WAIFC, along with its Africa Roundtable and member FinCity.Tokyo, hosted a Business Forum
The Africa Roundtable of WAIFC hosted a Business Forum in collaboration with FinCity.Tokyo that marks a significant step in further promoting Africa as an attractive destination for Japanese businesses, setting the stage for enhanced collaboration between Japan and the African continent.
In line with one of its strategic objectives, to develop dialogues with major financial centers outside the African Continent, this was the first such forum outside of Africa, hosted in Japan where the WAIFC concluded its Annual General Meeting (AGM). Keiichi Aritomo, WAIFC’s Chairman and Ken Poonoosamy, Chair of the Africa Roundtable of the WAIFC, opened the forum. It featured a panel discussion on business and investment opportunities for Japanese businesses, highlighting Africa's potential as a growth market.
Keynote presentations by Takako Suzuki, Former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ken Shibusawa, founder of &Capital, Inc., an impact fund management in Africa, underpinned notable Japanese government initiatives in Africa and strategies for collaboration, paving the way to enhance economic ties between the two regions. The event facilitated extensive networking among senior leaders from the African financial centers and Japanese business and investment community, helping enhance strategies to enter the African market by leveraging the African financial centers.
The Africa Roundtable includes the Economic Development Board of Mauritius (EDB), Casablanca Finance City Authority (CFCA), EnterpriseNGR of Nigeria, Rwanda Finance Limited (RFL), and the Two Rivers International Finance & Innovation Center (TRIFIC), which just joined WAIFC and the Roundtable as a new member. The Roundtable is positioned to foster synergies amongst the financial hubs within Africa and to catalyze economic development across the continent.
Commenting on the forum, the Chair of the Africa Roundtable, Ken Poonoosamy stated:
"WAIFC provides a great platform for us to meet our collective objective to unlock Africa's vast potential. By collaborating with our peers in different markets we can further strengthen Africa’s presence in the global financial landscape, fostering innovation and driving sustainable economic development on the continent"
Keiichi Aritomo, WAIFC’s Chairman, added:
"Leveraging the WAIFC platform to organize such a forum between two major hubs demonstrates how WAIFC can facilitate meaningful exchange and foster collaboration internationally We look forward to seeing the outcomes of the collaboration."
Contact:
- Abdulrahim Osman, WAIFC Press Officer, osman@waifc.finance
The World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC) is a non-profit association registered in Brussels, Belgium, which represents leading international financial centers and facilitates cooperation and the exchange of best practices. WAIFC members are city governments, associations, and similar institutions developing and promoting their financial centers.
WAIFC facilitates cooperation between its members, the exchange of best practices, and communication with the general public.
About the Africa Roundtable of the WAIFC
The Africa Roundtable is a collaborative initiative within the WAIFC, dedicated to promoting sustainable development and prosperity in African financial centres. The Regional Roundtable facilitates cooperation among its members, fostering initiatives that contribute to the growth of the financial services industry in Africa.
