4th India - Africa Entrepreneurship & Investment Summit
Ministry of Financial Services and Good Governance, Mauritius
India Africa trade and commerce goes back to a thousand years when Indian merchants using strong and predictable monsoon winds, regularly sailed to the east coast of Africa in search of mangrove poles, elephant tusks, and gold and precious stones to sell them in the bazaars of Calicut and Surat.
During colonial times, indentured labour was brought in from India to work on the railways as well as on sugar and other plantations in Kenya, Mauritius, Madagascar and Southern Africa.
In time, Indian diaspora, with deep family roots, became a key driver of export of African commodities such as tea, coffee and cotton and the import of manufactured goods and grains such as rice, pulses and textiles.
Why India Africa Entrepreneurship Forum?
There is a growing realization that despite deep historical, commercial, and cultural ties, the entrepreneurial ecosystems between India and Africa remain to be connected in a meaningful way. Doing so presents a tremendous opportunity to harness the creative capacity of entrepreneurs in both regions to work together to solve common and pressing problems and accelerate trade and investment in the process. This is the mission of the India-Africa Entrepreneurship Forum (IAEF). Africa's fifty-four states produced a combined GDP in excess of US$3.2 trillion - almost the same as India. The economic growth of the continent that is estimated to be 3.2 percent in 2023 also houses six of the world's fastest-growing economies.
With 57,000 startups valued at $450B, India is the Third largest entrepreneurial ecosystem in the world. Over 650 African startups on the other hand, received total funding of $5.2B in 2022 (a 1700 precent increase since 2015) raising the combined valuation of about 900 startups to roughly $50B.
This gap presents an unprecedented opportunity for Indian and African entrepreneurs to partner with each other in their co-creating, co-founding activities, providing bilateral knowledge, funding and market opportunity to its early stage enterprises, thereby strengthening existing efforts in increasing trade and development between the two economies.
Collaboration between startups and large but entrepreneurial businesses, on the other hand can increase the reach and impact of innovation, according to Accenture Africa research, which increasingly correlates with higher economic performance at enterprise and economy-wide levels. By leveraging the power of ecosystems and open innovation, African economies can accelerate progress, unlocking Africa's abundance for all.
It is in this context, India Africa Entrepreneurship Forum (IAEF), has evolved to become the go-to platform that connects entrepreneurs and investors actively involved in the India Africa corridor. These dynamic ecosystems and subsystems have much in common, and much to gain from interacting.
IAEF has 3 objectives
Build bridges between Indian and African entrepreneurs.
Organize meetings and Focus Groups to encourage entrepreneurs in both continents to explore opportunities of mutual interest.
Help forge joint ventures and business partnerships for both capital and market access.
Workshops
Cross border FinTech
AgriTech and Agri Export
EdTech And Remote Teaching
HealthTech – Telehealth
International E-Commerce
Important Contacts
Convener - Baljinder Sharma: [email protected]
India - Pradeep Gupta: [email protected]
Africa - Vu Qabaka: [email protected]
4th India Africa Entrepreneurship & Investment Summit*
18th July 2024 - Royal Green, Reduit Triangle
19th July 2024 - Intercontinental Resorts, Balaclava, Mauritius
Day 1 : Pre Event Program : Thursday 18th July 2024
The Current State of Early-Stage Funding in Africa & Mauritius
Anna Akeledo - CEO AfriLabs, Sushil Sharma, Founder Marwari Catalysts, Vu Qabaka - HYBR Group, Tomi Davies President ABAN
Moderator - TBC
Internationalising the Mauritian StartUp Ecosystem.
Michel Cordani, Mo Angels, Michael Mutie - Launch Africa Ventures, Victoria Maingard - Hatcher+, Srishti Dixit ONS FinServ
Moderator - TBC
Project Presentations/Pitches
Thaheer Mullins, SAVANT Capital, Rajiv Indimath - FREED, Kartik Sharma - Launch Africa Ventures
Moderator TBC
Open House Networking
Registration & Networking
India's Place in the World Today
Keynote Address by Hon Soomilduth Bholah, Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance
Presentation by Mr Shailendra Kumar, Co Founder & CIO Narnolia Group
Investing in India - Opportunites & Challenges
Anurag Gupta Founder STEMROBO, Alok Sharma Chairman Drone Destination, Arijit Dutt SIDBI, Srishti Dixit Founder ONS finServ
Moderated by Gopa Kumar
Fireside Chat: Anil Padmanabhan Speaks to a Panel of Entrepreneurs
Networking Cocktails Royal Green Resort, Reduit Triangle
Day 2 : Event Program : Friday 19th July 2024
Registration of Delegates
Welcome of Delegates by Mr Sushil Jiwarajka, Chairman Artheon Group
Presentation by Mr Prem Anand - Assoc Director, ZOHO Corporation
Keynote Speech by Mr Admassu Tadesse - President & Managing Director, Trade and Development Bank
Special Keynote Address by Mr Suresh Prabhu
Address by Mr Ken Poonoosamy - CEO Economic Development Board
Tea Break and Networking
Panel Discussion: Funding Enterprise & Innovation Across the India Africa Corridor : Role of Mauritius
Mahen Govinda- Chairman MITCO, Anirudh Damani - Arth Group, Jitendra Bisessur CEO Mauritius Investment Corporation
Moderator: Tomi Davies
The ESG Imperative- Learnings from India for the Global South
Mr Mukund Rajan, Chairman ECUbe
Investing for Impact: Technology as Enabler of Rapid Change
Sreenivasan R Co-founder CL Educate, Padmaja Ruparel, Partner - IAN Fund, Dr Manish Dewan - Mission Director BIRAC
Moderator: Vishal Sehgal CEO Nischay EduCorp
Networking Lunch
Panel Discussion: Expanding Across Borders - Leveraging International Networks
Rahul Jain, CEO Peach Payments, Manoj Kumar, Chairman EDCIL, Anna Ekledo CEO AfriLabs, Satya Narayan R - Chairman CL Educate
Moderator TBC
Emerging Markets: The Inside View - Ms Anita George, Co Founder Prosperete & Independent Director TATA Sons
B2B Meetings/M&A Conversations
Moderated by Folabi Esan
Tea Break
Evening Address
Fireside Chat - TBC
Closing Remarks & Vote of Thanks
Cocktails & Dinner
Keynote Speakers
Speakers
Sponsors
Partners
