The Polish-African Economic Forum at Expo 2020 Dubai

• The programme of the Polish-African Economic Forum features five panel discussions: “Food Value Chain Evolution”, “Transport and Infrastructure”, “Green Africa: an Inclusive and Sustainable Future”, “The Future of Health” and “Financial Support Instruments”;
• The Polish-African Economic Forum will take place within the framework of the comprehensive economic programme prepared for entrepreneurs as part of Poland’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai. Other business-oriented initiatives include, among others: Partnership Programme, Go To Brand Programme, business seminars and webinars;
• The Polish-African Economic Forum can be attended on-site and online. A real-time transcription in Polish and French will be provided during the event. We encourage you to register for this event;
• The organiser of the Polish-African Economic Forum is the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (Polska Agencja Inwestycji i Handlu) and the event’s partners are PKN Orlen and Polish Development Bank BGK.

The Polish-African Economic Forum is another important business initiative taking place at Expo 2020 Dubai. It will provide an opportunity to establish contacts with trade partners from African and Middle Eastern countries. The event will feature panel discussions on the food and beverage industry, transportation and infrastructure, green technology, and the future of healthcare and new technologies used in medicine.

“Since the beginning of the World Expo in Dubai, so for almost half a year, we have been actively promoting Poland, its business, scientific and cultural potential. The Polish-African Economic Forum, similarly to a number of previous events of an economic nature, intensifies our cooperation not only with trading partners from the Middle East but also from African countries. I am convinced that it will also become an impulse to strengthen our presence on the markets of African countries and in the region of the Persian Gulf and will result in tangible benefits for Polish entrepreneurs from various industries,” said the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Development and Technology, Grzegorz Piechowiak.

“The Polish-African Economic Forum organised during Expo 2020 Dubai is in line with our goal to promote domestic entrepreneurs who want to expand into foreign markets. We are pleased that Polish companies have established and are continuing to establish important contacts with contractors in the Middle East during the World Exhibition. We support them in these activities and, at the same time, we would like to take advantage of the fact that Dubai is also a global trade centre and a hub connecting other countries with Africa. Diversification of export destinations is particularly important, especially in the light of recent events in Ukraine. I am convinced that the Polish-African Economic Forum will create new opportunities for our entrepreneurs to expand their businesses. It will also present that Poland is the right place to invest, and as a consequence of being a Member State in the European Union, it is also a natural link with other countries that belong to this community,” said Krzysztof Drynda, President of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency.

The Polish-African Economic Forum Programme

The Polish-African Economic Forum will begin on 28 March 2022. The programme features thematic panel discussions with experts and business people. A business mixer will also be held to facilitate establishing direct contacts between Polish entrepreneurs and companies from countries in the Middle East and Africa. Entrepreneurs from 28 countries, including 21 African countries, registered for the forum.

Africa’s food value chain evolution in the coming decade

This panel discussion will focus on food safety, the way it is provided in African countries and the challenges facing the industry. Poland will present itself as one of the main producers and exporters of food products in the European Union, exporting products to over 192 countries with a total annual value of more than EUR 32 billion. The panel will provide an opportunity to highlight these successes and draw attention to the increasingly popular biotechnological innovations used by Polish companies.

Transport and Infrastructure

The discussion on transport and infrastructure in Africa will raise the matter of the continent’s ongoing increase in levels of urbanisation and current investments. Debate participants will focus to a large extent on projects planned in Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. The discussion will also concern the Polish export offer and the business potential of individual transport sectors. The panellists will discuss the impact of green solutions based on green energy and electric drives on infrastructure within a broader context related to global and regional trends in transportation. They will also answer questions regarding that issue.

Green Africa: an Inclusive and Sustainable Future

The main focus of the next discussion will be on the issues concerning renewable energy and the challenges that need to be addressed to ensure more effective environmental protection. Also, the following topics will be considered: water technologies, electromobility, wind energy, solar energy, and sustainable waste management. Poland and domestic entrepreneurs will learn about the demand for such solutions in African countries and the potential for bilateral cooperation.

The Future of Health

This panel will cover topics related to new technologies revolutionizing the medical equipment and care industry. The discussion participants will highlight various demands for medical equipment in African markets. Polish entrepreneurs will be able to promote their solutions used in healthcare ranging from rehabilitation equipment, through diagnostic devices, to medical tools. The panel discussion will also be an opportunity to remind that the Polish medical sector enjoys a great reputation on foreign markets, mainly in the EU countries and in the USA, Japan, Australia, Mexico and South Africa.

Financial Support Instruments

Representatives of BGK and KUKE will discuss the importance of financial support instruments when starting business cooperation in African markets. The aim of the panel will be to raise awareness among Polish and African entrepreneurs about the availability of financial tools that are key to business development. The panel discussion will feature examples of Polish companies from various industries that are already achieving great success in Morocco, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.

The economic webinars organised by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency were an excellent opportunity for Polish companies to learn about the specifics of operating on African markets. At these events, entrepreneurs could learn how to export and promote their product or service in new markets: Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya. They also learned about distribution channels and logistical considerations, and gained essential knowledge on building lasting business relationships. The Polish-African Economic Forum will be an opportunity to acquire further valuable information and establish contacts helpful in developing business activity on dynamically growing markets.

Africa is currently one of the world’s most promising markets. The continent ranks second in terms of area and population, and has a rapidly increasing birth rate thus with each year African countries are becoming more and more important. The continent is currently home to more than 1.2 billion people. According to the United Nations, that number will grow to 2.5 billion by 2050.

More information about the Polish-African Economic Forum along with the event agenda is available HERE.

Partners of the Forum and Strategic Partners of the Poland Pavilion are: PKN ORLEN and Polish Development Bank BGK.