On October 17 and 18, 2023, Apexagri once again sponsored the Ambition Africa event at Bercy. In just a few years, this event organized by Business France has become the benchmark for gatherings between African and French entrepreneurs.
Apexagri’s speech at the round table on agriculture
On the first day of Ambition Africa, Marc Debets, President of Apexagri, took part in the round table devoted to agri-food issues in Africa. The theme of the round table was “From raw materials to processing”.
Marie-France Réveillard, journalist with La Tribune Afrique and moderator of the debates, was joined by :
- Tadesse ADEMASU, Chief Executive Officer, Redstars Holdings Co
- Lipuo NKHOLI, CEO & Agricultor, Limonanane Trust
- Philippe METCH, CEO, PEMMS
- Marc DEBETS, Chairman, Apexagri & By.O Group
Discussions focused in particular on the major challenges facing agricultural development in African countries. Tadesse ADEMASU, President of Redstarts Holdings Co, an Ethiopian company that Apexagri supported in the development of a farm in Ethiopia, was able to share his experience, which is key to understanding the difficulties faced by agricultural entrepreneurs in the region.
Marc Debets, President of Apexagri, at Ambition Africa on October 17, 2023
Main conclusions of the Ambition Africa agriculture roundtable
Numerous topics were discussed around the issue of agricultural development, project holders and investments. Here are the 3 key points to take away from this discussion:
- African countries need to structure local agricultural sectors to feed their populations and reduce dependence on imports.
- There is no shortage of potential investors, but rather of structured projects offering sufficient long-term guarantees.
- To this end, public-private partnerships appear to be one of the solutions, combining state initiative and management on the one hand, and the expertise and investment capacity of private players on the other.
A travers nos différents projets menés dans plus de 10 pays d’Afrique, l’équipe Apexagri est fière de soutenir le développement agricole et de favoriser la souveraineté alimentaire du continent !