DUTCH BUSINESS IN AFRICA 2011 by Eastern And Central Africa Business week week

NABC Magazine Netherlands-African Business Council www.nabc.nl

2011 / 201 2

Dutch Business in Africa

PREFACE

What can Africa do for you? During the global downturn, Africa turned out to be very resilient and sub-Saharan Africa even more so! With growth predictions at 5,5 % for 2011 and 5,9 %, the macro economic context looks promising. Only China and India are growing considerably faster. Despite these emerging market figures, Africa is not perceived by most companies as a promising new market. It is our mission at NABC to make companies aware of the opportunities and to facilitate them in doing business in a successful way in Africa. Instead of “What can I do for Africa?”, the question is: “What can Africa do for you?”

Efﬁcient industrial halls constructed exactly to size Bâtiments industriels efﬁcases et sur mesure Want to know more? Intéressé? Mrs. Matondo Angélique Mbundu +31 6 12 46 75 11 +31 499 36 64 00 a.mbundu@remcoafrique.com

Local knowledge and local partners are a prerequisite for success. Business can only work in the long run if there is

www.remcoafrique.com

In this annual magazine, which is distributed widely across Africa, as well as the Netherlands, you will find useful information about doing business in Africa. We hope that it will inspire readers to take their first step towards the many opportunities that Africa has to offer. You will also find a detailed list of the companies that have become a member of the extensive NABC network. Through their websites or through the NABC office you can contact them and make your enquiries. Supported by our e nthusiastic team, our network is ready to make your b usiness ventures in Africa into a success! Best regards, Bob van der Bijl Managing Director NABC

NABC 2011 / 2012

Founded in 1946, NABC is celebrating 65 years full of activities. Our company network has never been as big as it is now and our activity level is higher than ever. With almost 300 enthusiastic companies in our network, we have now become the primary private sector network in the Netherlands for business in Africa. All of these companies are looking for profitable business in Africa and their NABC membership provides them with useful contacts, information and advice.

a win-win situation. This means that the success of Dutch companies goes hand in hand with the success of African companies. This is increasingly recognized by the Dutch government and by African governments: sustainable development is only possible with a healthy and vibrant private sector.

Dredging and Marine Contractors

Solutions for tomorrow’s world Van Oord is a leading international dredging and marine contractor. Worldwide we offer solutions that contribute to a safe and prosperous world. We build and maintain ports, construct river and coastal defences to protect against the effects of climate change, build energy and tourism facilities that sustain our economies, and reclaim land to accommodate the growing world population.

www.vanoord.com

content 03 NABC magazine 2011/2012 is a publication by NetherlandsAfrican Business Council (NABC). This magazine provides an insight into doing business in or with Africa and the activities NABC organizes.

NABC Prinses Beatrixlaan 614 2595 BM Den Haag Postbus 93082 2509 AB Den Haag The Netherlands Tel: +31 (0)70 304 3618 Fax: +31 (0)70 304 3620 e-mail: info@nabc.nl www.nabc.nl

Offshore

Marine Engineering

Offshore Wind Projects

Soil Improvement

Dry Infrastructure

07 Partners & Board Members NABC 08

NABC Vision and Mission

In the picture

12 Interview Joe Mucheru, Lead for Google Sub Saharan Africa 14

The Future of Data in Africa

Interview Jan Slange, Intercommerce

36 Carbon financing for energy projects in Africa? 'Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) for Dummies'

39 Interview Her Excellency - Immaculée Uwanyiligira, Ambassador to the Republic of Rwanda 41 Interview Chiem van Houweninge Jr., Blue Dolphin Entertainment Group 42 Chinese competition in Africa

African Competitiveness Index

Interview Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu Co-Founder and Managing Director of soleRebels Ethiopia

28 Mushroom Bob, Your guide to growing mushrooms

Interview Pieter van Boom, Managing Director at Bartels Consulting Engineers

32 Development in Africa from a historical perspective: Is poverty fate?

What can we do about it?

44 Dutch private sector enters meat and poultry sector Ethiopia

NABC Trade Missions 48 Nigeria 50 Algola 52 Algeria 54 Burundi

Events 2010

NABC Activities 2011

NABC Members

NABC 2011 / 2012

Dredging port of Beira, Mozambique

Editorial Committee Bob van der Bijl and Henk Veldman Editor & Translator Texty Design & Lay-out Roquefort Ontwerpers Concordiastraat 68 - 024 3551 EM Utrecht Tel: +31(0)30 707 0291 e-mail: info@roquefort.nl www.roquefort.nl Printing Boekdrukdeal

Preface

The leading logistics network in Africa 41 countries, 200 agencies, 20 000 staff

Partners NABC Europe • E BCAM - Business Council Europe Africa Mediterranean • Afrika Verein (Germany) • AHEAD Global – African/ Asian Hungarian Economic Association for Development • BCA UK – Business Council for Africa United Kingdom • D.I. – Dansk Industri • Hellenic African Chamber of Com merce and Development (Greece) • C.B.L. A.C.P. - Chamber of Commerce Belgium and Luxembourg for ACP countries • C.I.A.N. - French Association of Investors in Africa • E.L.O. - Portugese Association for Economical Development and Cooperation • Swisscham - Africa

Africa • I.B.N. - Intra Business Network • BADIS - Bureau of Auditing and Industry and Social Development • Ghana-Netherlands Chamber of Commerce and Culture (GHANECC) • Nigerian – Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (NNCC) • Tunisian Trade and Promotion Office • Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations • Burundi Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture & Handicrafts • Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry • Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry • Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Board Members nabc Mr.Kees van Heijst Director H&F Technics Chairman NABC

Mr. Patrick Verbiest Director V HI- P Treasurer NABC

Mr. Michiel Hillen Owner EMSA Emerging Markets Secretary NABC

Mr. Tom de Man President Middle & East and Africa Heineken International

Mr. Ben Zwinkels Senior Investment Manager FMO Finance for Development

Mr. Jacob van der Vis Senior Advisor International Trade at Chamber of Commerce of Rotterdam

Ms. Rachel Tocklu Director Teampro

Ms. Anne Marie Lantinga

IMAGINE THERE'S NO LIMIT There’s more to what we do than simply transporting goods worldwide. We provide integrated global logistics solutions. We coordinate all the people involved all the way along the chain and ensure true visibility of operations. Needless to say, we take an environmentallyfriendly approach. And last but not least, we know how to be creative at a planning stage, and flexible through execution. In meeting these challenges, our imagination creates a world without limits.

Director Lantinga Consultancy

Mr. Paul van de Ven Area Manager Africa Institut de SélectionAnimale

Ms. Leontine van ‘t Hooft Director GreenDream Company

Mr. Eduard Backer Senior Business Manager Containers Harbor Rotterdam

Mr. Frank Nagel Regional Manager Africa Rabobank

Dr. Ir. Kees van ‘t Klooster

Mr. Pieter van Welzen Lawyer Clifford Chance LLP

Mr. Bob van der Bijl Managing Director NABC

sdv.com

NABC 2011 / 2012

Project Director AfricaAlterra, Wageningen University & Research

Nabc our vision and mission

Employees Bob van der Bijl Managing Director b.vanderbijl@nabc.nl +31 (0)6 531 920 99

Nerea Musita Events Coordinator nerea.musita@nabc.nl +31 (0)6 438 450 33

Our motto is: “Trade instead of Aid”: our opinion is that an absolute prerequisite for the development of Africa is strong development of the private sector in Africa. Once the African economies improve, the dependence on development aid can decrease. A development that is particularly welcome for the African nations. As a Ugandan saying goes: Water that has been begged for does not quench the thirst. Entrepreneurism and commercial collaboration guarantee s tructural growth and relationships that become based on equality instead of dependence. The Dutch business sector can be ranked among the best in sectors such as water and agriculture. Economic relations lead to the exchange of knowhow and offer a clear advantage to both parties. This makes these commercial relations particularly sustainable! Our mission is to strengthen the economic relations between The Netherlands and Africa. Dutch companies have a lot to offer for Africa and for many Dutch companies, Africa offers new markets that are often undiscovered. The trade between The Netherlands and Africa is currently

Henk Veldman Project Coordinator henk.veldman@nabc.nl +31 (0)6 290 962 23

very limited: in relative terms, it is less than 50 percent of the amount of trade that takes place between Germany and Africa. The level of Dutch investments in Africa is also relatively low, but partly because of the subsidiary programs implemented by the Dutch government (PSI and ORIO), we have lately seen a gradual increase in interest. In our opinion, trade instead of aid does not mean that aid can be halted immediately, but that donors should shift their focus more towards the budding productive sectors in Africa. It would be necessary to restructure the budget for development aid: more money for PSI and ORIO, and the development of the private sector. In addition, there would have to be more investments into local business support in Africa, to further support the activities that Dutch embassies in Africa are already developing with regards to trade support. In recent years, NABC has played an excellent role with regards to generating interest into doing business in Africa, through a large number of activities in The Netherlands and by organizing various trade missions. We organized

no less than sixteen trade missions to Africa in three years! However, we still face a lot of resistance in our efforts to take away the negative p erception of Africa and replacing it with a more realistic view. There is still much work to be done. We are not claiming that doing business in Africa is always easy. However, with a population that will double in the next 40 years from 1 billion to a staggering 2 billion and an economic growth that is s tructurally higher than in the EU, Africa is certainly an emerging market that Dutch companies need to take note of. Companies that are putting a lot of energy into developing the African market now will definitely reap the benefits of that work in the next few decades. NABC, with its young and enthusiastic team, prides itself in being able to help these Dutch companies through expert advice and assistance! In case you have any questions, please contact Marina Diboma at +31 70 304 36 18 or send an email to m arina. diboma@nabc.nl or visit www.nabc.nl

Marina Diboma Business Development Coordinator marina.diboma@nabc.nl +31 (0)6 434 76 502

Nouria Ouibrahim Project Manager nouria.ouibrahim@nabc.nl +31 (0)6 102 562 52

NABC 2011 / 2012

The history of NABC dates back to 1946, when it was founded by Dutch businesses with business interests in Africa. In its 65 years of existence, NABC has remained true to the aims of its founders: to share knowledge and contacts through a common platform. Until several years ago, NABC was an organization with a very select group of companies with a lot of experience in doing business in Africa. Starting in 2006, we decided to become more proactive towards the Dutch business community. Every Dutch company that aspires to do business in Africa is welcome to join our network. We are always on the lookout for new markets and new business partners in Africa, and the knowledge and experience of all the companies in our network has proven invaluable. NABC is the only Dutch organization that is a member of the European Business Councils for Africa and the Mediterranean (EBCAM). This European network is another great source of knowledge and contacts that members of NABC can profit from.

In the picture

On a yearly basis NABC organizes around five trade mission to Africa. These business missions – with on average fifteen Dutch companies – are an excellent opportunity to meet potential business partners and gain a detailed insight in the opportunities and challenges a country has to offer. Destinations vary from emerging economies such as Angola and Nigeria which NABC visits regularly to smaller markets such as Madagascar and Cape Verde. One of these smaller markets NABC recently visited is Burundi. Probably not on the radar for the majority of Dutch entrepreneurs in Africa – Burundi has something to offer! » Read more about the trade mission to Burundi on page 54.

NABC 2011 / 2012

Burundi

Interview Joe Mucheru, Lead for Google Sub Saharan Africa

Google in Africa » Africa is connecting rapidly to the worldwide web. What is Google’s strategy to make use of this growing potential? Google’s mission in Africa is to make the internet an integral part of every day life and to strengthen Africa’s internet ecosystem, by increasing its relevance and usefulness, eliminating access barriers for potential users, and developing products that are meaningful for the countries in the region. We see huge opportunities there. » How many internet users are there in Africa and what is the expected growth for the near future? It’s hard to predict the growth for the near future and give very precise usage

figures, but it’s definitely necessary to make the internet relevant and more useful for Africans. Africa has 14% of the world’s population, but only 2% of its internet users.

50%

growth in search requests » Internet accessibility at home is still relatively expensive and 40% of the search requests come from mobile devices. Does Google expect this to change in the future? Mobile has become incredibly important in Africa. It took 20 years for the African cell phone population to get to 200 million subscribers, but less than 3 years to get to the next 200

40%

of search requests coming from mobile devices » Is Google developing specific products for the African market? Most definitely. We’re not only working to make many of our products available in African languages (for example, Web Search in Swahili, Zulu, Amharic and many others), but we are also creating products specifically for Africa. For example, we recently launched Gmail Chat SMS in Ghana, Senegal, Kenya and Uganda, allowing mobile users to chat with desktop Gmail users via SMS, thereby addressing a social need and bridging the gap between mobile and internet. We are also enabling Africans to develop locally meaningful products with things like iGoogle (allowing developers to create gadgets), maps API (allowing developers to leverage our Maps products to build other apps and websites), the Android platform (providing the opportunity to develop Android apps), Chrome (for the development of browserbased applications), App Engine and our cloud offerings. » What are the main challenges for Google in Africa? Our users’ challenges are our challenges. Access to the internet is still a challenge for many people. Devices, access and SMS pricing are often very

expensive. Users will benefit from an open and more competitive access market, with lower prices and an improved user experience. Also, there is a lack of local content. We need the internet to be more relevant to people that live in Africa. We need to encourage people to get online and add original content. This can be in the form of a simple website, a blog, or for instance a Q&A via Google Baraza, a Q&A platform created specifically for Africa.

45 USD a month price of an average home connection in Africa – highest average in the world

» Is Africa a profitable market for Google? While we currently only have a commercial presence in South Africa, we see significant opportunities for the internet to empower businesses across Africa. In the long run, this will be beneficial to anyone in the internet space. That is why we are focusing first on access, relevance and strengthening of the African web ecosystem. It's not about short term profitability. This is about a long term vision and investment, because we're excited about Africa's potential.

0.2%

of the world’s 255 million web pages is created by Africans » Where in Africa is Google represented and are there any plans to expand in the near future? We have six offices across Africa (South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal) though we are also working on many projects in a host of other countries, (e.g. Gmail Chat SMS in Malawi, and providing product interfaces in Amharic for Gmail and YouTube). We are hiring many new Googlers this year in Africa (see http://www.google.com/jobs/africa/), but we don’t have anything to announce about office locations at this time.

Zack Matere Kenya Zack Matere has reaped handsome dividends by using the internet (starting with Google Search) in farming, saving his last potato crop and now opening new markets. Last year, a strange disease invaded his potatoes, his biggest source of livelihood. “I knew I had to do something or else I could lose all my crops.” “I knew there was a way I could rescue them. I cycled 10 kilometres to the local cyber café, Googled ‘potato disease’ and discovered that ants were eating the potato stems” he says. On the same website, Matere found that the cure for his potato disease was to sprinkle wood ash on the crop. Two months later the crops were back in shape and Matere knew it was time to invest in the Internet. Using the net again, he found a local buyer for his rescued crop, and invested in an internet enabled phone that he now uses to get information on farming, spending roughly Sh50 a day. This is far too expensive for many small-scale farmers, but Matere says he intends to be the link between the internet and the community. He believes he is a bit of a pioneer. “I think I am the only farmer in the area who uses the Internet” he says. Source: Weberaza (surf to the website www.webarazafarmer.com to read the rest of story, which includes how he is also using Facebook)

BabyM – Nigeria Mrs Funke is the owner of BabyM store in Ikoyi, Nigeria. She was introduced to Google Adwords by the digital agency 'Wild Fusion'

(www.wildfusions.com) and finally decided to give it a try after she was assured of her money back guarantee. Her website, www.babymafrica.com, was very simple and comprised of 4 pages and a feedback form. Her budget was just about N50,000 ($400 USD) with which she chose her keywords (baby, maternity, pregnancy, baby names, kindergarten etc). All ads were geo-targeted to Nigerians and she started receiving rapid responses. Visitors to her w ebsite completed forms which were auto-emailed to her with contact information for her to follow up on. Hundreds of emails, calls and conversations later, prospective buyers came to BabyM from across the country to order, until she literally ran out of stock. Even at this point she benefited from customers putting down money for the next season of baby clothes. Mrs Funke’s experience is a leading example for similar small b usinesses across Nigeria who, with the increase in broadband speed and rising internet penetration, are seeing the opportunity to benefit from online advertising. Abas of WildFusion, a digital media sales company in Nigeria at which Mrs Funke is a client, says "Google tools have had a positive impact on our local market, especially with small businesses. they are inexpensive, 'deskilling' and are very accessible. You don't need a degree in rocket science or lots of money to use these tools. We have seen SMEs improve their bottom line through the combination of Adwords, Analytics and Google Sites and Places. We have also seen increased sales and customer retention through strategic use of these technologies. I will advise SMEs, especially ones in difficult business environments like ours, to take advantage of these opportunities.

NABC 2011 / 2012

million. For many people in Africa, their mobile is the first point of access to the internet. Mobile technology provides a more cost effective way to get online, and it is already a significant driver of positive economic and social change. The mobile web will be a key enabler for finance and commerce, social interactions and health initiatives, and Google wants to be at the forefront of these developments. Globally, mobile search has grown by 500% over the past 2 years, and 400% on devices with full browsers in the last year. We expect similar trends in Africa.

article

 Open Street Map of Kibera. Source: Open-StreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA.

December 2010

The Future of Data in Africa By Jasper Grosskurth, STT, www.stt.nl

The number of ‘friendships’ is going to explode over the next year, with major submarine cables landing in West Africa. 2011 will bring affordable internet to Nigeria and the rest of the African west coast. When the Facebook map was made, 10 m illion Africans were registered users of

Facebook is not alone. Google has a heavy presence on the continent, with offices in at least six African countries. YouTube, Twitter and Wikipedia see a constant and fast growth in the number of African users. Local sites also rank high, such as Nigeria’s Nairaland and Kenya’s Daily Nation. In fact, the word ‘Ghana’ is the most popular Google query in Ghana, underlining the call for local content. The reason that I am writing about this in a magazine for entrepreneurs, is to draw attention to the fact that Africa is undergoing an ICT revolution that will take many businesses by surprise. It is going to drive some to new heights and others to bankruptcy. The African market is going to change. Customers and suppliers will

Perhaps the most important change is that your own market knowledge will change. In countries where currently even such standard indicators as population size or national income are subject to error margins of 30 percent or more, setting up a business is not simply a matter of using spreadsheets, but of excelling at navigating the mists of uncertainty. Many decision makers have to deal with extreme uncertainties and biased information when it comes to Africa. However, as accurate information becomes available through improved ICT, it will become possible to target investments more efficiently, estimate volumes more accurately and speed up the testing of new business m odels. Improved ICT infrastructure will facilitate an explosive increase of the quantity and quality of your data. Let me illustrate this with a recent

The information that is gathered when such a map is created can have a profound impact. Kibera is listed as having a population of 1 million, and even more sometimes. The development of a concise map of the slum has led to considerable doubts about this estimate. Followed up by s atellite imagery studies and household surveys, the number is now estimated to be between 170.000 and 270.000, a fraction of the former estimates. The official Kenyan census now puts Kibera’s population at 170,070. Paradoxically, improving data can also cause misperceptions. 'Ghost trends' can appear: if an indicator has been consistently underestimated, an increase in accuracy will result in an upward trend, regardless of whether this reflects an actual change. The correction of an overestimation will result in a downward trend; for instance, while Kibera’s population is probably growing, the data will show a significant downward trend as soon as the correction for the overestimation is processed. Therefore, for the moment, remain wary of putting all your trust in data. However, you can start looking forward to learning more and more

 The evolution of fibre-optic cables connecting Africa in (a) 2010 and (b) 2012. Source: manypossibilities.net-African-undersea-cables, copyright: CC-BY

about your markets, and u ncovering new business opportunities in the process. From now on, Africa is a player in the age of information. Be sure to take that into account during your future ventures, in which I wish you the best of luck.

Jasper Grosskurth is author of ‘Futures of Technology in Africa’. Paper copies and free pdf downloads of the book are available at www.stt.nl/AfricanFutures.

NABC 2011 / 2012

Paul Butler is an intern at Facebook’s data infrastructure engineering team. In December 2010, the company released a world map of Facebook friendships, engineered by Butler. Those giving presentations on Africa will soon use the image to replace NASA’s popular Earth by Night images to showcase the centres of economic and technological activity in Africa. We clearly see South Africa’s Gauteng province light up, still the economic powerhouse on the continent. We see East Africa’s large cities, well connected to each other. In West Africa, Nigeria and Ghana lead the way.

Facebook, with a growth rate of 5 percent per month. As you read this, at least a million more will have joined them, mostly through mobile phones rather than computers.

become much better informed and even better connected. Their lifestyles and means of production will change. And every business model that had until now been hampered by high transaction costs with regards to information or money, is suddenly becoming a possibility. From selling insurances in rural areas to p rinting on demand in urban areas, ICT is about to change Africa.

example; the effort to draw a map of Kibera, supposedly Africa’s largest slum area. Armed with smartphones, local volunteers scouted the area on foot, digitally marking roads, footways and points of relevance, including health stations, churches, water pumps, shops and so on. The result is one of the first comprehensive maps of Kibera. In the very near future, getting lost in an African city will be a thing of the past.

Interview Jan Slange, Intercommerce

Winner NABC Dutch Business in Africa Award 2010 At the start of 2010, Jan Slange from Intercommerce joined NABC on a trade mission to Nigeria, which was the start of a successful year of doing business in Africa. Together with his colleague Mark O’Connor he explored the opportunities Africa had to offer and travelled extensively throughout the continent. At the end of 2010, he joined one of our trade missions again; this time to Burundi, where Intercommerce is involved in setting up a stone crushing and ready-mix concrete plant. These achievements, in combination with actively using the NABC network, resulted in winning the annual NABC DUTCH BUSINESS IN AFRICA AWARD in 2010. » What are the main activities of Intercommerce? InterCommerce BV is active in markets throughout Asia, Europe and Africa. We regularly supply trucks, t railers, machinery and spare parts to com panies in the public and private sector. We are also available as consultants and have filled positions at companies seeking our help.

Lagos was similar. One thing that did amaze me was the traffic; very heavy and very disorganised. What was new for me was the experience of crossing the bridge from the airport to Lagos City and seeing

» Nigeria suffers from a bad reputation – what has been your experience with regards to doing business there? Due to our participation in the NABC trade mission, we were able to meet established companies in Nigeria. This gave us a very good perspective on doing business in Nigeria. We knew however that our experience wouldn't necessarily represent the entire Nigerian market. It could not (and it would not) always be so easy. Through our dealings with established companies in Nigeria, we managed to gain the trust of the "ordinary" Nigerian business person. Our advertising in the country and word of mouth from existing customers also helped a lot. We suddenly started getting calls from locals asking us whether we could sup-

Still, Nigeria is a country with a population of 150 million and growing steadily; it would be very naïve for us to assume that a land of this size would have zero con artists. It is very important, no matter what country you decide to do business in, that you keep your eyes open. Vigilance is key; if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. We take standard precautions when dealing with all our customers, not just in Nigeria. We operate in only two ways: cash prior to delivery or a Letter of Credit approved by our bank. We are expanding our business in Nigeria and to date we have had no negative experiences. Long may that continue. » Africa has over 50 countries – how do you choose your markets? Before choosing a market we look at the possibilities that a country can offer us. We assess the current

needs of a country; some industries are expanding considerably in many African countries, but they lack the equipment to facilitate such expansion. We aim to assist in these situations. A further key factor for choosing a market is accessibility. Many markets in Africa are landlocked and require road or train transport. For Intercommerce, it is crucial to have reliable contacts in the country where our cargo arrives by sea. We can rest easily once we have secured a safe transport route for our cargo to a landlocked country. Our operations in Nigeria are solely focused on the Nigerian market at present. It is a vast country, with so many possibilities. We have also chosen some other countries that we operate in from a strategic point of view. We have had offices in Tanzania since last year; we now have many reliable contacts there who can assist

us with inland freight forwarding to countries such as Zambia, DR Congo and Burundi. The same applies to Senegal; due to our connections there we can now securely transport freight to our customers in Mali. » Doing business in Africa can be challenging – what do you consider to be the biggest constraints for your activities? When trying to develop a successful company in Africa, it is imperative that you are well represented in the country where you wish to do business. We regularly receive calls from people who wish to represent us in their country; we wouldn’t grant such a position to just anyone. The person who represents us must be reliable and trustworthy. The only way to verify this is to travel to the country and meet potential applicants. We now have reliable representatives in Nigeria, Tanzania, Senegal and Zambia. So to

answer the original question; the biggest constraints would be not having the right representation in your chosen market on the African continent. » Together with a local partner and a subsidy from the Dutch government (PSI Plus), you started a stone crushing and ready mix-concrete plant in Burundi. Why did you decide to step into such an investment project? These kind of industries are where I started working and I still do some consultancy work in this sector. I was contacted by Mr. Michel Hillen from EMSA Emerging Markets, who asked me whether or not I would be interested to assist and become a partner in the largest construction company in Burundi, GETRA. It appeared to be a nice opportunity and after several meetings with the director from GETRA, we decided to go for it. ››

NABC 2011 / 2012

» In 2009 you joined NABC on a trade mission to Nigeria. What was your first impression as you were driving through Lagos? I had been to several African countries before, so I wasn't too shocked by seeing all the rubbish, old trucks, the many old yellow buses and the large amount of people on the streets.

the slums next to the river. Extremely poor living conditions everywhere you looked. Those were definitely some very impressive sights as a first impression.

ply 25 trucks to Lagos, or 50 Trailers to Abuja. We realized that we were now dealing with the real Nigerian customer. Before coming to Nigeria we were warned about these customers, with stories about scams. However, most of these warnings came from people with little experience in the African m arket, fuelled by negative media reports and of course the well-known e-mail scams that claim that a member from a Nigerian royal family inherited millions of dollars and he now needs to move it to a European bank.

W W W. V L I S C O . C O M

Interview

NABC 2011 / 2012

» Intercommerce is an active member of NABC. In what way was the NABC network useful for your business activities in 2010? In 2010, we frequented many meetings and trade missions with NABC. Together, all of that proved to be very valuable in the success of Intercommerce on the African continent. Every meeting gave us an opportunity to meet representatives from other companies, who can be of assistance to us and vice versa. Members of the NABC staff were very helpful in providing helpful contacts in countries that we travelled to independently. We look back on 2010 as a very successful year, in which we laid many foundations in Africa, all with help in one way or another from NABC.

» What are the plans for 2011? In 2011, we hope to expand further while also working closely with our existing customers. We will be looking to increase our export of trucks, equipment and vehicles to these markets. 2011 also marks the start of the previously mentioned Burundi project; much time will be spent on the development of the Burundi ready mix and stone crushing plant. We will have to position many machines and personnel in Burundi, so this will require some coordination between our office here, our contacts in the port of Dar es Salaam and the local workers at our site in Bujumbura. The year 2011 also marks Intercommerce’s 25th year in business. We

» Any final words for Dutch entrepreneurs not yet active in Africa? I recall that last year at the NABC convention in Wassenaar, during a Q&A session, the question was posed how to make the convention bigger and more successful next year? A reply came from a participant that really astounded me. The gentleman stated that it would be impossible to become bigger next year, as small companies do not have the time to visit these events. I had to disagree with the comment. Meetings like the one in Wassenaar play an important role in the survival and growth of a small company. These meetings provide the opportunity to meet like-minded entrepreneurs and new possibilities of expanding your existing business. A few simple sayings that I keep in mind while working emphasise that point: "If you are not in, you cannot win", and of course once you get there remember: "If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail".

W W W. V L I S C O . C O M

have acted on this by redeveloping the image of the company, printing new business cards, creating a new website, connecting with contacts through Twitter and LinkedIn, etc. We now have a strong online presence and it would be foolish not to use these online tools for meeting new contacts.

VERITABLE HOLLANDAIS - SINCE 1846 18

article

The fact remains that competitiveness rankings and country business intelligence are increasingly being used by corporate investors to make investment decisions. According to a recent study by Forbes Magazine, 74% of the executives use Internet Intelligence for their day–to–day decisions. In this context, LocationSelector.com provides an online platform that allows for benchmarking investment locations and ranking their competitiveness.

During the last decade, Africa has outperformed worldwide economic growth figures. Despite the economic downturn, this trend is likely to continue in the future. Although huge investment projects made the headlines, many other interesting economic developments remain unknown, preventing even more investors from entering this untapped continent.

Country benchmark rankings are popular media items nowadays for providing insight into the competitiveness of countries. However, the importance of these rankings is disputed. Opponents claim that these country statistics are too rough and do not reflect local economic circumstances. Conversely, positive country rankings are used by Investment Promotion Agencies to promote their business environment in the global market of (foreign) investment attraction.

Namibia

Ghana

Tunisia

Lesotho

Business Environment

Accessibility

One of the sub-variables of the African Attractiveness Index is the composite Business Envrionment Index. This Index is based on human development factors, business climate indicators, participation and human rights, safety and rule of law, and sustainable economic performance criteria. Out of 53 African countries, we can conclude that the African island economies are well positioned.

The later part of the 20th century saw the development of global air linkages and new network hubs in conjunction with the globalization of economic activities. The formation of new transport routes, especially in the rapidly developing realm of logistics and supply chain management, contributed to the increasing integration of African economies in the world economy. An excellent example is Kenya’s vegetable and flower exports - worth close to $1 billion last year - that amount to roughly one fifth of the entire Kenyan economy.

Botswana's impressive economic record has been built on a foundation of diamond mining, prudent fiscal policies, international financial and technical assistance, and a cautious foreign policy. It is rated the least corrupt country in Africa according to an international corruption watchdog, Transparency International. Moreover, it has the fourth highest gross national income at p urchasing power parity in Africa, giving it a standard of living similar to that of Mexico and Turkey.

Across the wide range of determinants of a country’s business climate, the importance of strong accessibility is often underestimated by corporate investors. Yet, having frequent and direct linkages with home markets not only saves a considerable amount of time, it also adds to the mobility of resources and increased interaction. Based on the number and frequency of international and domestic destinations and flights, and the number of airline carriers serving the country airports, the index shows that Egypt and South Africa offer the highest accessibility by air, with Morocco and Algeria as runners-up.

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NABC 2011 / 2012

African Competitiveness Index

Egypt

20 Egypt

Mauritius

Seychelles

Cape Verde

Botswana

100

South Africa

Morocco

Algeria

Kenya

Nigeria

Tunisia

Madagascar

Libya

100

Tanzania

100

80 70 60 50 40 30 South Africa

Mauritius

Egypt

Seychelles

Botswana

Morocco

Cape Verde

Tunisia

Namibia

20 Ghana

Botswana

Mauritius

South Africa

Tunisia

Namibia

Burkina Faso

Cape Verde

Egypt

Morocco

Rwanda

Macro Economy The African continent has witnessed an impressive growth rate in the last decade, outperforming most of the developed economies. Nevertheless, there are significant differences between African countries in terms of macroeconomic growth indicators. The ten year average GDP growth rate for Zimbabwe is -4.54%, while Equatorial Guinea (large oil and petroleum reserves) shows an impressive +18.09%, a gap of 22.63%. Also taking into account qualitative macroeconomic indicators such as Public Debt, the Quality of Budget Management, Unfair Competition, and Bureaucracy and Red Tape, resulted in the following Macro Economy Index. Botswana ranks first, followed by Mauritius and South Africa. Foreign investments and management are welcomed in Botswana, and as a result, financial and services sectors have increased at an exponential rate in the past ten years. This is in line with its efforts to diversify the economy and to replace mining as the leading industry. Botswana abolished foreign exchange controls, has a low corporate tax rate (15%), no prohibitions on foreign ownership of companies, and a moderate consumer inflation rate (8.1% in 2010). The Government of Botswana is currently considering additional policies to enhance competitiveness, including a new Foreign Direct Investment Strategy, Competition Policy, Privatization Master Plan, and a National Export Development Strategy. Mauritius is also successfully implementing new legislation to encourage foreign direct investment. One of the main advantages is the rate of corporate income tax in Mauritius, which is currently 15% on chargeable income, having been reduced from 25% as of 1st July, 2007. In combination with an efficient Export Processing Zone (EPZ), this has fostered the exporting capabilities (i.e. sugar) of Mauritius.

African Attractiveness Index Disclosing quantitative as well as qualitative country data is one way to close the information gap and to improve the country image building efforts. This ranking highlights the African Attractiveness Index, which is based on 70 location factors, corresponding to 9 composite c riteria: Accessibility, business environment, business risks, environment and rural sector, inward Foreign Direct Investments, Infrastructure, Macro Economy, Political Stability and Quality of Life.

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Four main conclusions

At some distance, South Africa ranks first with a competitiveness score of 74.4. It is the most developed economy in Africa, and hosting the successful World Cup tournament this year was yet another indicator that showed that this country is ready to absorb more inward investment.

With all of them ranking within the top 10 countries, Island nations such as Mauritius, Seychelles and Cape Verde are performing remarkably well. Revenues generated by tourism recipients and significant real estate and leisure investments are fuelling local economic growth. In addition, a tax friendly investment climate with a growing financial sector is positively influencing growth indicators.

The African Attractiveness Index was published prior to the series of events that momentarily occur in Egypt.

For further information, please contact Investment Consulting Associates at info@ic-associates.com or contact Mr. Matthijs Weeink – matthijs@ic-associates.com or +31 20794 6084

g n i g r Eme Marke ts? Advance Consulting assists companies to realize their international business activities in the emerging economies of Africa, Asia and Latin America. We identify commercial opportunities, facilitate strategic cooperation with international business partners, assist with acquiring the necessary financing and provide technical and management support services. We acquire grants (subsidies) and loans from donor agencies, banks, venture capital funds and other sources on the strength of a business plan and/or project proposal. Our team of business advisors and project managers has broad international experience, an eye for quality and detail and is known for its innovativeness, flexibility, customer-orientation and focus on results. We work on a performance basis - often no cure, no fee - with full commitment to deliver the results that we set out to achieve. Ede T +31 318 67 27 00 Amsterdam T +31 20 623 48 12 info@advanceconsulting.nl

Adv_170x120 NABC.indd 1

North African countries, such as Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, are also performing well. Besides generating revenue through tourism, these countries successfully diversified their economies. Egypt's strategic location at the crossroad of Europe, the Middle East and Africa has made it an important trade nation. Due to recent legislative reforms - and for a second consecutive year - Egypt1 was named one of the World Bank's top 10 reformers that are making it easier to do business. 1

Botswana, Namibia and Ghana are the remaining two countries that occupy a position in the African top 10 ranking. Botswana has shown sustained economic progress through prudent macroeconomic management, institutional development, and good governance. Even though many Sub-Saharan African countries still struggle with the negatives of HIV victims, Namibia has seen a remarkable increase in HIV treatment coverage:

Other competitiveness indicators Our experience with cross-border investment projects has taught us that potential investors put much emphasis on mitigating business risks, rather than enjoying short term benefits. Boardroom discussions address complex matters such as financial risks, operational risks, political risks, and socio-economic risks. Is there a track record with other international investors? Is the infrastructure sufficiently developed to secure the corporate s upply chain? To reflect these matters in the overall African Attractiveness Index we have also included the following composite criteria: Business Risks, Environmental and Rural Indicators, Inward Foreign Direct Investments, Infra structure, Political Stability, and Quality of Life factors.

antiretroviral therapy coverage has risen from under 1% in 2003 to 88% in 2007. Ghana is developing a reputation as a country that produces high quality agrarian products through technological innovations. One product in which they have achieved a leadership position is the p roduction of high quality cocoa. The country is also successfully reducing poverty, particularly in recent years.

www.advanceconsulting.nl

NABC 2011 / 2012

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25-01-11 12:17

Interview

“Made in Ethiopia is a strong brand”

Based in the suburbs of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, soleRebels produces the finest artisancrafted footwear using only eco-sensible materials. Founded in 2004, the company has become a big success on Amazon and has firmly established itself on the American, French, Japanese and UK market. Managing Director Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu has been praised worldwide for her efforts to promote business in Africa, which resulted in winning the World Economic Forum's 2011 Young Global Leader Award. With this award, Bethlehem joins a distinguished list of previous winners that include Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and the founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. During the preparations for the trade mission to Ethiopia, Henk Veldman visited Bethlehem near Addis Ababa for an exclusive interview and a tour around her factory.

» What made you decide to make shoes in Ethiopia? Having grown up watching our family and neighbors struggling, we decided to create the “better life” that we were

all hoping for by harnessing our community’s incredible artisan skills and channeling them into a sustainable, global, fair trade footwear business. We have done that and more, and we are proud to say that the soleRebels brand is currently sold in over 10 countries around the world. Shoes became our product because we saw that footwear was an excellent product for sharing many of the indigenous eco-sensible crafts and artisan talents that we have here in Ethiopia with the rest of world!

NABC 2011 / 2012

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu - Co-Founder and Managing Director of soleRebels Ethiopia

Interview

» How do you make the shoes? There are basically three different processes. First of all, there is the spinning and weaving, to make the different parts of the shoe (the sole is made of rubber). Secondly, we prepare and sew the different parts and in the final process we manufacture the actual shoe. To make it an authentic Ethiopian product, around 97% of the inputs are local. The remaining 3% - the inner foam - comes from China.

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» How do you explain the success of soleRebels in the US, France and the UK – why do people buy shoes from Ethiopia? 'Made in Ethiopia' has become a strong brand; people buy our shoes because they like them and the quality is good. In addition, our shoes are different from mainstream products, and it is also an authentic product. If you read the comments on Amazon, you get a fairly good insight into why people buy our shoes.

» Is there also an idealistic reason for soleRebels for producing shoes in Ethiopia? Of course! For too long Ethiopia has had a reputation of being a poor country that is dependent on aid. I want to demonstrate that we – the Ethiopian people - are perfectly capable of creating something our

selves. We do not need NGOs; we need more businesses. By demonstrating that it is possible to produce some thing unique in Ethiopia, we hope to inspire more people in Africa.

We do not need NGOs; we need more businesses » But there must be some challenges as well in setting up your business here? As I mentioned earlier, productivity is low, and due to logistical challenges shipping products to Europe and the US is expensive. It costs around 25USD to ship one pair of shoes to the US. In addition, soleRebels became an official Fair Trade brand in 2007. In order to retain this status, we have to adhere to strict international standards. It is hard work to maintain that status, but it is an important part of our marketing strategy. » Is labor not relatively cheap in Ethiopia? That is a mistake that many people make when they invest in Ethiopia. You are right when you say that labor

is not expensive by the day. However, the productivity is very low, which makes it expensive when you add it all up. As a result, I have to put a lot of time and energy in training my employees. But I believe that part of the success of soleRebels is investing in my employees. SoleRebels recruits people from the streets who are motivated and determined to work. By involving them in every step of the production process, they become a part of the company. They are proud to work for soleRebels, they work hard and they stay on board. Currently we employ 75 people, full time. » Finally, what are your plans for the future? I want soleRebels to become the Timberland or Nike of Africa. An important step is to further p rofessionalize the production process, improve capacity and to enhance and expand our brand. I believe that Africa is going to be a strong brand in the near future and soleRebels is going to profit from it. I am also trying to build up a strong presence on the Dutch retail market; we are already online in the Netherlands through our spartoo. com partnership. So if any of your readers are interested in marketing our product in the Netherlands to footwear retailers, please contact me.

soleRebels shoes are sold worldwide through retailers such as Urban Outfitters, Endless.com, Amazon.com and Spartoo.com, and can also be ordered directly through the official soleRebels website: http://solerebelsfootwear. weebly.com/.

EU – East Africa Business Forum 19 – 21 September 2011 It is time for Africa! From 19 to 21 September 2011 a high-level B2B Forum is taking place in Nairobi, Kenya. The Forum is initiated by European and East African Chambers of Commerce as part of the Proinvest project SOPSED. Over 200 companies from Europe and Eastern Africa will participate in this event which makes it an excellent opportunity to increase your network and expand your business in the region. Experts and leading from the following sectors will be present:

Organizing partners Europe • Afrika-Verein • Birmingham Chamber of Commerce & Industry • Paris Chamber of Commerce & Industry • Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Brussels • Centre for Mediation & Arbitration – Paris • Promofirenze • Netherlands-African Business Council

East Africa • • • • • •

ICT & Media Agribusiness & Fisheries Construction & Real Estate Fashion, Textile & Leather Tourism Consumer Market

• • • • • •

Infrastructure & Energy Education & Health Access to Finance Doing Business in the EAC How to find the Right Business Partner Aid Funded Business

To ensure everyone reaches Nairobi comfortably – the organization partnered up with Kenya Airways – The Pride of Africa. Participants of the forum will receive a discount on Kenya Airways, from wherever you fly from in the world. For more information or registration please contact Nerea Musita at Nerea. musita@nabc.nl or +31 (0)70 3043618

• K enya National Chamber of Commerce & Industry • Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce & Sectoral Associations • Uganda National Chamber of Commerce & Industry • Mauritius Chamber of Commerce & Industry • Burundi Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture & Handicrafts

article

Mushroom Bob

First mushroom farm in Libya

Your guide to growing mushrooms By Bob Holtermans, Mush Comb

For my work I visit many places in the world. I have travelled to Australia, Asia and Europe, but I had never visited the African continent. The NABC agribusiness mission to Nigeria was my first visit to Africa. And it inspired me. Seeing Nigeria and speaking to people who have a lot of experience with doing business in Africa made me realize the potential of this continent. Part of the goal of the NABC mission was to find potential business opportunities. That goal was definitely achieved.

Although mushrooms belong to neither the plant nor the animal kingdom, in culinary terms they are regarded as a vegetable, and are considered as such by most nutritional guides. Background information states that the vegetable category is primarily defined by its vitamin A (β-carotene) composition and also by its content of carbohydrate, fibre, magnesium, iron, vitamin C, folic acid and potas sium. The Chinese Food Pagoda Guide also includes mushrooms in its vegetable category. One half cup of mushrooms is considered one daily vegetable serving.

A positive side effect of becoming inspired is that you also get new views and have new ideas. After doing some research I realized that mushrooms could be an ideal food product for many African countries. I dared to dream; could mushrooms be the food of the future for Africa?

NABC 2011 / 2012

Mushrooms grow on a layer of compost and casing soil. The compost contains the mushroom spawn, which is the Agaricus Bisporus in this example. Each growing cycle lasts six weeks, from when the beds are filled with compost until the end of the harvest. A small farm can easily produce 300 tons of mushroom per year. And creating such a farm does not require a million dollar investment. That is why growing mushrooms is also very interesting economically.

The farm is being built by local contrac tors. Architectural advice with regards to the optimal dimensions for a mushroom farm is being provided from the Netherlands. The complete inventory is purchased from Mush Comb in the Netherlands. In this particular case the whole inventory comes from an existing Dutch farm that recently closed down. Such a deal is financially very interes ting, especially during the initiation phase. However, the disadvantage of working with used equipment is its limited availability. In the long run, it is easier to work with new equipment

because it can be reproduced. We even provide an Economy product line, which is very interesting for countries with low labour costs.

Conclusion History speaks for itself: when Europe was dealing with food shortages,

mushroom cultivation rapidly ex panded and alleviated the problem. Why not do the same in Africa? For those of you who are inspired by this article, and who wish to know more about the subject; please do not hesitate to contact me.

Founded in 1878 SGS is recognized as the global benchmark in quality and integrity. WIth over 60,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1,000 offices and laboratories over the world. SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. www.sgs.com

 Agaricus Bisporus growing at a commercial farm.

NABC 2011 / 2012

Growing mushrooms on a commercial farm can be done anywhere in the world. Mushrooms grow in dark, environmentally controlled growing rooms. Such an environment makes it possible to grow mushrooms the whole year round.

WHERE STRENGTH MEETS SPEED

Short introduction of mushrooms Mushrooms have been a part of the human diet for centuries, as food and as a medicine. Wild mushrooms have been a staple food in some regions and many varieties are still used as prized delicacies in haute cuisine. Interest in using mushrooms as a part of a regular diet expanded in the 1940s due to wartime food shortages. This interest has continued to grow as commercial cultivation methods have enabled mushroom growers to produce a secure and reliable food source all year long.

Growing mushrooms

We are currently delivering and installing a mushroom farm in Libya. Our contact, the entrepreneur Mr. Mahmoud Salem, has proven to be a visionary with regards to new mar kets. He will be the first one to set up a commercial mushroom farm in Libya.

Interview Pieter van Boom, Managing Director at Bartels Consulting Engineers

have to explain all about roof loads after snowfall, but we learn as much from them as they learn from us. Many of our Dutch colleagues line up for a chance to work in Ghana when we announce that we want to create an international design team for a project. Working in Africa is great!

Bartels is highly experienced in the field of civil and structural engineering, building management, fire safety, high rise designs and geotechnical engineering. Within the total b uilding process Bartels fulfills the role of proactive advisor in the development of solid, economical solutions for structural and civil engineering. Our projects vary from high rise (up to 250 meters) to office buildings, housing, underground structures, infrastructural work and sports and leisure.

» What are the most impressive changes you have seen in Africa over the years? We have only been active in Africa for a short while. What we see now is the fast growing presence of Chinese companies in Africa. I wonder why so many European companies don’t see the possibilities in Africa. After so many years of development aid, by sending money and ‘welfare workers’, many seem to believe that there will never be any real business opportunities. I think they are wrong there.

» Why Africa? What were your considerations that led you to doing business in Africa for the first time? We are not the kind of people that think and talk a lot about strategy and planning. We address all opportunities that seem reasonable as soon as these opportunities occur. It’s our way of entrepreneurship. Africa became a topic when one of our very experienced Dutch senior engineers, Dick Werkman, mentioned he wanted to leave Bartels and emigrate to Africa.

At that moment we could do two things. Either say goodbye to each other or start a subsidiary in Africa together. We chose the latter. » Can you tell us more about your experiences in Ghana? What kind of projects have you been developing in Ghana or elsewhere in Africa? We always start new subsidiaries as a greenfield development. Once a new office is up and running, we have them working on projects from other Bartels offices. This provides the new office with the o pportunity to learn from the knowhow of the existing Bartels offices. We have been doing that for about two years (which is a short term for engineering companies) in Ghana. Just recently we started looking around for local clients and businesses to work with. In our business it normally takes a few years to build up a local network of clients. However, Ghana turned out to be different, because we just started working on a small h ospital. A short while ago we were also involved in a building project with the company Coco industrial b uilding. Our offices in Ghana enable us to operate anywhere within Western Africa.

» What is the relation between the Dutch headquarters and the Accra office? For example: what is the ratio expats/local employees? Are you ever confronted with cultural differences and how do you deal with them? In every country Bartels is organized locally. We have a network of offices located in Germany, Ghana, Poland, Turkey, Bulgaria and Ireland. Because of this network we are in a p osition to provide consultancy services throughout much of Europe, and now also the western part of Africa. These local offices possess knowledge and experience with regards to local regulations, conditions, work ethos and culture, and are also a source of up-to-date information regarding regional market developments. We also form multidisciplinary teams from different countries for specific projects. So, in our organization it is necessary to really be ‘the local company’. The only non-African employee in Ghana is our director there, Dick Werkman. We are used to dealing with d ifferent cultures. Every country has its own specific conditions, threats and requirements, especially in real estate and building activities. Our clients know that we can deal with all these conditions. We feel lucky to be able to work with so many talented and well educated Ghanaian engineers. Of course we

» What is your vision on Africa’s future development? I would not dare to state an opinion about all of Africa. We are just involved in a small part of West Africa. For this area we have high hopes. The area is rich in energy and materials. In some countries there seems to be a kind of a sellout of these materials to Chinese partners. But I believe that this is different in Ghana. Ghana has the right political setting to become very successful in the long run. » In what ways do you cooperate with NABC? We have been a member for one year now. This means we are still looking for good ways to cooperate. We have attended some of the events and started to do some networking. We see some good chances there, but there is still much for us to learn.

Pieter van Boom is M anaging Director at Bartels Consulting Engineers. Together with his co-managing director, Taco Klevering, he is responsible for the international offices and expansion of Bartels.

NABC 2011 / 2012

Bartels Consulting Engineers expands to Ghana

Bartels Consulting Engineers is an inter national private partnership company with offices in Bulgaria, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Poland, The Netherlands and Turkey. With over 300 employees and 40 years of experience in the field, Bartels provides a wide range of consulting engineering services.

article

'extractive' institutes instead: high taxes and expropriation (land) would, in that light, have had a persistent negative effect on the structure of economic incentives in Africa, and would have therefore continued to be a hindrance to the development of the postcolonial economy.

What many economists cannot agree on is why Africa is the poorest region of the world. This question is of great importance because the answer directly influences the development policies of organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). For years and years, the models that have been used to describe the African economies were based on analyses of data gathered between 1950 and the present day. There was scarcely any reliable data on the first part of the 20th century. The dissatisfaction with the effectiveness of the policy advice of these organization has increasingly shifted the attention of development economists and economic historians to the long term perspective. Does the current 'growth tragedy' have deeper historic roots? Are there any structural obstructions hampering African economic development? Some economists emphasize the adverse g eographical location of the African continent. In comparison to other parts of the world, there is an increased prevalence of tropical infectious diseases, such as malaria. In addition, they claim that there were limited possibilities for developing the African trade network because of a relatively limited number of natural transportation routes. For instance, compared to Europe, Africa has fewer rivers, of which the majority is also much harder to access. On top of that, the continent has a very large interior, far removed from the coastlines. Africa's fragile ecosystem is also often mentioned as an obstacle when it comes to increasing agricultural production.

Lastly, there is a school of thought in the economic literature that points to the problems caused by a high degree of ethnic fragmentation - a phenomenon that certainly has strong historical roots, but which was intensified by the artificial borders that were created by the colonial powers in the 19th century. The idea is that the larger the ethnic diversity of a national state, the more difficult it is to reach a consensus on the distribution of political power and public goods, such as schools, infrastructure and hospitals. The high intensity of the slave trade between 1400 and 1900 (in which not only Europeans, but also Africans themselves played a large role) is said to have left a permanent scar on African societies because of a deeply seated inter-ethnic distrust.

Another group of economists has mostly emphasized the negative consequences of colonial rule. This is in itself not a novel idea. An earlier version, also known as the 'world system theory', argued that Europe caused the under development of Africa by making unfair trade agreements that were based on persistent exploitation. More recent studies on the long term consequences of colonialism focus more on the institutional heritage of the European dominance. Instead of institutions that stimulate growth, such as secure rights of ownership and access to important public services such as education, colonialism emphasized

What many economists cannot agree on is why Africa is the poorest region of the world

The explanations given above might differ in their primary causes, but all of them are marked by a certain p essimism, bordering on historical determinism; if the African growth potential was indeed affected by these structural b arriers - whether it be the adverse geographical location, the bad institutions or the ethnic diversity - one would be inclined to conclude: 'It was never particularly noteworthy and it isn't much now, so it will never become anything noteworthy'. After all, the implicit consequence of thinking in terms of structural barriers is that Africa was destined to be poor. Is this the right conclusion? Or is there enough evidence for a more optimistic vision? In my thesis I aim to prove that one of the problems of the studies mentioned above is that they were based on disputable statistical evidence. I will try to explain this in layman's terms. If the historical factor X (for instance, the intensity of slave trade in 1700) would produce outcome Y (a low level of economic development in 2000), and this relation is based on the assumption of a persistent effect (the consequences of factor X are persistent), then these negative consequences would have to exist throughout all three centuries between X and Y. In other words, the relation should constantly be statistically significant. But what if Y changed drastically throughout the years? What if the economic growth was a lot higher in for instance the 1920s, compared to the 1990s of the last century?

NABC 2011 / 2012

Development in Africa from a historical perspective:

The existence of a large gap between rich and poor is one of the most fundamental questions that has been racking the minds of our world's brightest minds. Economists all over the world agree on the fact that sub-Saharan Africa is by far the world's poorest and least developed region in the world. Looking at the Gross National Product per capita - the most frequently used international benchmark by which quality of life is measured - Africa is increasingly lagging behind other developing regions such as LatinAmerica and Asia. Other indicators for the quality of life, such as infant mortality rates, literacy rates and life expectancy at birth yield the same conclusion: a large number of African countries consistently rank at the bottom of international comparisons.

– ADVERTORIAL –

I use this example to illustrate that it is important to first know more about the actual functioning of the African economies under colonial rule, as opposed to the assumed functioning of these economies. We can of course assume that Y remained relatively unchanged throughout the years, but without empirical data such a conclusion will be merely speculation. Was Africa always worse off than other parts of the world? Answering this question means we have to try and map the colonial growth pattern as much as possible, regardless of how rare the quantitative material is. In my thesis I have tried to contribute to this by reconstructing the development of the purchasing power of the urban uneducated workers in eight BritishAfrican colonies during the period 1880-1945. My main question was: did the purchasing power of this group increase or decrease during this colonial period? Real income development is often used as an alternative for GDP data (the Y in the example above). Unfortunately, we do not have GDP data on Africa from before 1950, and it turns out to be difficult to reconstruct this benchmark. What we do have is income and pricing data. These numbers can give an even clearer picture of the development of the quality of life of the African wage worker than GDP data, because they are directly related to the income per member of a household. The disadvantage is that only a relatively small part of the native population was a wage worker in those days; the majority worked in self-sufficient agriculture. Therefore, for this group the crop yield is a much better benchmark for their quality of life than the real income levels. However, the group of wage workers grew substantially during the colonial period and their numbers can certainly not be neglected. Taken together, my data can give an indication of the overall economic dynamic and, indirectly, also the level of Y.

NABC 2011 / 2012

The outcome of my research uncovered a varied history of purchasing power development in British colonial Africa. On the one hand, the average wage worker in East Africa did not gain much, and their wages barely covered their daily living expenses. However, the situation in West Africa and Mauritius was very different; real wages increased quickly during the colonial era and were almost 300% above the level of South and East Asia. In some parts of Africa, Y therefore seems to be a lot higher than what was previously assumed, and it is hard to reconcile this data with the pessimistic tone that dominates the literature. There seems to be little historical evidence supporting the proposition that Africa is destined for poverty.

However, adopting a more optimistic view with regards to the functioning of West African economies should not be confused with the notion that colonialism 'wasn't as bad as they say'. Exploitation comes in many shapes and forms: psychological, social, physical, cultural, etc. For many Africans, the colonial era stands for oppression, humiliation and various forms of exploitation. In addi-

tion, the strong development of purchasing power is not necessarily an indication of 'good intentions' from the colonial government. In places where the control of the colonial powers over the local labour market was more absolute, such as East Africa, we see more extraction: lower wages and higher taxes.

Current pessimism with regards to the African growth potential has no historical basis It also does not necessarily mean that the colonial era had no negative long term consequences for the development of African economies. It is plausible that the negative economic heritage of colonialism did not fully surface until the post-colonial era. These kinds of associations or links are hard to discern with the current statistical analysis that is so often used by economists, and it demands a more thorough knowledge of the functioning of the African economies throughout the entire 20th century. The clearer picture we have of the years before 1950, the better we will be able to discern patterns of continuity and discontinuity in the history of African economic development. So what are the implications of this kind of research for creating effective development policies? First and foremost it shows that it is important to know where something went wrong in the past. We should not try to heal a patient based on a wrong diagnosis. Secondly, we should constantly remind ourselves that there is enormous variation within African economic growth patterns and that economic policies will have to take this diversity into account. Lastly, we have to acknowledge that the current pessimism with regards to the African growth potential has no historical basis. Looking at matters from a long term perspective seems to indicate that the crash of African economies in the seventies (and its aftermath) was more an exception than the rule. Let's hope that Y confirms this view in the year 2025.

PARTNERSHIP LEADS TO SUCCESS Innovative and hygienic Dutch meat technology for Africa In 2009 three Dutch companies NAWI, WINK PARTNERS and LINECO founded the Netherlands-African Meat Technology Partners. For innovative slaughtering and meat technology solutions for projects in Africa N-A MTP is your partner.

More than just a supplier Man. Dir. of LINECO Robert Lintvelt, experience with capital equipment projects in Africa since 1985, is responsible for marketing and export sales for N-A MTP in Africa: “We are more than just a supplier of slaughter systems. Together we design and do the engineering of complete a battoir solutions, cold stores, effluent treatment systems, rendering plants and all utilities and facilities. Meat processing and packaging solutions complete our range.” N-A MTP can handle all projects. From start capacities to the highest capacity industrial systems. From just the slaughter line to integrated turnkey solutions. Design, engineering, supply,

Marlous van Waijenburg studied Economic History at Utrecht University. Her master thesis, titled Living Standards in British Africa in a Comparative Perspective, 1880-1945. Is Poverty Destiny? received both the prize for best master thesis at the faculty of Humanities at Utrecht University, as well as the best thesis award from the International Institute for Social History and the Volkskrant. She is currently working on her dissertation in Chicago.

installation and, if needed, the entire project management.

High quality market High quality local market segments in Africa (business and tourist hotels, restaurants, retailers etc.) demand a safe and high quality meat. Hygienic and food safe slaughtering practices are a must to meet the requirements of the HQ market. Also in case the objective is to export meat products to international markets maximum hygiene during the entire production process plays a key role. N-A MTP supply slaughter systems of the highest EU quality and in full conformity with the highest hygiene and food safety norms.

NAWI, a global player Leading meat companies in the Nether lands, but also in the rest of EU, East Europe and worldwide, have chosen for NAWI slaughter, deboning and logistic systems. “The Dutch industry has high quality requirements and wants custom-made, but at the same time cost-effective solutions”, says Alfred Klunder, Sales Director of NAWI. “Since 1972 we have proven to be a leading player, innovative and customer-oriented.” Lintvelt emphasizes: “Innovative and proven technology developed by NAWI in close partnership with their numerous customers is now introduced by N-A MTP in emerging markets in Africa.”

Projects in Africa

 Demonstration to customer from Africa

In 2010 NAWI has delivered a s laughter line for cattle and sheep for a p roject in Tanzania. The abattoir will be operational in the near future. Lintvelt: “The choice for a high quality NAWI solution for Tanzania is a very

 Cattle in Ethiopia on the way to abattoir

good example of the attractive price / quality ratio. At the moment we develop similar projects in other African countries.”

Advice and consultancy Many abattoirs in Africa are old and need to be rehabilitated or upgraded. Specialists of WINK PARTNERS visit Africa to investigate the site, production lines and facilities of the old a battoirs and to recommend the most optimal solution. N-A MTP can advise on an operational and strategic level. Dick Wink, CEO of WINK PARTNERS: “If required we provide operational management and search for invest ment or trading partners. It is imperative to have an important network. With N-A MTP this is the case.”

Ethiopian cuisine During one of his visits to Ethiopia in 2009 his local business partner invited Lintvelt to enjoy the typical Ethiopian cuisine: Raw beef with injera (the pancake-like bread) and hot spices. Lintvelt: “I accepted the invitation. Our subsequent discussion about beef and the potential of the meat sector in Ethiopia triggered LINECO to join forces with NAWI and WINK. We founded N-A MTP and now support customers all over Africa with the realization of their projects.”

MORE INFORMATION info@namtp.nl www.namtp.nl

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1,95%

Carbon financing for energy projects in Africa?

'Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) for Dummies'

18%

Africa Asia and the Pacific Eastern Europe Latin America and the Carribean

0,5%

80% Percentages of approved CDM projects per region (Source: UNFCCC, March 2011)

Step 2 Present the project in detail in a socalled Project Design Document (PDD). In the PDD you apply an approved methodology to calculate the emission reductions that will be achieved by your project. If a suitable methodology does not yet exist, a new one has to be elaborated first. The PDD must also present an analysis of environmental and socio-economic impacts of the project. The PDD must be accompanied of a letter of approval from the government of the country where the project is going to be implemented.

Africa has the lowest electrification rate worldwide at 26% of all households, meaning that as many as 547 million people do not have access to electricity. According to the World Bank, the total financing need for Africa to solve the problem of poor power supply, is US$40 billion per annum, which is around 6.4% of the region‘s GDP. With a current average investment of US$19 billion in energy infrastructure per year, there is a remaining investment gap of more than 50%. The private sector plays a crucial role in increasing the access to energy in Africa. Companies operating in Africa can provide hardware (varying from small-scale solar systems to large-scale power plants), k now-how, business models and investment

capital. Dutch companies have proven to be successful in increasing a ccess to energy in countries such as South Africa, Tanzania, Malawi, Mali and Ghana. Nevertheless, business opportunities in Africa are not fully used. Lack of financing and a weak investment climate seem to be major obstacles for realising energy infrastructure projects in Africa. Additional finance generated through carbon credits may tip the balance in favour of the investment in certain cases. A relevant instrument in this context is the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) established under the Kyoto Protocol. Although some experts claim CDM has peaked already, it is remarkable that many companies for which the mechanism can be

relevant, are not yet fully aware of it. Most CDM projects have been developed in China and Brazil where investments in cleaner technologies in large polluting industries generate significant amounts of carbon credits. In Africa, the number of CDM projects is extremely low: less than 2% of the CDM projects is located on this continent. Out of a worldwide total of 457 million CERs annually generated, Sub-Saharan countries account for less than 10 million. The region hardly benefits of the carbon trading industry that has generated over 30 billion US dollars in investment capital for climate change efforts in a relatively short period. Unfamiliarity with CDM and complexity of its procedures undoubtedly contribute to the low level of successful collaboration between African and European players in developing CDM projects. Hence, is it time for a “CDM for Dummies”.

What is the Clean Development Mechanism? The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) was established under the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997 as part of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Protocol enables industrialised countries with a greenhouse gas reduction commitment (so-called ‘Annex 1 countries’), through the CDM, to achieve their emission reductions in developing countries. The philosophy behind it is that CDM projects in developing countries

often realise emission reduction at lower costs than similar reductions in industrialised countries. In order to qualify for CDM, the project must lead to emission reductions that are truly additional in comparison to the business as usual scenario (otherwise the CDM project activities would not contribute to a net decrease of global levels of greenhouse gas emissions). Emission reductions achieved with CDM projects are awarded credits called Certified Emission Reductions (CERs). One CER represents an emission reduction of one tonne of CO2 equivalent. A CO2 equivalent is the accounting unit . Other greenhouse gasses can be expressed in CO2 equivalent by using a multiplier reflecting the global warming potential of the particular greenhouse gas. For example, reducing methane (CH4) emissions by one ton would be equivalent to reducing CO2 emissions by 25 tons. The Kyoto Protocol recognises six different greenhouse gases (three natural and three synthetic gases). European companies in certain sectors are granted annually a specific budget for greenhouse gas e mission. The companies may either keep their emissions within the budget or buy CERs to expand their emission budget. CERs can be traded privately or in the international market. There are various market places for inter national trade in CERs such as NASDAQ OMX Commodities Europe, the European Climate Exchange (ECX), etc. Also banks and governments are significant

traders in CERs. Prices of CERs range from about € 22 mid 2008 to about € 10 early 2009. Current prices are around € 13. Apart from the trade in CERs, there is also a voluntary carbon market driven by companies and organizations aiming at achieving their own emission reduction targets. In the voluntary market, acknowledged emission reductions are called Verified Carbon Units (VCUs). Just as CERs, VCUs are used as credits for financing projects. However, unlike CERs, VCUs cannot be used by Annex I countries to comply with the emission reduction target under the Kyoto Protocol. This results in a price level of VCUs that is significantly lower as compared to CERs. We will focus on the CERs in the remainder of this article.

How can you use CDM for financing your project in Africa? Step 1 Describe the project idea in a so-called Project Idea Note (PIN) document. Ensure that you include a well-argued estimation of the emission reduction in the document. On the basis of the PIN, you may obtain a pre-validation (for example by TÜV or SGS) and a letter of support by the government of the country where the project is going to be implemented. Although this first step is not mandatory, it may be useful in assessing the feasibility of the CDM project and facilitate an early go / no go decision.

Organise validation of the PDD by an independent organization accredited by the CDM Executive Board of the UNFCCC (an executive body of the United Nations), such as TÜV, DNV or SGS. If the project receives a positive recommendation, you can officially register the CDM project at the CDM Execute Board of the UNFCCC.

Step 4 Implement the project and monitor the actual emission reductions on the basis of the approved m ethodology which includes an approach to monitor against a baseline emissions scenario. Provide monitoring reports and request for verification and certification.

Step 5 Organise verification by an international accredited organization, which is not the same as the one that did the validation (step 3). The verifier has to make statements on the integrity and accuracy of the monitoring reports.

Step 6 Request the CDM Executive Board of the UNFCCC to issue CERs on the basis of the verification reports (step 5). Once issued, you can sell the CERs on the international market places. In many cases, investors make upfront finance available for CDM projects on the basis of an emission reduction purchase agreement (ERPA). In fact, the investor buys the credits that

NABC 2011 / 2012

Step 3

Interview

will be generated in the future, thus providing finance for project implementation. Of course, the investor will calculate the risk of unsuccessful verification in the price offered for the CERs.

The future of the CDM as a source of investing capital is difficult to predict. The first budget period of the Kyoto Protocol will end after 2012. However, most experts believe that schemes such as the CDM will be continued after 2012 because economies are expected to continue supporting greenhouse gas reductions. Besides, much has been invested in CDM projects and ending the mechanism would be capital destruction. The political willingness to accept that is virtually non-existent. International agreements for the longer term are nevertheless crucial as pricing signals for CERs. The Copenhagen 2009 international climate conference did not result in concrete agreements as a follow up on the Kyoto Protocol. The Cancun 2010 international climate c onference was somewhat more successful. Expectations are high for the climate summit in Durban, end 2011. The global economic crisis caused decreasing demand and prices for CERs, because it enabled many companies to meet emission targets without

What are opportunities for CDM projects in Africa? According to UN statistics, most CDM projects have been realised in the category ‘clean’ energy followed by landfill projects. In Africa, investments in solar, wind, hydro-power and bio-fuels production have the potential to be financed partly through CERs. Large-scale ‘clean’ energy generation projects may offer good opportunities as CDM projects. These projects are interest-

This article has been written by Kim Geleynse, Fons de Zeeuw and Eveline Trines. Kim Geleynse and Fons de Zeeuw are working at the management consultancy firm Berenschot. Berenschot is active in many countries in Africa, s upporting multinationals and SMEs in developing new business. Berenschot is specialised in d eveloping business strategies, public-private partnerships, grants & financing. Eveline Trines works for Silvestrum, a consultancy firm specialised in the creation of carbon assets in the agriculture, forestry and land-use sector for compliance and voluntary markets worldwide, and the development of environmentally responsible and carbon neutral business strategies based on responsible land management in the same sector.

Contact information k.geleynse@berenschot.com f.dezeeuw@berenschot.com eveline.trines@silvestrum.com

Don't take it from me, but go see for yourself Her Excellency - Immaculée Uwanyiligira, Ambassador to the Republic of Rwanda » What were your thoughts on the Netherlands and the Dutch before coming here? What were your expectations and did they turn out to be correct? I came here with a completely open heart and mind, with no e xpectations other than to focus on my job. I have been delighted to find that The Hague is such a livable city: green, friendly, and relatively slow-paced compared to New York, where I was previously based.

» What are currently the most promising sectors in Rwanda for the Dutch to invest in? What does Rwanda do to attract foreign investment? The field is wide open. Two important growth sectors are agriculture (agroprocessing, animal husbandry, seeds, irrigation and water harvesting, etc.) and energy (hydro-electricity, methane gas extraction, LED technology transfer, solar power, etc.), but there are many other sectors that are very promising.

» Do you have specific goals that you wish to achieve while you are here? What are your priorities as a relatively new ambassador in the Netherlands? Of course! First and foremost, I would like to cement bilateral relations between Rwanda and the Netherlands. I also realize that there is little or no trade between our two countries and that in fact many people in the business community and the population in general do not know or understand Rwanda. I therefore will work toward changing that, by promoting Rwanda in the business community and beyond as an attractive investment and tourism destination.

» Can you give some advice to Dutch businessmen that might be going to Rwanda for the first time? Would you have any specific business advice or any tips with regards to local customs? Is there a typical Rwandan style of doing business? I would say: Rwanda is ready for you; are you ready for Rwanda? We are open for business. Well-respected indicators speak for us (such as the World Bank Group's 'Doing Business' index and Transparency Inter national's favorable rating on corruption), but I encourage those who seriously consider doing business in Rwanda to just visit the country first. Visit the Dutch embassy, and talk to

Rabobank and Heineken, two companies that are already well established in Rwanda. Don’t take it from me, but go see for yourself. And our local customs? Averting one’s gaze does not signify dishonesty; it is a sign of respect for the person you are talking with. A warm handshake extends to the elbow, and don’t say no when someone offers you something; it is considered rude. With regards to doing business, I would advise anyone to keep in mind that Rwandans are not as direct as the Dutch. A typical conversation, even on serious issues, starts with a slow warm up, made up of greetings and pleasantries. » How would you like to cooperate with NABC in the future? I think that the services you offer that connect Dutch businesses with A frican economies and markets are very unique. I would like to avail myself of every opportunity to cooperate with NABC in this endeavor. » What is your favorite Dutch dish? My favorite savory dish would be Stamppot, and my favorite sweet dish is vlaai.

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What are future perspectives on the CDM carbon market?

much effort as production decreased anyway. Current economic recovery and political intentions to realise significant emission reductions may contribute to increasing demand and prices for CERs in the near future. It is beyond questioning that Africa offers ample opportunities for smart initiatives to address the large scale need for energy. Taking into account the criticism on the impact of CDM projects thus far (little innovation, low long-term sustainability, unbalanced regional focus), it is more o bvious that CDM projects in Africa will be strongly encouraged. This is also proven by the diverse available grant schemes to support climate saving initiatives and investments in renewable energy. Grants in combination with carbon-financing mechanisms make it worthwhile to investigate investment opportunities on the African continent.

ing for urban and industrial centres in countries such as Nigeria, DRC, Tanzania and Ethiopia. However, two third of the African population live scattered in rural areas. For these areas, small-scale renewable energy solutions (off-grid lighting, biogas installations, innovative woodstoves) are very relevant. If well designed, combined investments in small-scale energy solutions also qualify as CDM projects. Many Dutch companies offer relevant (components of) energy solutions for urban and rural Africa. By being creative and developing alliances with African partners, these products can be at the basis of interesting CDM projects. And the finance obtained by generating CERs can just make the difference between a project that is financially and commercially viable or not.

Interview

Chiem van Houweninge Jr., Blue Dolphin Entertainment Group » What exactly is the Blue Dolphin Entertainment Group and what are your activities? The Blue Dolphin Entertainment group (BDEG) is a film/TV production company, but I guess these days we are more an all media production company. We produce all kinds of media such as films, TV-series, commercials, documentaries and corporate films. And of course these days we are also active in smartphone applications and iPad magazines. You could call us a one-stop shop. Any client can come in with an idea and we help realizing that idea from A to Z.

» Are there any particular countries in Africa that you would like to work in? I worked in many already, so I am open to any suggestions! » To conclude, do you have any plans of setting up a production company in Africa in the near future? That would be wonderful! Africa has many things to offer. Amazing locations, wonderful people and it is comparatively affordable to film there. Of course the weather, compared to the Netherlands, is also something that helps! I think the production company/film school idea would be a nice way to start something there. One of our productions that made a big impression on me was the commercial that we made for the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. We filmed in South African townships and met Nelson Mandela. It was an experience that I will never forget.

NABC 2011 / 2012

» How is BDEG involved in Africa? We have been active in Africa for many years now. We have filmed in Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda and very often in South Africa. We mainly shoot commercials and documentaries, but we have also done corporate films and promotional films about the country or a certain area. I love going to Africa to work. It is a beautiful continent and many of its people are very hospitable.

» In September 2010, BDEG joined the NABC trade mission to Cape Verde. What made you decide to join us and what did you gain by it? Several good friends of mine are Cape Verdean, and they live in Rotterdam. They told me that maybe I could start something in Cape Verde. I had never been there, so the NABC trade mission was a good opportunity for us to figure out whether we could start something there. During the trip I talked with some people in the film/TV industry and basically they all told me that the Cape Verdean film/ TV sector is rather undeveloped. If I recall correctly there is just one Cape Verdean channel that broadcasts on all the islands and people can also receive several Portuguese and Brazilian channels. Starting a production company there is possible, but first you will need to extend the broadcasting facilities (TV network), upgrade the equipment and of course educate the crew, and only then can you start producing programs within Cape Verde. All this will cost a lot of money and time. So to just go there and start a production company is

not so simple. However, I enjoyed Cape Verde very much. It is a b eautiful country with a very interesting history that few people know about, so during the trip I got some ideas for documentaries about Cape Verdean history. To also make this idea interesting for Cape Verde, I came up with the idea of setting up a production company and combining it with a media school, where we can train crews that will help us in creating the documentaries. This way we can develop and professionalize the film/ TV industry within Cape Verde while simultaneously promoting the country abroad at the same time. I hope we can make this happen.

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Chinese competition in Africa What can we do about it? By Yves De Moor, Group DML Belgium, www.dmltrading.eu

Too often we believe cheap labor allows the Chinese to push Western companies out of the African market through dumping; selling goods at prices below 'fair value' and thereby driving out competitors. Well, you are wrong about dumping and wrong about labor cost being the driving factor when it comes to winning tenders.

In my study “Profitable financing & business concepts for Africa”, which I have proposed to the European Commission DG Trade and DG Industry & Entrepreneurship, I explain how a united Europe can secure access to raw materials and get a grip on their cost price. I proposed setting up a EU Mining Investment Fund, to acquire mines abroad so that the EC as a political institute can guarantee our industry access to minerals. Our industry is currently at the mercy of greedy mining companies that are being financed by speculative investors on stock exchanges. In addition, we might soon also find ourselves depending heavily on China due to its continuing efforts of creating monopolies on raw materials, similar to what it is doing with the fourteen rare earth metals. My suggestions with regards to removing energy disadvantages are more complex because the liberalization of the energy sector in Europe has not led to lower energy costs, but to extortion prices from companies like Suez, who do not care about our industry.

Forget clichés Forget the cliché about the Chinese doing everything cheaper than anyone else; in general, they charge the real cost price of the project (20 to 40%) as a down payment or mobilization cost. This means that all other intermediate invoices from the state Companies for construction during building time are pure profit. This is shifted from accounts receivables to the China Eximbank or China Development Bank, which wrap it up into a graciously offered long term credit line. In essence, China does not invest so much as 1 dollar cent into the African infrastructure. The whole credit line showcase is a farce and a rip-off. In addition, a subrogation clause between the African state in question and Sinopec - the Chinese state company for oil & gas - serves as collateral: in case of arrears, Sinopec will simply deduct the arrears from the oil bill and transfer the money to the Eximbank. Europeans do not use these mechanisms. Forget the other cliché about the Chinese having an appetite for risky loans; with minerals or fossil energies they use even safer collateral than the West, which relies mostly on African sovereign guarantees. If you buy oil in a certain country, but you also make huge profits in that same country on infrastructure, then you can use that profit to pass on your energy at reduced prices to your own steel mills. This explains why the Chinese industry pays 197% less for energy than the European industry.

It starts in the mine A second pillar of China’s competitive advantage is that state companies owned by Chinese provinces acquire mines abroad. An example to clarify: in Brazil, China bought the Itaminas iron ore mine near Belo Horizonte. They paid US$ 1.2 Bn for 1.3 Bn MT of reserves or less than US$1/MT. When you know that iron ore is currently sold at US$1.53/MT, it becomes clear why China manages to produce steel at a 60-70% lower cost price, even taking into account extraction costs + inland shipping to the nearest port. This explains why China is so successful in the downstream level of value-added consumer goods. It all starts in the mine. That is why I believe Europe should also buy mines to make its industry competitive.

But what can we do in infrastructure to compete with the Chinese? We need to create new financing instruments that backup our contractors, so that we can offer genuine credit lines and thus make European companies more attractive to work with. Group DML has developed a new financing mechanism: the EIB Bank Guarantee. Currently, we lobby the whole European midfield, dozens of associations and federations, the EIB, the EC and we even call for support from the African Union, Ecowas and Comesa. The EIB Bank Guarantee for infrastructure in Africa is created out of the sovereign guarantees from the 27 EU member states, which cover the EIB when it issues bank guarantees in favor of African nations. Of course, there are two binding conditions: the bank guarantee must be converted into operational credit lines among a pool of European commercial banks and the project must be awarded to a European contractor, or a consortium with a European partnership. We believe this could bring in between US$20-50 Bn of business to European contractors, annually. For the next 10 years, the WB has estimated the African infrastructure market at US$940 Bn. With the EIB Bank Guarantees, EU-contractors can compete using the same set of tools as the Chinese. Another way to make inroads into Africa is to form an alliance between industry, mining and the construction sector, and to offer 'infrastructure-for-minerals' barter deals, whereby African nations can finally pay with their unexploited natural resources. Contact the editor if you are interested in this win-win formula for the three partners involved: the African nation, the contractors and the

EU-Industry. This concept also addresses the concerns of the EC in general and in particular the EU-Commissioner for Industry, Mr. Tajani.

Private public projects Although you might say “no” at first, please take a closer look at PPP (Private-Public-Projects) before jumping to conclusions. PPP are far more interesting than you might think at first. Whereas the Chinese are not really investing in long-term projects, a PPP is your secured entry ticket to major projects. As shareholder you participate with an unsolicited bid. Convert a part of your upgraded profit margin into equity and you can call yourself a shareholder. Whether that is for a toll road, airport, seaport or hydroenergy, you will enjoy some return on your investment, or even the revenues of an OPRC-maintenance contract. Once the debt is paid back, the value of your share might have tripled or grown tenfold. Above all, it will improve your reputation in Africa and bring you more business. Finally, your intentions with regards to Africa should not be to make a quick dollar and leave, but to discover the continent and settle down. Africa will become the next frontier for industrialization once there is a decent infrastructure and a sufficient energy supply. I doubt whether China will do much to make Africa a competitor to the Chinese industry. So, gentlemen, make sure that you, as a European company, have front row seats when that process of industrialization starts in Africa. Meanwhile, invest in training Africans. With increasing political stability and being so close to natural resources, Africa has all the ingredients to become your most successful foreign investment.

NABC 2011 / 2012

China’s success is only partially influenced by cheap labor, because we can also find cheap labor in Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh or even within Africa. Cheap labor is therefore not their only reason for dominance. Rather, their success is based on two other elements: • compared to Europe, the cost of energy for Chinese industries is 197% lower • cheaper raw materials through M&A of mines by Chinese state companies This gives Chinese companies a lot more leverage and explains why they for instance manage to produce steel that is 60 to 70% cheaper than European or American steel.

China approaches an African country within the framework of bilateral treaties that include procurement of (more) oil and gas and an interest in extracting minerals. Aiming at parity in these trade relations, China proposes that, in exchange for so much buying power, they will build infrastructure and offer credit lines at low interest rates and 2-3 years grace. They know African leaders are blinded by the fact that credit is offered. Unlike the WB, AfDB and the EIB, the Chinese do not interfere and do not demand good governance as a condition. With no competition from Europe due to a lack of financing instruments for EU-contractors, China can operate on a virtually empty playing field, charging extortion prices with profit margins of up to 60-80%.

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Dutch private sector enters meat and poultry sector Ethiopia By Luc van Kemenade

Ethiopia has the largest livestock sector on the African continent, and offers excellent prospects for breeding, producing and processing of meat, milk and eggs. What is the state of the Ethiopian meat and poultry sector and is it worthwhile to invest? The Dutch private sector went on a trading mission to find out.

The delegation is part of a trade mission organized by the NetherlandsAfrican Business Council (NABC), in close cooperation with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Addis Ababa. The panoramic views symbolize what Ethiopia has to offer: enormous plots of fertile soil, favourable climate conditions and, with over 49 million cattle, 25 million sheep, 21 million goats and 12 million chickens, the largest livestock sector on the African continent.

In the last few years, Ethiopia has become a significant exporter of meat. Cattle, camels, goats and sheep are being shipped out to the M iddle East on a daily basis. While most animals are exported alive, some slaughterhouses have started exporting goat and sheep meat to inter national markets on a small scale. Tesfalidet Hagos, general manager at Luna Export Slaughterhouse in Modjo, says the meat industry in Ethiopia has scarcely hatched and has not developed enough to facilitate the export of slaughtered cattle in addition to goats and sheep. The

Dennis Janssen, sales manager at MPS Meat Processing Systems, sees many possibilities with regards to expanding the meat sector in Ethiopia. “It all depends on the dedication of foreign investors”, he says. “The market is there: meat demands from the Middle East are huge. If Ethiopian slaughterhouses install the right equipment and put proper management in place, they have the potential to become a success story.” With the right marketing strategy to improve the image of Ethiopian meat, it might even be possible to successfully enter the strictly regulated European market, he says. Compared to the meat industry, poultry farming in Ethiopia is still underdeveloped. For Jacques de Lange, general manager at Plumex Plc., this has been a disappointment: “I didn’t expect the sector to be this smallscale”, he says. According to Paul van de Ven, head of the trade mission, the momentum for investment in the poultry sector is there. He says Ethiopian livestock is slowly decreasing in number due to droughts in different regions. Breeding table poultry and layer hens requires less land, and on top of that there is the advantage of the profitable combination of both chicken and egg. "With layers in particular you have a great opportunity to enter a large market”, Van de Ven assures. “After all, eggs are affordable to almost everyone.” According to Van de Ven, the p oultry sector in Ethiopia is in need of substantial investments to boost the industry. He thinks foreign investors should join hands with local entre-

The ‘Ethiopian way’ Bilateral relations between the Netherlands and Ethiopia are excellent, says Ingrid Korving, who attended the trade mission as a representative of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation. The idea of 'trade instead of aid', central to the current Dutch government policy towards development countries, has been practiced for years in Ethiopia. “We call it ‘the Ethiopian way’”, says Korving, who works as sub-Saharan Africa policy advisor to the Ministry. “It means that governments work closely together with private sectors and stakeholders, such as sector and aid organizations. We only support sectors in which we have added value, which is for instance the case in horticulture. The main goal is to set up a healthy and sustainable industry that is run by the private sector.” The horticultural sector in Ethiopia is a good example of this strategy. In a few years, the Dutch and Ethiopian governments, together with the private sectors of both countries, have managed to build up a profitable sector from scratch. It turned Ethiopia into a significant global supplier of flowers, dominating world markets.

NABC 2011 / 2012

The stables of chicken farm Parentstock Assegedech are located in the green highlands of Oromiya, the region surrounding the Ethiopian capital city Addis Ababa. Fifteen entrepreneurs, all of them involved in meat processing or activities relating to poultry farming, gape in admiration at the abundant and idyllic landscape in which local farmers herd their cattle, sheep and goats.

In the stable of the small-scale chicken farm, layer hens are milling around. A spontaneous and profound discussion starts amongst the entrepreneurs. The roosters are too aggressive and hurt the hens, says one entrepreneur. The nests are positioned too low, says another. Peter Bart Lichtenbeld, sales manager at Vencomatic, points at a tray of cracked eggs. “I estimate the number of damaged eggs at three percent”, he says. “That is way too much for a small company like this.” The visit pushes the spirit of enterprise: “What this farm needs is a semiautomatic treadmill that can deliver eggs safely”, Lichtenbeld says. “I will start designing one as soon as I get home.”

production is not sufficient enough to be profitable and the slaughterhouses lack the proper equipment. It is difficult to meet the high demands the international markets set for beef, Tesfalidet says. The ready-made meat has to be boneless and meet strict packing requirements. “This would require drastic changes in my slaughterhouse”, he says. “And I need an investor to achieve that.”

Trade Missions 2011

preneurs to develop and professionalize the sector. Van de Ven, a poultry expert himself, calls upon local poultry farmers to drop the idea of chicken farming as a backyard business, an attitude still widespread in Ethiopia, and pay special attention to proper chicken feed. He deems feed vital in the process of becoming a successful farmer. “This is still highly underestimated”, he says.

So far the Ethiopian poultry sector lags behind the meat sector. Meat is important for the Ethiopian economy because it brings in much-needed foreign currency. Because of the export potential of their products,

The entrepreneurs attending the trade mission have no doubt about it: both the meat and the poultry sector in Ethiopia offer excellent opportunities for investment. But vital to a smooth entrance in Ethiopia is a trustworthy local partner. The Dutch private sector prefers to work with established local companies that have gained experience and are, to a certain extent, financially independent. The private sector in Ethiopia shows great interest in partnering up: more than h undred local companies registered for the seminar organized by NABC and the Dutch Embassy during the trade mission. This resulted in a meet and greet at which entrepreneurs from both countries introduced themselves and exchanged business plans. A trade mission can only be called successful if actual partnerships o ccur. Geert Westenbrink, Agricultural Counsellor of the Dutch Embassy in Addis Ababa, says he is very content to see interest from the private sector in meat and poultry and praises the swift results that the trade mission has achieved. “I have been told that some companies have found a local partner and already sealed a deal”, he says. “This exceeds all my expectations.”

Westenbrink clearly refers to Michael Kampschöer, sales director at Pas Reform Hatchery Technologies. The Dutch entrepreneur embraced his Ethiopian partner Mikias Albert. He says to have achieved far more during the trade mission than he expected. Kampschöer and Mikias had already been in touch before the trade mission and even made plans to set up a chicken farm together. The plans changed during the mission: they decided to establish three farms. “The first sea container carrying hatchers is already under way”, Kampschöer says. “My main goal during this mission was to explore the market p ossibilities for a spring chicken farm and to finally meet my partner Mikias, but matters developed much faster than I expected. I soon found out that this market is wide open!”

NABC Trade Missions Algeria Water Sector 16 – 20 October, 2010 Algiers See page 52

What Ethiopia has to offer Besides natural resources such as fertile land, easy accessible water supplies and favourable climate conditions, there are other factors that make Ethiopia an interesting target for Dutch investors. The country in the Horn of Africa is politically stable and has shown a steady economic growth for years in a row. It has a young population and an expanding middle class, which assures a large market and a cheap labour force. International markets in the Middle East and Europe are relatively close and easily accessible through the internationally awarded Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa and the harbour in neighbouring Djibouti, which is managed by DP World, a Dubai-based company. The Ethiopian government has proven to be dedicated to economic development. It has set ambitious growth targets for the agricultural sector, which it plans to double in the next five years. In order to achieve that aim, foreign investors receive a warm welcome.

Nigeria Agricultural sector 21 – 27 February, 2010 Lagos, Abuja and Kano See page 48

Burundi Agriculture, Construction & Tourism

Angola Agricultural sector 30 May – 5 June, 2010 Lubango, Huambo, Lobito, Waku Kungo & Luanda See page 50

6 – 10 December, 2010 Bujumbura, Nyanza Lac & Gitega See page 54

NABC 2011 / 2012

In comparison to other African countries, Ethiopia has the advantage of growing almost every kind of grain imaginable. “You’ve got cereal, maize, soy and spin-off products here”, Van de Ven says. “Those are perfect ingredients for producing high-quality, high-protein feed.” He mentions the Dutch company Alema Koudijs Feed in Debre Zeit as an example. This company, supported by the Private Sector Initiative (PSI) of the Dutch government, is considered to be a pioneer in the poultry sector. Van de Ven: “Alema Koudijs Feed has demonstrated that it is possible to locally produce high-quality poultry feed.”

companies involved in meat export enjoy many tax incentives. Although there are possibilities to expand to markets in neighbouring countries in the future, the Ethiopian poultry sector mainly focuses on the local market. Therefore it hasn’t been targeted by the Ethiopian government’s incentive policy. Van de Ven hopes the authorities will soon realize that the poultry sector is in dire need of a stimulus. He mentions the chicken feed as a field of attention. The right ingredients are there but, in order to produce high-quality feed, have to be complemented with minerals and vitamins from abroad. “Companies that import vitamins and minerals are charged with 55 percent import taxes”, he says. “This causes feed prices to go up and thereby negatively affects prices in the entire sector.”

Trade Missions 2011

“This trade mission really got us thinking about the whole African continent and the possibilities for our company” Bob Holtermans, Mush Comb 21 – 27 Februa ry, 2010

Cities v isited: Lagos, Abuja and Ka no

“NABC opened doors and offered contacts whom I was not able to reach myself. When are we going again?”

“NABC opened up all the right channels with the right contacts, from the Minister of Agriculture to leading local business persons!”

Anne-Marit van Hoeve, AM International Search

Sheila Speed, PTC+

Nigeria

Participating companies

Program Highlights

Organizing partners

About Nigeria (2010)

Top 3 sectors

1. SPAR International 2. AM International Search 3. Mush Comb 4. Duyvis Wiener 5. Fast Forward Freight 6. Prime Food Products 7. ISPS 8. Intercommerce 9. EUCORD & Nigerian Markets 10. PTC + 11. Interfood 12. GEA Refrigeration Netherlands 13. Eco Fish 14. Afrimission

22 February Company visits Nigerian Breweries (Heineken) and Friesland Campina: “Learn from your Dutch colleagues”. 23 February Networking reception with Nigerian private sector in Lagos: sponsored by the Fidelity Bank. 25 February Doing Business in the Nigerian agricultural sector, by PricewaterhouseCoopers & Nigerian Investment Promotion Council. 27 February Company visit Dala Foods in Kano: “The enormous forgotten consumer market of Northern Nigeria”.

1. Embassy of the Republic of Nigeria – The Hague 2. Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands – Abuja 3. Nigerian-Netherlands Chamber of Commerce 4. Ministry of Agriculture, Nature & Food Quality (Netherlands) 5. NL Agency International

Population 154.7m GDP growth 7.4% FDI USD 5.6bn Aid flows USD 1.3bn Inflation 11.9%

1. Agriculture 2. Crude Petroleum & Natural Gas 3. Wholesale & Retail trade

* Statistics from The Africa Report

* Statistics from African Economic Outlook

(www.theafricareport.com)

(www.africaneconomicoutlook.org)

(GDP per sector)

36.5% 32.3% 15.9%

Top Companies

Sector

Turnover (USD) Turnover change

1. MTN Nigeria 2. OANDO 3. ZAIN Nigeria 4. Flour Mills Nigeria 5. Total Nigeria 6. Nigerian Breweries

Telecom Petroleum Telecom Agribusiness Petroleum Beverages

4.5bn 2.2bn 1.3bn 1.2bn 1.1bn 1.1bn

* Statistics from The Africa Report (2010) (www.theafricareport.com)

+34.76% -8.16% -20.51% +30.53% -6.85% +4.5%

Dutch Business news Nigeria 2010 7 May, 2010 Innovation Award Friesland Campina for milk in sachet in Nigeria (Agripers) 23 August, 2010 Spar opens first supermarket in Nigeria (Bloomberg) 21 January, 2011 Heineken buys five breweries in Nigeria (Financieel Dagblad)

NABC 2011 / 2012

Agricultural sector

Trade Missions 2011

– 30 May 10 0 2 , 5 June isited:

Cities v uambo, o, H Lubang aku Kungo W , o Lobit da & Luan

“Angola is a country well-endowed with fertile land and water resources, with great potential for lucrative investments in its largely untapped agricultural sector.” Precious Mugadza (Tradin Organic)

ANGOLA

Mark Terken (T&D Colours and Commodities BV)

Participating companies

Program Highlights

Organizing partners

About Angola (2010)

Top 3 sectors

1. Fugro Angola 2. International Business Group 3. Miedema 4. T&D Colours & Commodities 5. The Friesian 6. HZPC 7. Semplo Assist 8. Altera - WUR 9. STET Holland BV 10. Tahal Group 11. Tradin Organic Agriculture B.V. 12. Van Hall Larenstein University 13. Rumptstad 14. Agrotechnology Consult Africa B.V.

30 May – 3 June Overland tour from Lubango to Luanda (1400KM): firsthand experience of Angola’s agricultural fertility. 2 June Visit Agricultural Farm on road to Waku Kungo: Farmers in the Field

1. E mbassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands – Luanda 2. Ministry of Agriculture, Nature & Food Quality (Netherlands) 3. NL Agency International 4. Wageningen University & Research Centre

Population 18m GDP growth 9.3% FDI USD 15.5bn Aid flows USD 241.2m Inflation 14%

1. Oil & Gas 57.9% 2. Services 17.9% 3. Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing 6.8%

* Statistics from The Africa Report

(www.africaneconomicoutlook.org)

(GDP per sector)

* Statistics from African Economic Outlook

(www.theafricareport.com)

Top Companies

Sector

1. Sonangol 2. Cataco Sociedade Mineira

Petroleum 22.4bn Mining

Turnover (USD) Turnover change 461m

* Statistics from The Africa Report (2010) (www.theafricareport.com)

-15.6% unknown

Dutch Business news Angola 2010 25 February 2010 Heerema Marine C ontractors to build shipyard in Angola (AfricaNews) 27 August 2010 Boskalis wins Soyo LNG Port Dredging Project Angola (LNG World News)

NABC 2011 / 2012

Agricultural sector

“The trade mission has given me the necessary insights and contacts to develop my relations in this vast and challenging country, which has so many opportunities”

Trade Missions 2011

16 – 20 Octobe r, 2010 Cities v is

ited Algiers :

“All our meetings were very valuable as we had the right contacts at the right level with the water authorities in Algeria. The B2B meetings were also interesting. We will definitely pursue our market approach in Algeria in the future.” Michiel Koelen (Norit X Flow)

Algeria

Participating companies

Program Highlights

Organizing partners

About Algeria (2010)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

17 October Conference in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and a Matchmaking with the Algerian public sector at ANBT. 18 October Company visits KPMG Algeria, Heineken, and the drinking water authority Algérienne des Eaux (ADE).

1. Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands – Algiers 2. NL Agency International

Population 34.9m 1. MTN Nigeria GDP growth 3.8% 1. SONATRACH FDI USD 2.8bn 2. NAFTAL Aid flows USD 316m 3. Orascom Telecom Inflation 5.5% Algerie * Statistics from The Africa Report 4. Soc. Nat. De L’elec(www.theafricareport.com) tricite et du Gaz 5. Cevital 6. Cosider

Burdock Group Denys B.V. Fugro Geotechnique Landustrie Sneek Ovivo Holland B.V. Norit X-Flow B.V.

Top 3 sectors

(GDP per sector)

1. Petroleum 2. Services 3. Construction

54.6% 20% 9.3%

* Statistics from African Economic Outlook (www.africaneconomicoutlook.org)

Top Companies

Sector

Turnover (USD) Turnover change

Telecom Petroleum Petroleum

4.5bn 47.4bn 3.4bn

+34.76% -33.4% +0.41%

Telecom

1.9bn

-0.93%

Electricty & Gas 1.8bn Agribusiness 1.7bn Construction 821m

* Statistics from The Africa Report (2010) (www.theafricareport.com)

+3.54% -0.65% +19.24%

NABC 2011 / 2012

Water Sector

Trade Missions 2011

6 – 10 , ber Decem 0 201

isited: Cities v Nyanza bura, Bujum itega c La & G

“The matchmaking was very efficient and has resulted in at least 9 concrete applications for projects.”

“The trade mission was well organized and Burundi has a huge potential with regards to our product.”

Leander Petit (PUM)

Rokus Oskam (Oskam v/f)

burundi

Participating companies

Program Highlights

Organizing partners

About Burundi (2010)

1. Intercommerce 2. Tricomp 3. CLEV 4. EMSA Emerging Market 5. Alliance Plus 6. Advance Consulting 7. Meskel 8. Oskam v/f 9. Remco Ruimtebouw 10. Access Rwanda 11. PUM 12. NL Agency International

8 December Matchmaking seminar at Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika, with over 50 representatives from the Burundi Private Sector 10 December Company Visit Brarudi (Heineken) – Tour through the brewery and presentation by Manager Brarudi René van der Graaf

1. E mbassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands – Bujumbura 2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs 3. IZERE

Population 8.3m GDP growth 3.9% FDI USD 10m Aid flows USD 509m Inflation 7.2% * Statistics from The Africa Report

Top 3 sectors

(GDP per sector)

1. Agriculture 43.5% 2. Non-market services 23.5% 3. Market Services 13.1% * Statistics from African Economic Outlook (www.africaneconomicoutlook.org)

(www.theafricareport.com)

Dutch Business news Burundi 2010 4 November, 2010 New Joint Venture to Boost Entrepreneurship in Burundi (USAID/ NL Embassy) 18 December, 2010 Award-winning Dutch investor hopeful for Burundi (Radio Netherlands Worldwide) 16 March, 2011 Burundi Brewer Brarudi says sales up 21 pct (The Africa Report)

'Doing business in Burundi is only for true entrepreneurs. It's one of the least known countries on the African continent, and business enablers like information technology, infrastructure and availability of data are in its infancies. The predominantly young population is demanding peace and progress. Democracy is fragile, yet several years of piece, relative political stability and the recent membership of the promising East African Community are creating the best starting point for economic growth in almost two decades. Brarudi (59,3% Heineken, 40,7% Government of Burundi) is a prime example that sustainable profit growth can be delivered. To date, we are among the few companies that prove that year after year. We herewith challenge anyone with a good business idea, the courage to trust their instinct, the determination to overcome unexpected obstacles and the desire to combine business performance with seeing a country rebuilding itself, to come to Burundi. We will gladly share an ice-cold Primus with anyone who takes on this challenge!'.

NABC 2011 / 2012

Agriculture, Construction & Tourism

René van der Graaf – Managing Director Brarudi

Events 2010 Seminar Doing Business in Nigeria

Workshop Discover the Lion - Affordable Housing

21 January At KPMG Amstelveen

6 May At FMO – The Dutch Development Bank, The Hague In cooperation with NCDO

NABC New Year’s Cocktail 21 January At Heineken Experience Amsterdam Keynote speaker: Frank Heemskerk, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs

Seminar Investing in Africa Achieving a fair share for all

Workshop Discover the Lion Sustainable Energy 11 June At FMO – The Dutch Development Bank, The Hague In cooperation with NCDO.

JOIN THE CLUB! NABC Africa Business Club September

Business Summit Netherlands Africa

16 September Speaker Ties Kroezen - NICE International At Crowne Plaza Hotel, The Hague

3 November At Castle de Wittenburg, Wassenaar In cooperation with Stichting Toekomstbeeld der Techniek (STT) Keynote Speakers: Ayo Salami Duet Group, Dr. Jasper Grosskurth - STT and many more. Gold Sponsor Vlisco Other sponsors: Rabobank, ICCO, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Agriculture.

Round Table Cameroon 23 September Experts from the engineering company Labogenie and Ministry of Public Works Cameroon At FMO – The Dutch Development Bank, The Hague

27 January At Clifford Chance LLP Amsterdam Keynote speaker: Anthony Burgmans Former CEO of Unilever

Seminar Doing Business in East Africa

Seminar Doing Business in West Africa

16 November At Larive International, Zeist Speakers: John Small – Eastern Africa Association and Saidi Bukenya-The Investors Club Ltd.

18 February At Novotel, The Hague In cooperation with PUM Netherlands Senior Experts.

The network of choice for entrepreneurs in Africa NABC was founded in 1946 as a network organization for 200 Dutch companies that were, or wanted to become, active in Africa. We have since then become an important catalyst for setting up and expanding business interests on the African continent. Our contacts are in virtually every African country and our excellent relations with the Dutch and African governments make NABC a very effective network. NABC is not only interesting for companies that are already active in Africa, but also for Dutch companies with little to no experience in Africa.

An effective network; the basis for commercial success in Africa Every year, NABC organizes a large number of sector-specific activities in The Netherlands and Africa. In addition, NABC has become known for its well organized incoming and outgoing trade missions, matchmaking between African and Dutch companies, participation in trade fairs and its successful networking events. We also perform market research at the request of individual members. A unique aspect of NABC is that all our activities are supported by companies that are already active in Africa and put their experience and network at the disposal of other members.

NABC Barbecue Workshop Discover the Lion: Poultry and Meat Processing 24 March At Vencomatic, Eersel

Doing Business in Algeria 25 March

24 June At Strand Zuid Amsterdam With LIVE World Cup 2010 MATCH Netherlands – Cameroon Sponsored by Damen Shipyards, SGS and Fast Forward Freight

26 August At Port of Amsterdam Keynote Speaker – Karl Schlumpf Swisscham Africa

Seminar Doing Business in North Africa 9 September At Chamber of Commerce, The Hague

Incoming Trade Mission Nigeria 6 & 7 October At Chamber of Commerce Rotterdam

NABC Africa Business Club October 21 October Speakers Andy Kers Steder - Group and Lex Lindeman - HR Boosters for Africa. Sponsored by Steder Group At Crown Plaza Hotel, The Hague

Incoming Trade Mission Republic of Congo 22 - 26 November 11 companies from Brazzaville and Point Noire

Annual African Ambassadors Dinner 16 December At Crowne Plaza Hotel, The Hague. Keynote Speakers Peter van Lieshout (WRR Report: Less Pretention, More Ambition) and H.E. Immaculée Uwanyiligira, Ambassador of Rwanda

Perhaps you see new possibilities for your company after reading our magazine, and wish to seize the opportunities that Africa has to offer. NABC membership costs € 650 per year. Freelancers get a 50% discount and private individuals can get a personal membership. If you make active use of our services, you will quickly earn your money back!

You can apply for membership on our website by clicking the button: JOIN US! After you have signed up, we will invite you for an extensive intake session and we will ensure an adequate follow-up. Also important to know is that NABC is a member of EBCAM, a European business network of nearly 3000 companies. By joining NABC, you also gain access to this extensive network.

NABC 2011 / 2012

Round Table Ivory Coast

14 April Presentation of NABC Magazine 2010

18 November At Crowne Plaza Hotel, The Hague. Keynote speaker Gerrit Stolk Heineken Burundi

Round Table Zimbabwe 1 July At Africa Studies Centre, Leiden.

Company visit Port of Amsterdam, Ter Haak Group & United Stevedores Amsterdam

NABC Africa Business Club November

Friday July 8, 2011 Harderwold Golf- & Bosresort

L A U ANN F L GO

t n e m a n r u o t A ND

NABC Activities 2011 20 January

New Year’s Reception Location: Heineken International – Amsterdam Sponsor: Heineken International Speakers: Mr. Tom de Man – Heineken Mr. Zin Bekkali – Silk Invest Mr. Bob van der Bijl – NABC 6 – 11 February

Trade Mission Ethiopia Poultry & Meat In cooperation with NL Agency International 17 February

NABC Business Club February Location: Crowne Plaza – Den Haag Speakers: Mathilde Miedema – TNO 17 March

NABC Business Club March Location: Crowne Plaza – Den Haag Sponsor: Broekman Shipping Speakers: Mr. Chrisitiaan Oldenkamp – Expat Preventive Mr. Jaap van Zevenbergen Broekman Shipping

8 April

Opportunities in the Poultry sector Angola Location: Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture & Innovation Speakers: Mr. Jan Hommes – IBG Holland Mr. Nico Visser – Netherlands Embassy Pretoria 13 April

Uganda Roundtable

Location: Schiphol 16 June

NABC Business Club June Location: Crowne Plaza – Den Haag 8 July

NABC Golf & BBQ Location: Harderwijk Sponsors: ING & Koudijs de Heus

Location: BAM International - Gouda Sponsor: BAM International Speakers: Mr. Martin Egas – BAM International Mrs. Angelique Mbundu – Remco Afrique

31 August

Participant Meeting Conference Nairobi Location: Den Haag 19 – 21 September

B2B Conference Nairobi 21 April

NABC Business Club April Location: Crowne Plaza – Den Haag Sponsor: Alliance Plus Speakers: Mrs. Desirée Bonis – Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mrs. Maeva Ranjeva – Alliance Plus 13 May

SGS Company Visit Antwerp Location: SGS - Antwerp Sponsor: SGS 19 May

Location: Crowne Plaza – Den Haag Sponsor: Dutch Flower Group Speakers: Mr. Jurjen van der Laarse – Dutch Flower Group 22 – 28 May

Trade Mission Cameroon

Location: Nairobi 22 September

NABC September

Location: Crowne Plaza – Den Haag 9 – 13 October

Trade Mission South Sudan Netherlands Embassy Khartoum 20 October

NABC Business Club October Location: Crowne Plaza – Den Haag 3 November

Workshop Oil & Gas 17 November

NABC Business Club November Location: Crowne Plaza – Den Haag 20 – 24 November

Trade Mission Ethiopia 15 December

Ambassador’s Dinner Location: Crowne Plaza – Den Haag

NABC 2011 / 2012

Location: NABC - Den Haag Speakers: H.E. Mr. Jeroen Verheul – Ambassador of the Netherlands in Uganda

Workshop Tourism Africa

Seminar Construction Africa

NABC Business Club May 7 April

9 June

Partners in logistics

NABC Members Agriculture Afrimission www.afrimission.nl AgroFair Benelux B.V. www.agrofair.nl ANEXX Ecosystem Management Avery Dennison www.averydennison.com

+31 (0)10 503 33 70

+31 (0)10 503 33 00

Buizer Advies www.buizeradvies.nl Continaf BV www.continaf.com

+31 (0)10 503 33 60

+31 (0)10 503 33 30

Drabeny Company LTD www.drabeny.com Dutch Flower Group www.dfg.nl Endelea

www.stedergroup.com • info@stedergroup.nl

www.endelea.nl Ferdinand Zandbergen B.V. www.fzandbergen.nl Flevo Trade Dronten B.V. www.flevotrade.nl Foodsteps www.foodstepsinternational.com FORM International www.forminternational.nl Hatchcon B.V. www.hatchcon.nl Highlands Flowers (pvt) Ltd

Mush Comb www.mushroommachinery.com Omnivent Techniek B.V. www.omnivent.nl Plumex BV www.plumex.eu Preijde Bloembollen www.preijde-bloembollen.nl

Institut de Sélection Animale B.V. www.hendrix-poultry.nl International Secured Project Support (ISPS) B.V. www.isps-bv.nl

  



Janssen Hatchery Service B.V. Kepro www.kepro.nl Koudijs Feed www.koudijsfeed.com Krisnink Holland www.krisnink.nl Martod Marketlinks Uganda www.martdormarketlinks.bloombiz.com Maximum Trading B.V. www.maximumtrading.com Multi-trex Integrated Foods PLC www.multi-trexplc.com

Van Wouwstraat 3 nl-2596 RE The Hague The Netherlands m:+ 31 (0) 6 22963337 t: +31 (0) 70 3695030

e: emsa@kpnplanet.nl w: www.emsahillen.com Chamber of Commerce no. 27276905 VAT no. NL1527.91.425.B01 RABO Bank acc.no.. 1239.93.679

www.bureauveritas.com Business for Development www.businessfordevelopment.nl Clifford Chance LLP www.cliffordchance.com Contrak B.V

Primstar

De Lage Landen International B.V.

www.primstar.com Rainbow Sustainable Solutions www.rainbowargo.nl Reefhout www.reefhout.nl RUMPTSTAD B.V. www.portal.rumptstad.nl Sceptrum BV Scherjon Dairy Equipment Holland www.scherjon.eu

www.delagelanden.com DUVILLA www.duvilla.nl EllenBliss Consulting www.ellenbliss.com Emecas Finance www.emecas.com EMSA Emerging Markets www.emsahillen.com EnergyWise

Teeuwissen Holding B.V.

www.energywise.nl

www.teeuwissen.nl

eVentures Africa Fund B.V.

The Friesian Agro Consultancy www.thefriesian.nl Trouw Nutrition www.trouwnutrition.com VDL Agrotech www.vdlagrotech.com Vencomatic B.V. www.vencomatic.com VIV Vreeland www.vivbuisman.nl White Bird International www.whitebirdinternational.nl ZARANT

Business Services

www.eva-fund.com Fabian Koning & Cie www.fabiankoning.nl Figlo www.figlo.com FMO www.fmo.nl Focus on Vision www.focus-on-vision.org Friends for Life www.friendsforlife.nl Goodwell Investments B.V. www.goodwell.nl Hibiscus Trading Sarl Hoefsloot Consult ING Bank

Business Services Advance Consulting www.advanceconsulting.nl African Business Opportunities www.africanbusinessopportunities.nl Alliance Plus www.allianceplus.nl AON www.aon.nl Atradius Dutch State Business N.V. www.atradiusdutchstatebusiness.nl Agri-ProFocus www.agri-profocus.nl Berenschot www.berenschot.nl Better Future www.betterfuture.nl Black Swan Consult www.blackswanconsult.com

www.ingfinancialpartners.com Interliaise www.interliaise.com Kasidi Consulting Klein Dutch Consultancy KPMG Management Services B.V. www.kpmg.com Kubita www.kubita.nl Lantinga Consultancy B.V. Larive International www.larive.com Mango Capital Management B.V. www.mangocapital.nl MAX vision global concept MEYS Emerging Markets Research www.meys.eu Micro Macro Consultants B.V. www.micromacroconsultants.com

NABC 2011 / 2012



EMSA Emerging Markets, founded 2006 Business accelerator with exclusive focus on Africa One stop shop for business development, business matching, financing, business partnerships and joint ventures, investment support services and project management Proud to have achieved top results for the best companies working in the continent Interested? Call Michiel Hillen on +31 70 3695030 or +31 6 22963337

www.synergie-management.nl Bureau Veritas

Primazia Agro Negocios

Hoogwegt International www.hoogwegt.nl

Bourgonje Synergie Management

NABC Members

NTC Consultancy & Supply www.nemtradingcenter.com

Internationally strong, locally involved.

Oasis Capital Ghana Limited Company www.oasiscapitalghana.com Pan Invest www.pi.nl PeopleArt International B.V. www.peopleart.nl PricewaterhouseCoopers Accountants N.V. www.pwc.nl Prins International Consultancy Services PUM www.pum.nl Rabobank Nederland www.rabobank.nl Rehoboth B.V. Resinaf www.resinaf.com Rovalue Capital Africa

Bartels Consulting Engineers Bartels is an independent group of companies with more than 250 consulting engineers, designers, structural engineers, project managers and technical specialists. Bartels provides consultancy services in the area of civil and structural engineering, building management, fire safety, geotechnical engineering and much more. As a group, we are widely experienced in the fields of high-rise, offices, housing, underground structures, sports and leisure, commercial, schools, hospitals, bridges and railways, harbours and dikes, water cleaning stations and sewage. Ghana Bartels is located all over Europe and in 2006 we decided to cross the Mediterranean Sea and

www.rovalue.com SGS Nederland B.V.

establish an office in Africa, to be precise in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Under the daily management of a Dutchman, our office in Ghana works on divergent projects. On international projects together with our Dutch branch, but also on local projects. For more information on our company or our activities in Africa, please check our website or contact our Director Foreign Affairs, Pieter van Boom. Bartels Consulting Engineers Pieter van Boom +31 (0)55 - 368 05 40 pvanboom@bartels.nl www.bartels-global.com

www.nl.sgs.com Silk Invest Limited www.silkinvest.com SOVEC Management B.V. www.sovec.nl St. Intent www.ondernemenoverdegrens.nl SUNSIA B.V.

BAM International www.snaeurope.com Bartels Consulting Engineers www.bartels.nl Burdock Group www.burdock.com Deltares www.deltares.nl EBS Zambia www.ebshomes.co.za Engineers Without Borders - Burundi www.ewb-international.org Equatorial-Garage Geerlofs Refrigeration www.geerlofs.nl Globalex 33 CC

www.synergie-coop.nl TBL Mirror fund www.tblmirrorfund.com Team Pro www.teampro.nl Terwel www.terwel.net The Risk Advisory Group www.riskadvisory.net V Group B.V. www.v-group-global.com Vieval www.vieval.com

www.solarix.eu TellCo Europe www.tellco-europe.com The Wind Factory www.thesunfactory.info Twentsche Kabelfabriek www.tkf.nl Victron Energy B.V. www.victronenergy.com W채rtsil채 Nederland B.V. www.wartsila.com

Food & Beverage

www.hollandmachinery.nl Landustrie Sneek B.V. www.landustrie.nl Remco Ruimtebouw B.V. www.remco.nl Royal Haskoning www.royalhaskoning.com RvDI Spiral Engineering Limited

Electronics & ICT DotAfrica LUUMS International B.V. www.luums.com Melbo productions www.melboproductions.com Nice International www.nice-international.com Philips Lighting B.V. www.asimpleswitch.com PortingXS B.V.

Batch Enterprises Friesland Campina www.frieslandcampina.com

Heineken International www.heinekeninternational.com

Houz International B.V. www.houz.nl

International Business Group BV Jan Schoemaker B.V. www.janschoemaker.com

Prime Food Products Smilde Foods B.V. www.royalsmilde.nl

Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods www.vreugdenhil.nl

Vrumona B.V. www.vrumona.nl

Worldwide Food Export www.worldwidefoodexport.com

Machinery, Production & Metalworking

www.portingxs.nl Vizada Networks B.V. www.vizada.com

Aa - Dee Machinefabriek Staalbouw Nederland B.V. www.aa-dee.com

Energy

AKZO Nobel Car Refinishes B.V.

Wissing stedebouw en ruimtelijke

Calimax Ltd.

Cimcool Industrial Products B.V.

vormgeving B.V.

Ecofys

Watsan Consult

www.akzonobel.com

www.fairwater.org

www.wissing.nl WIT Consulting B.V.

www.ecofys.com Ecoru www.ecoru.com E+Co www.eandco.net Foundation Rural Energy Services

Adcim B.V. www.adcim.nl Ballast Nedam International Projects B.V. www.ballast-nedam.nl

www.fres.nl Kwasi Ohene Dwumfour Co Ltd www.alibaba.com

www.cimcool.net Delta Machinery www.deltamachinery.nl GEA Grasso International B.V. www.grasso.nl Hilarius Haarlem Holland B.V. www.hilco-welding.com HiLux5 B.V. www.hilux5.com IHC Hydrohammer B.V. www.ihcmerwede.com

NABC 2011 / 2012

Construction & Engineering

www.bartels-global.com

www.pon.nl Solarix B.V.

Holland Machinery B.V.

www.sunsia.com SYNERGIE

Pon Holdings

NABC Members

Metaalmij. Van Helvert & Zn. B.V.

Dredging and Contracting Rotterdam B.V.

www.helvertmetals.com Meyn Food Processing Technology B.V.

www.jandenul.com Haven Amsterdam

www.meyn.nl

www.amports.nl

MPS Red Meat Slaughtering B.V.

Heerema Marine Contractors Nederland B.V.

www.mps-group.nl

www.heerema.com

Oskam V/F

HSB International

www.oskam-vf.com SNA Europe (International)

www.hsbint.com Koninklijke Boskalis Westminster N.V.

www.snaeurope.com Thomassen Compression Systems B.V.

www.boskalis.com Norit X-Flow

www.thomassen.com WVL Staalbouwers B.V.

www.x-flow.com Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors B.V.

www.vanoord.com

www.wvl.nl

Marine & Off-shore

Medical & Pharmaceutical

Media, Art & Design

AFRI-PADS B.V. www.afripads.com Delft Imaging Systems www.delftdi.com DRC Projects www.drcmedical.com Global Corporation B.V. www.globecorporation.com International SOS www.internationalsos.com Menzis www.menzis.nl Omron Healthcare Europe B.V. www.omron-healthcare.com PharmAccess International

Aqua for All

Africa Interactive

www.aquaforall.nl

www.africa-interactive.com

Damco

Africa Report TV

www.damco.com

www.africareport.com

Damen Shipyards

Catwalk Promotions B.V.

www.damen.nl

www.catwalkpromotions.nl

Delmas Holland B.V.

Specialists alist

Creata Media

www.delmas.com

www.creatamedia.nl

Dockwise Shipping B.V.

Nature conservation films

www.dockwise.com

www.ncf-nl.com

mushcomb adv 210x148 growing mushrooms.pdf

10-02-11

09:53

www.pharmaccess.org TANITA EUROPE B.V. www.tanita.eu VAMED Nederland B.V. www.vamed.nl

Oil & Gas Bluewater Energy Services B.V. www.bluewater.com Crescat Consult

Growing Mushrooms

in export to Africa of customized new, used and reconditioned trucks, trailers, 4x4â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, heavy equipment, spare parts and all related (project) services, since 1953.

52 weeks a year | Improving the food security Ideal replacement for other food | Health benefits Start believing in mushrooms as the food for Africa

WWW.VANVLIET.COM Parallelweg Zuid 215 2914 LE Nieuwerkerk a/d IJssel (Rotterdam) The Netherlands +31(0)180-312644 +31(0)180-319158 www.vanvliet.com info@vanvliet.com

NABC 2011 / 2012

Mush Comb is a turnkey supplier. We can advice you in every stage of your project and realize complete mushroom farms. Mush Comb | Stationsstraat 147 - 5963 AA Horst-Hegelsom - The Netherlands T +31 77 398 39 29 | F +31 77 398 82 99 info@mushroommachinery.com I www.mushroommachinery.com

NABC Members

Fugro Engineers B.V.

Training & Recruitment

www.fugro.com Gulf of Guinea Company www.dajoconsult.com Koninklijke Vopak N.V. www.vopak.com North Sea Lubricants B.V. www.northsealubricants.com Mampaey Offshore Industries B.V. www.mampaey.com Nedoil Ltd. www.lion-heart.nl

Perima Global Resources Nigeria LTD Shell International Explorations & Production B.V. www.shell.com

Van Beest www.vanbeest.nl

Project Development

IJmond AM International Search www.aminternationalsearch.com Bentley Kantor & Company www.bentleykantorc.com Dutch Employers Cooperation Programme (DECP)

www.decp.nl Human Resources Boosters www.hrboosters.com PTC + International

www.zandspruit.nl

Research & Education

RBB Management, Consultancy & Advice www.raadgevendbureaubruinzeel.nl Sweerts HRM Consulting www.sweerts.nl

Transport & Logistics

www.taalencultuur.nl

TNO www.tno.nl

Wageningen International www.wur.nl

Research Solutions Africa www.researchsolutionsafrica.com

Security

Broekman Shipping Division B.V. CRM Trucks en Trailers www.crm.nl CWT Europe B.V. www.cwtcommodities.com www.dekkerbv.com Espa Fennica www.espafennica.com Fast Forward Freight B.V. www.fastforwardfreight.com Hyva International B.V.

www.expatpreventive.com

PSIC www.psic.eu

REASeuro www.reaseuro.com

Tourism

Jonathan International www.jonathaninternational.com Kjaer Group A/S Kleyn Trucks BV www.kleyn.com Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. www.klm.com MD Trucks B.V. www.md-trucks.nl NDS Nile Dutch Africa Line www.niledutch.com RMR Shipping B.V.

Global Connection Ltd. www.globalconnectiontz.com Global Bush Travel

NABC 2011 / 2012

www.globalbushtratour.com GreenDream Company B.V. www.greendreamcompany.com Molecaten - Africa B.V. www.pumulani.com Zwinkels Tours Cameroon www.kameroenreizen.nl

www.vltest.com VDL Coach & Bus Center bc

Chambers Global 2010 (Africa) - Projects and Energy

www.vdlcbc.com

Trucks, Cars & Equipment Suppliers BAS Trucks www.bastrucks.com DAF Trucks www.daf.com Intermotive B.V.

“...really constructive advice, which is conducive to getting the deal done – the team has exactly the right chemistry needed to close a transaction.” Chambers Global 2009 (Africa) – Corporate / Commercial

www.intermotive-car.nl www.pktrucks.com Riverland Equipement B.V. www.riverlandequipment.com Schots Machinery www.schotsusedmachinery.com Transmotors B.V. www.transmotors.nl Van Vliet Trucks Holland B.V. www.vanvliet.com Womy Equipment Supply B.V. www. womy.nl

Wholesale & Retail

www.hyva.com

www.kjaergroup.com

Expat Preventive

Van Leeuwen Test Systems

PK Trucks

Dekker B.V.

Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen, IMC

www.terhaakgroup.com Unicontrol Commodity B.V.

www.ptcplus.com

www.broekman-group.com

Zandspruit Estates

Ter Haak Group t.a.v. Cargo Company

“Clifford Chance displays an impressive diversity in its range of project work and the geographic scope of its activities. Mining and metals, oil and gas, telecoms, power and infrastructure projects all feature on its workload.”

www.rmrshipping.com Rob Hogeboom B.V. www.robhogeboom.nl Ruttchen Trucks B.V. www.ruttchentrucks.nl SDV Nederland B.V. www.sdv.com Steder Group B.V. www.stedergroup.com Supermaritime International B.V. www.supermaritime.com

AKO star Import and Export

Top ranking law firm for Africa (But don’t just take our word for it)

AOP Services www.aopservices.com Brabantia Export B.V. www.brabantia.com Hollindia International B.V www.hollindia.nl Huyser Möller B.V. www.huysermoller.nl Intercommerce B.V. www.intercommerce.eu LINECO B.V. www.lineco.nl Matto Tech International Computer Service www.mattotechinternational.nl NTC Ndongo Trading Company Lda RT Holland B.V. www.rtholland.nl

There is a phenomenal spirit and energy in Africa. That energy is being translated into deal-making and big investment projects in many countries around the continent. For over thirty years, Clifford Chance has helped identify and make such opportunities in Africa a reality. In the process of doing so, we have also made investing in Africa's long-term development an aspect of our own 'social responsibility', through a programme of community based initiatives, legal education and knowledge exchange. The Clifford Chance Africa Group is the winner of the One Firm Corporate Responsibility Award 2010. To find out how we can help your business, please contact Pieter van Welzen on +31 20 711 9154 (pieter.vanwelzen@cliffordchance.com).

Sasma B.V. www.sasmabv.com Spar International www.spar-international.com Vlisco B.V. www.vlisco.com

www.cliffordchance.com 66

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