Fran González, delegate of the Cádiz Free Trade Zone; Javier Sánchez Rojas, president of the Chambers of Andalusia; and José Álvarez Calderón, territorial director of Commerce at ICEX, have opened the conference “How to face the markets of West Africa”
At the event, which is part of the “Andalusia door to Africa” cycle organized by Consorcio y Cámaras de Andalucía with the collaboration of ICEX, participants analyzed the markets of Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Equatorial Guinea, which offer great opportunities to companies.
Almost 100 people have registered for the event, which has aroused the interest of companies from different sectors and representatives of the Andalusian chambers and institutions, among others.
Almost one hundred people have been able to learn about the potential of African trade in a virtual trade mission that under the title “How to deal with the markets of West Africa” was held today and whose opening was carried out by those responsible for the organizing entities. Fran González, delegate of the Cádiz Free Trade Zone; Javier Sánchez Rojas, president of the Chambers of Andalusia; and José Álvarez Calderón, territorial director of Commerce at ICEX; have given rise to an interesting day that has revealed the unbeatable situation of Andalusia and the province of Cádiz to access these foreign markets.
Javier Sánchez Rojas welcomed the participants to this meeting, in which he highlighted the high level of the participants, and thanked Zona Franca and ICEX for their support and work in organizing the event, agreeing in his words with the ICEX representative, José Álvarez, who also insisted on the high level of the speakers.
Fran González, for his part, thanked the great participation and reception of the event and encouraged companies to explore foreign markets and get to know the two tax centers that he manages in Cádiz capital and the Bay of Algeciras and in which the customs and tax advantages represent great cost savings for companies linked to foreign trade.
The meeting brought together, through the network, almost 100 people, mostly belonging to companies from all over Andalusia, from diverse sectors such as the agri-food industry, agricultural supplies and facilities, construction, industry in general, tourism, water, energy, information technologies, logistics and transport or consulting, as well as those responsible for foreign trade from various Andalusian chambers of commerce and different institutions.
This virtual trade mission aims to promote the exit and access of Andalusian companies to foreign markets, in a firm commitment to internationalization as an ally in the recovery, with Andalusia being the second exporting community to the African continent.
After the welcome from those responsible for the organizing entities, Alberto Virella Gomes, ambassador in Special Mission for the Africa Plan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Myriam Pérez Nogueira, Deputy Director General of Mediterranean Countries, Africa and the Middle East of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, have shared their experience in these countries and the possibilities that these markets offer to Spanish and Andalusian companies.
The debate around the round table “How to deal with West African markets” focused a good part of the day. The Director of Promotion and Foreign Trade of the Free Trade Zone, Rocío García-Delgado, who moderated the table, introduced the speakers and set the objectives of the table, which are to offer expert knowledge of the market to the Andalusian exporter, guide in access to these markets, in addition to reflecting the experience of the two companies invited to offer their vision of these markets: Opera Global Bussiness and Olivia Petroleum.
Ana de Vicente Lancho, chief economic and commercial advisor of the Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in Abidjan (Ivory Coast); Juan José Otamendi, chief economic and commercial advisor of the Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in Nigeria (responsible for Equatorial Guinea); Alejandro Ruiz Iglesias, economic and commercial counselor of the Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in Dakar (Senegal); and Miguel Higuera Maté, economic and commercial counselor of the Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in Accra (Ghana); They have participated in an interesting debate, in which the enormous potential of the African continent and the possibilities that these markets offer to Andalusian companies have been put on the table.
Today's event is the first action of a cycle titled "Andalusia's door to Africa" and is part of the protocol of intentions that Zona Franca and Chambers of Andalusia signed last October to work together to strengthen the business fabric, fundamentally small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), becoming allies to identify the needs of companies and facilitate their consolidation and exit to foreign markets.