We welcome our four newly appointed National Advisors to the UNIDO ITPO Germany Team: Yassir Ahmed, National Advisor for Sudan, Thierry Viengele-Ndongala, National Advisor for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Daouda Sangare, National Advisor for Côte d’Ivoire, and Adekunle Olusile, National Advisor for Nigeria. With these national experts, we have the chance to intensify targeted business matchmaking, investment opportunities, technology transfer and industrial cooperation between Germany and the four countries.
A first onboarding meeting with the whole team took place from 6-15 September in Frankfurt and Bonn. During the first week, the advisors joined the Delegate Programme 2021 and met with German companies, visited financing and development institutions, and attended a conference and expert workshops. The following days were used for targeted company and factory visits that included the packaging, renewable energy, mining and mobility sector.
As a follow-up to the company visits in Germany, in Cote d’Ivoire, Daouda Sangare identified and linked local partner companiesto an innovative biogas company, an industrial weighing and dosing equipment manufacturer and a truck trailer manufacturer. He also supported the establishment of a plant for personal protective equipment to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Mr. Sangare identified new investors, among them a producer a medical equipment. In close cooperation with the UNIDO Field Office in Abidjan, the advisor met the Minister of SMEs, Arts and Crafts and Informal Sector Transformation as well as German institutions in Cote d´Ivoire. A meeting with the Managing Director of the national investment promotion agency (CEPICI) is planned to strengthen the cooperation with this important institutional partner.
In Sudan, Yassir Ahmed continued to strenghten the relationship with different national institutions in cooperation with the UNIDO Field Office in Khartoum. He co-reviewed, together with the UNIDO Country Representative and representatives of Federal Ministry of Industry, the first draft for a Sudan SME Agency, followed by participating in a workshop on Financing SMEs that was attended by the Ministries of Finance, Foreign Affairs, Industry, Investment, Youth and Agriculture. Together with Michael Schmidt, Deputy Head of ITPO Germany who visited Sudan in October, he met the Minister of Industry, the German Embassy and with representatives from the Sudanese Businessmen & Employers Federation (SBEF). Yassir Ahmed conducted a first visit and reported on two potential partners for a German company to form a joint-venture for construction of silos and post-harvest technologies. He attended the SUDAN AgroFood + Packaging + Water Systems Fair to liase with German companies in the sector and establish a link and foster mutually beneficial industrial cooperation in Sudan. Additionally, Mr. Ahmed is following up his visit in Germany through a meeting with the local KfW advisor to identify synergies with theS ME Challenge Fund to be set-up in Sudan.
In Nigeria, Adekunle Olusile arranged a number of follow-up meetings after his mission to Germany, inlcuding B2B meetings, such as between a German and Nigerian heavy-duty trucks provider to discuss a potential partnership. Mr. Olusile discussed opportunities for cooperation with agribusiness group of Lagos Chamber of commerce and Industries on technology and equipment available from German providers and to introduce investment opportunities from Germany. Additional projects currently being pursued include a dairy project with potential involvement of a German company in Enugu State of Nigeria and a project in the area of sustainable palm oil production. Additionally, Mr. Olusile is exploring opportunities for partnership with German companies in Special Economic Zones (SEZ), particularly by engaging with LADOL SSEZ located in Apapa, Lagos Nigeria.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thierry Viengele-Ndongala met with Delegates from the European Union Commission together with the UNIDO Country Representative to discuss the outlook and priorities in the country and is actively engaging with relevant Ministries in the country. He attended a number of meetings with national institutions, including a meeting on the Congolese Start-up Hub and the Congolese Federation of Enterprise to facilitate the understanding of a clear landscape of cooperation opportunities with the Congolese private sector. Mr. Viengele-Ndongala plans an exchange with the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) regarding their project focusing on Economic Development and responsible supply chains in the mining sector. Additionally, he will cooperate closely with the National Investment Promotion Agency (ANAPI) and will virtually attend the Invest in DR Congo Forum in the framework of Expo Dubai to build his network of potential partner companies and investors and strengthen cooperation with the national agency to effectively promote investments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
