BlueInvest Africa will take place in Seychelles on the island of Mahé on Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 September. This is a business event, both physical and online, organised by the European Union in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Seychelles.
BlueInvest Africa will bring together for the first time entrepreneurs and investors around projects that can boost the African blue economy. Blue economy means all economic activities taking place in a marine or inland water environment, whether traditional, such as fisheries, tourism and transport, or innovative, such as biotechnology, aquaculture and renewable energy.
To mark the importance of the event, the opening ceremony will include statements by Wavel Ramkalawan, President of the Republic of Seychelles, and Charlina Vitcheva, Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries at the European Commission.
Bringing together entrepreneurs and investors
The theme of the event will be the presentation of 23 “blue” projects to a panel of investors and stakeholders present in Mahé and online. These presentations will take place during six thematic sessions spread over the two days. The ambition is to enable promoters of African ideas to find partners on this occasion to co-finance and develop their projects in practice.
Entrepreneurs come from all over Africa, mostly sub-Saharan, and have been appointed by a selection committee. They affect many types of activities. Among other things: recovery of fishery and aquaculture products, production of renewable energy, collection and recycling of plastic waste, etc.
These entrepreneurs received coaching for an effective and attractive presentation of their projects. The best of them will be rewarded by a prize, awarded during the closing ceremony of the event.
An African perspective on the sustainable blue economy
Between these presentation sessions, several meetings will allow participants to learn and exchange views on developments in the blue economy in Africa:
- Three TED speakers will come to talk about their experiences: the Capitaine Londy Ngcobo, founder of Global Maritime Youth (South Africa), Desiree Brouwer, founder of Nonzēro Africa (South Africa) and Diana Orembe, CEO of Novfeed (Tanzania).
- A field visit will make it possible to discover the new aquaculture centre, funded by the European Union, which acclimatizes wild broodstock for fish farms in Seychelles.
- A roundtable will showcase the scope and diversity of innovative financing mechanisms that entrepreneurs can benefit from in seeking investment.
- Breaks and snacks will take place as part of an exhibition of promising blue economy projects carried out by African micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
Source: European Commission I Oceans and fisheries (https://bit.ly/3RRtNt0)