The fifth edition of the Choiseul Africa Business Forum came to a close on Friday, November 1, in Marrakech, Morroco with a call for better allocation of natural resources for greater energy sovereignty, having identified that Africa’s solar resource endowment puts the continent on the path to energy autonomy.
During one of the panels, discussants, including Franck Kié (Ciberobs Consulting), Loïc Jaegert-Huber (Engie), Aida Diouf (Camusat), and Assia Benhida, said that Africa has 60% of the world’s best solar resources. Apart from helping the continent to achieving energy autonomy, the discussant say this could help minimize the continent’s carbon footprint.
The panel looked at ways of harnessing this potential through innovative infrastructure and strategic investment.
Another session focused on meeting global food security needs with local solutions, also noted that,
Africa accounts for 60% of the world’s unused arable land, an essential resource for meeting growing food needs. They, however, pointed out that this could only happened if governments and key players explore the options of developing local value chains and adopt agricultural innovations to transform this potential into sustainable solutions.
The meeting also shared knowledge on how healthcare infrastructures, supported by favorable policies and technological innovations, can become a major lever for Africa’s economic growth. Presentations by
Amer Benouda (ABA Technology) and Gaston de Souza (La Générale Des Assurances Du Bénin) offered insights into effective models of collaboration between the public and private sectors.
Meanwhile, the confab has said rapid urbanization will make Africa home to a quarter of the world’s population by 2050, making it crucial to plan sustainable, inclusive cities.
The session that focused on this explored how urbanization can become an engine of economic growth, by developing appropriate urban infrastructures and models of regional cooperation.
Nicolas Kozubek (MIPIM), Salimo Abdula (Intelec Holdings), and Christian Yoka (Agence Française de Développement ) shared practical solutions and innovative initiatives.
The fifth edition of the Choiseul Africa Business Forum underlined the importance of strengthened collaboration between the public and private sectors to build a sustainable future for Africa.
The event, which marked the tenth anniversary of Choiseul Africa, offered concrete recommendations on food sovereignty, energy transition, urban modernization, and human capital development.
