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 bazars 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.
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 2022 also houses six of the world’s fastest-growing economies
India is also the third largest StartUp Hub in the world with 14,000 recognized startups in 2021 (an increase from only 733 in 2016-17) as per the last Economic Survey Report. This indicates a high level of entrepreneurial energy and spirit that India shares with Africa.
Africa, on the other hand, is now home to about 760 Startups that received a combined investment of US$4.9 billion( Source – Briter Bridges) - a 250% increase from 2020 total funding of $1.3 billion. Indian Startups in comparison received US$42 billion in investment over the same period.
India and Africa are well poised to partner each other in their co-creating, entrepreneurial 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), aspires to become the go-to platform that connects entrepreneurs and investors actively involved in the entrepreneurial space in both India and Africa. These dynamic ecosystems and subsystems have much in common, and much to gain from interacting.
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.
Its flagship event, the India Africa Entrepreneurship and Investment Summit, provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial businesses to meet, dialogue, network and forge valuable partnerships.
The Second India Africa Entrepreneurship and Investment Summit to be held on the 1st and 2nd July 2022, features a diverse and nimble suite of programming that is accessible to entrepreneurs and includes events, delegations, Training, collaborative business incubation, and bilateral fund. Facilities for web conferencing and video links will be made available for easy access and mediated interaction between participants wherever and when required.
The Summit is inviting pre-eminent Entrepreneurs and Investors to discuss the opportunities and challenges of investing in Africa with a view to Educate/Inform and connect with Potential Indian investors and Entrepreneurs who may either be interested in Investing or creating joint-ventures and/or market access arrangements. Similarly, Global Investors in African Entrepreneurial ecosystem, also keen to invest in India or promote the entry of their existing African portfolios. While the experience of Naspers ( US$6B investment so far) a South African investor in the India is widely known, several other groups are contemplating benefiting from the Indian growth story.
IAEF is legally incorporated in Mauritius as a Non-Proft Corporation.
African and Indian ventures will be called upon to discuss cross border opportunities related to the following sectors
Convener - Baljinder Sharma: baljinder@frontlinestrategy.com
India - Pradeep Gupta: pradeepg@cybermedia.co.in
Africa - Vu Qabaka: vq@hybrgroup.net
The Event Attendance is FREE but by INVITATION only
Delegates pay for their Air Fare and Hotel Accommodation
Sankara Nairobi, Autograph Collection - Book your corporate rate for IAEF Summit 01& 02 July 2022
Safari Park Hotel & Casino - https://book.nightsbridge.com/14655?special=IAEF%20SUMMIT
Login In Details: Username: iaef and password: iaef
The Heron Portico - http://www.sarovarhotels.com/the-heron-portico-nairobi/ reservations@heronhotel.com
Sarova PanAfric, Hotel - reservations.travelclick.com/
Time | Topic |
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08:00 - 09:00 | Registration |
09:00 -12:30 |
9:00 - 9.10: Welcome Address & Conference Overview by Mr Yaduvendra Mathur Chairman, India Africa Entrepreneurship Forum, Former Chairman Export Import Bank of India and Former Director African Development Bank 9.10 - 9.20: Address by Mr. Issa Soormally Vice Chairman Economic Development Board on “Mauritius as a Hub for Doing Business” 9:20 - 9:35: Keynote Address by the Honorable Jerome Ochieng CBS Principal Secretary – State Department of ICT and Innovation 9:35 – 9:45: Presentation on the opportunities offered by the Mauritius jurisdiction by Mrs Jaya Doomun-Dookun Economic Development Board, Mauritius 9:45 - 9:50: Video Clip on the Mauritius International Financial Centre 9:50 – 10:35: Panel Discussion on” The Mauritius International Financial Centre” 10:35 – 10:50: Tea Break 10:50 – 11:40: Panel discussion on “FinTech as Engine of Economic Growth - A New Development Paradigm” Panelists: Mr. Akshay Grover (CEO, Cellulant), Mr. Vikram Lodha (Co-Founder, 360tf), Zak Nason-Giwa (Founder, Good Loans), Rajiv Babooram (Economic Development Board) 11:40 – 12:30: Panel discussion on “Investing in Under-Invested Opportunities for Outsized Returns” Panelists – Ms Hema Vallabh (General Partners, Five35 Ventures), Ms Aysha Tegally (Founder and Angel Investor, FFI Angels), Vishal Agarwal (Chairman, Full Circle), Stephen Gugu (Vice President East Africa - ABAN) |
12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch Break |
13:30 – 14:30 |
Prominent Cross Border Investments – Opportunities & Challenges
Session moderated by Mr Sandeep Khapre (CEO, BDO East Africa), Andrew Mugambi (Partner, Dentons Hamilton Harrison & Mathews, Kenya), Wycliffe Mukangai Ingoi (Director, UPL), Moezz Mir (CEO, SBM Bank Kenya), Aman Bhasin (CFO, Astral Aviation) |
14:30 – 15:30 |
Africa First - Success Stories of Prominent Indian Entrepreneurs Session moderated by Rishabh Lawania (Founder, Badili)Led by Mr Ramesh Awtaney (Founder ISON group) with Kamal Budhabhatti (Founder & CEO, Little App & Craft Silicon), Atul Chaturvedi (Succeed in Africa), Rahul Jain, Co-Founder Peach Payments, Deepankar Rustagi Co-founder Omnibiz Africa. |
15:30 – 16:00 |
Tea Break |
16:00 – 16:45 |
Fund Raising in Turbulent Times Arun Mathur (Director and former CEO I&M Bank), Rajat Tandon (President, Indian Venture & Alternate Capital Association) Anirudh Damani (CEO, Arth Venture Fund), Sam Badoo (Founder, Fleri), Kartik Sharma, Head of Investments, Launch Africa VC. |
16:45 -17:30 |
Igniting the India Africa Startup Ecosystem Moderated by Rahul Sharma (CEO, Apco Global India) Panelists: Padmaja Ruparel (CEO, Indian Angel Network), Darshan Chandaria (Founder, Chandaria Capital), Marie Nielsen (Partner – Antler East Africa) |
18:00 |
Cocktails & Dinner |
Time | Topic | ||
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08:00 - 09:00 | Registration | ||
09:00 – 11:00 |
9:00-9:05 Welcome Address by Mr Baljinder Sharma Convenor, India Africa Entrepreneurship Forum. 9: 10- 9:20 Keynote Speech by Mr Vimal Shah Founder Chairman, BIDCO 9:20 - 10:05: Corporate Venture Capital – Investment for Market Access & Expansion Panellists: Ajay Ramasubramaniam (CEO, Hindsight Ventures), Mehul Bhatt (Managing Director, Velogic Kenya), Chirag Savla (Country Manager, Godrej Kenya), Craig McLeod (CEO, Box Commerce) 10:05 - 11:00: Smart Infrastructure for Smart Societies Session Moderated by Mr Paritosh Gupta (CEO, Kukuza Project Development Company) Panellists: Maj. General Pavan Anand (KPDC), Mr Sanjay Salil (MD & CEO, Media Guru), Mr Subhashish Mazumdar (Director, Digital Media, Edtech,OTT) & Mr Aditya Rao (Partner & Owner, PLR Chambers) |
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11:00 – 13:00 (Working Lunch Provided) |
Demo Day/ Pitch Session: Sponsored by Velogic, Organised by Hindsight Ventures |
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13:00 - 13:30 |
Invest with TIE Angels: Interactive Panel Discussion Panellists: Vishal Agarwal (President, TIE Africa), Sandeep Khapre (Vice President TiE Africa), Akshay Grover (Chair TiE Africa Angels) |
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13:30 – 15:00 |
E2E Discussions (Moderated Networking) Group 1 Indian Companies Looking to Fund Africa Expansion Moderator – Mohamed Karar, Venture Partner, Launch Africa Ventures Group 2 African Companies Looking at Indian Markets Moderator – Ms Jagruti Bista, CEO StartUp Reseau |
15:00 | Conference Ends |