2023-06-30 12:25:13
When Benin sets out to conquer French companies! For ten days, from June 19 to 27, 2023, the heads of several business promotion structures, under the leadership of APIEx, made an unprecedented tour of France to convince French industrialists to invest in Benign.
The Benin Roadshow France 2023 had a clear message for French bosses: “Dare Benin !”. At the maneuver, Investment and Export Promotion Agency (APIEx), the Company for Investment and Promotion of Industry (SIPI) which operates the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Benin (CCIB).
“Benin as a preferred investment destination”
Through series of meetings in 6 French cities (Marseille, Lyon, Paris, Rennes, Nantes and Louviers), the Beninese delegation praised the investment opportunities offered by Benin in its Industrial Zone. French manufacturers have thus had the opportunity to explore areas such as agriculture, agri-food, tourism, pharmaceuticals and digital technology. These promising sectors offer an environment conducive to the establishment of businesses, with tax incentives, modern infrastructure and a qualified workforce.
At the Paris stage of the roadshow, which was attended by more than 200 people, the managing director of APIEx, declared to business leaders:
“Paris, known for its international influence and its dynamic ecosystem, is a center of excellence in innovation, digital technology and services. We want to encourage Parisian companies to consider Benin as a preferred investment destination. We are building a major industrial city, a symbol of unprecedented economic development. If you decide to settle in Benin, you will be enveloped in a sphere of unconditional support, and I will be present by your side in this sphere”.
Support from the French authorities
After traveling through 6 cities and discussing with several hundred French business leaders, the Beninese delegation concluded its charm operation with a meeting with the Minister Delegate to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs in charge of Foreign Trade, attractiveness and French people living abroad. Olivier Becht “is committed to supporting Benin’s economic dynamics as a fervent spokesperson for the GDIZ with French investors”reports the APIEx.
Court assiduous to French companies
The roadshow on French soil confirms, if need be, Benin’s particular interest in French private investment. Other previous occasions had set the tone. On August 30, 2022, invited to the Meeting of French Entrepreneurs, the President Patrice Talon had praised the attractiveness of Benin in front of the floor of French bosses. “I have a special, somewhat emotional attachment to France, I expect companies, entrepreneurs to come and see what is happening with their eyes and take the risk of coming to do something, however small, to start”, said Patrice Talon. A month earlier, the Head of State declared to Emmanuel Macron that he received at the Palais de la Marina what “French private investment is still very low”, in his country. “France will continue to engage alongside Benin in its efforts to reform and promote its attractiveness”, replied the French president.
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