Africa Business Forum brings over 350 entrepreneurs, policymakers, specialists to Tallinn

TALLINN - The International Africa Business Forum, an event aimed to strengthen cooperation between Estonian and African companies and organizations and create new business opportunities, is taking place in Tallinn for the third time on Tuesday.

"The Africa Business Forum brings more than 350 entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and specialists from more than 35 countries to Tallinn and is the largest such conference in the Baltics," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said, describing the forum as a good opportunity to establish direct contacts and get practical advice on business and export opportunities in specific countries. This year's program focuses on e-governance, digitalization, and green energy solutions.

"The Africa Business Forum is the backbone of our business diplomacy towards Africa. As the next concrete steps, we will join entrepreneurs in a number of key African business events. In November, we will participate in the Africa Tech Festival in South Africa, as well as help organize a Latitude59 event in Kenya and participate in the UN Green Technology Conference there," the minister said.

In addition to the foreign minister of Estonia, Amal El Fallah Seghrouclmi, Morocco's minister for digital transition and administrative reform, South African Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber, and Belio Kipsang, Kenya's principal secretary of the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, also participated in the first panel of the day and the discussion was moderated by Mariin Ratnik, deputy secretary general for economic and development affairs of the Estonian Foreign Ministry. The MC of the forum is Joel Karubiu, Estonian Business and Innovation Agency's export adviser in Kenya.

Executives from Estonian companies such as Digital Nation, Helmes, Nortal, Cybernetica, and Gridraven also participate in the discussions.

"As in the rest of the world, electricity grids in Africa are overloaded. Our solution can increase the capacity of grids and thus contribute to the development of the African economy," Georg Rute, CEO of Gridraven, a company that specializes in optimizing grid capacity, said.

The goal, he said, is to cover the entire continent.

"We offer a service to electricity grid operators, and there are only a few in each country. We are currently negotiating a contract with an African national electricity company to start providing our service," Rute said.

Companies enter the market in cooperation with a local company that helps to navigate cultural differences.

"The problems with the electricity grid are very similar all over the world. The main differences come from the local culture and administration. In Africa, I have been surprised by the willingness and speed to tackle these challenges," the Gridraven CEO said.

The Africa Business Forum, organized by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also includes an embassy area where representatives of Ethiopia, Ghana, Morocco, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia will introduce local business opportunities. The Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV) is also represented alongside the embassies.

The event is financed from the resources of the European Union Recovery Instrument NextGenEU.