7th Conference"Universities, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development in Africa"

13 - 14 September 2018

On 13 and 14 September 2018, the conference “Universities, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development in Africa” took place for the seventh time. More than 200 national and international representatives from business, science, society and politics met at Sankt Augustin Campus of Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, University of Applied Sciences.

The Africa Conference in Sankt Augustin included a diverse programme of events supplemented by opportunities to share academic and practical ideas between the sessions, thereby fostering the exchange of business theory and practice.

With participants from 20 countries, the day-and-a-half long conference built on the successful tradition of previous years and offered a unique platform for business and academia in Germany and Africa to exchange ideas. The focus was on entrepreneurship in Africa, the promotion of African and German SMEs and the training and recruitment of qualified staff. Participants reported on their specific experiences and needs and there were lively group discussions about the future of successful collaboration between Africa and Germany.

The event included workshops, world cafés, podium discussions, fishbowls and presentations on topics such as supporting business start-ups, tourism, social entrepreneurship, renewable energy and best practice by companies active in Africa. Participants also had time to listen to each other and engage in conversation, as well as to expand their network.

The conference is part of the “German-African University Partnership Platform for the Development of Entrepreneurship and SMEs” project, which is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The conference is run jointly by Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, the University of Cape Coast in Ghana and the University of Nairobi in Kenya.

 

 

The conference theme was structured into the following seven subthemes:

  • Business and entrepreneurship in Africa
  • Entrepreneurial education for employment and economic growth
  • Intercultural challenges in the collaboration between Africa and Europe
  • Sustainable/Responsible business
  • Tourism as entrepreneurial opportunity in Africa
  • Digital Entrepreneurship
  • Fast moving onsumer goods

Organized and supported by