The EU-Africa Business Forum (EABF) is central to the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES). Providing an unrivalled venue for high-level dialogue and networking on issues pertaining to both continents, it brings together African and European business leaders from a range of organisations to discuss how to improve the business and investment climate between Africa and the EU. Among these are multinational companies, large corporations, small and medium-scale enterprises and confederations, as well multilateral and regional institutions.
The 6th edition of the EU-Africa Business Forum involved a series of high-level thematic business-related events across Africa and Europe, and culminated on 27 November 2017 prior to the 5th AU-EU Summit in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on 29-30 November. This edition drew over a thousand representatives from African and European business together with political leaders to discuss how to stimulate the investment needed to create quality jobs in Africa. Important issues were underlined, including the need to establish frameworks for closer cooperation between the two continent's business communities, in support of economic development and with a view to making the UN sustainable development goals a reality.
The 6th EABF resulted in the Joint Business Declaration which focuses on the sectors of agribusiness, sustainable energy and the digital economy. Among the points for discussion were: the improvement of value chains; support for viable and sustainable industrialisation; connection to micro-, small- and medium-size enterprises (MSMEs) and; how the European External Investment Plan (EIP) can support business investment objectives.