On 26 February 2019, at the invitation of the Ambassador of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire in Austria, H.E. Roger A. Kacou, and the President of the Austria – Côte d’Ivoire Friendship Society (ACFS) and CEO of Prosper Africa, Dr. Christoph Mayer, in cooperation with the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) an evening reception was held under the motto “Africa’s growth and urbanization – Opportunities for Austrian companies in Côte d’Ivoire and in the UEMOA region” at the Grand Hotel in Vienna.
The evening reception – already the second of its kind within a few months – was very well attended by more than 100 participants, two-thirds of which came from over 40 companies such as Agrana, Andritz, Rosenbauer, Umdasch, Unilever and Vamed. On an institutional level, Austria was represented by the Federal Chancellery, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Other organisations participating in this event included Austria’s Ex-Im Bank (OeKB) and the Development Bank of Austria (OeEB).
The event was dedicated to the next trade and economic mission of WKÖ to Côte d’Ivoire from 27 to 29 March 2019, organized by Prosper Africa with the support of the ACFS. Ambassador H.E. Roger A. Kacou, Dr. Christoph Mayer and Patrick Sagmeister, Deputy Head of Foreign Trade Austria of WKÖ, addressed welcoming words to the numerous guests. Dr. Michael Spindelegger, former Vice Chancellor and former Federal Minister of Austria and currently the Director-General of the International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), a very high-calibre guest speaker, gave the key-note speech. Dr. Spindelegger emphasized the outstanding economic opportunities for Austrian companies in the dynamic markets of West Africa and Côte d’Ivoire. Dr. Michael Kollik, Vice President of the ACFS and managing partner of the law firm Kollik Hammermüller Krassnigg Rechtsanwälte GmbH, moderated the event.
The evening reception was kindly supported by Andritz Hydro GmbH, Frequentis AG, Kollik Hammermüller Krassnigg Rechtsanwälte GmbH, Lightbase GmbH and Vamed Engineering GmbH.
