid-19 pandemic might influence the bank’s strategic direction, tender processes and procurement pipeline.
AfDB has since 2017 hosted two business opportunity seminars each year, which, on average draw around 1 300 participants from 55 member countries.