Symposium on the International Economic and Business Future of Sub Saharan Africa

The Erasmus Centre for Emerging Markets (ECEM) and the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) will organise a symposium on 3 November 2011 on the topic of Sub Saharan Africa and its international economic and business relations: what are the challenges posed by its 'Emerging Partners?

The rise of emerging economies such as Brazil, China and India has been a source of economic growth and trade for Africa and has given new impetus to Africa’s development efforts with regard to for example, the economic infrastructure. The growing interaction with ‘emerging partners’ is seen by many as a welcome diversification for African countries as they become less dependent on their traditional development cooperation partners (EU countries and USA).

Recently, UN-ECA, AfDB, OECD and UNDP argued that there is complementarity between emerging and traditional partners in their relationships with Africa. Is this complementarity desirable if traditional partners are increasingly seeking ways and means to incorporate their own economic interests in their development cooperation and if emerging powers are challenged to take more responsibility for global public goods in the area of human rights, governance and economic regulation?

The symposium will debate this question with a panel moderated by Bert Helmsing, Professor of Local and Regional Development at ISS and Suzana Rodrigues, Professor of International Business and Organization at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM). Amongst the panelists will be Henri-Bernard Solignac-LeComte, Head of the Africa Desk of the OECD; Dr Adam Elhiraika, Economic Affairs, UN Economic Commission for Africa; a representative of the African Development Bank ; Christiaan Reebergen, Deputy Director of the Directorate for Sustainable Economic Development;  Arjan Schuthof, Head Department of Development Policy and Policy Coherence;  Marcos Alexandre Silva, Brazilian entrepreneur and Bob vd Bijl, Director Netherlands Africa Business Council. Special guests will be Nanno Kleiterp, CEO of FMO; Peter Konijn, formerly Cordaid, currently researcher on Emerging Powers in Africa and Prof M.P. van Dijk, Erasmus University.

The symposium will be concluded with a reception.
 
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