Interview Jérémie Pellet “MEET AFRICA : giving entrepreneurs the tools to do business in Africa

With Meet Africa, Expertise France is committed to the African entrepreneurial ecosystem and is counting, among others, on the African diaspora actors. Explanations and roadmap with Jérémie Pellet, CEO of Expertise France.

Interview by Merieme Alaoui 

Can you recall Expertise France’s role and missions?

Expertise France is the French public agency for international technical cooperation. It was created in 2015 by the merger of several ministerial cooperation agencies. We joined the AFD group on January 1, 2022.

Expertise France’s mission is to provide a public service in the field of international technical cooperation and its activities are part of France’s external action.

We roll out projects in around one hundred countries, with a stronger presence in Africa and the Middle East in line with French and European priorities, to support the development of public policies that contribute to stability, sustainable development, good governance and human development. This is achieved through the implementation of numerous projects, major regional programs and the provision of expertise and technical assistance. Expertise France is therefore the operator for deploying French know-how in the field of public policy. 

In 2022, we will continue our growth, driven in particular by a strengthened partnership with the European Union and by France’s desire to strengthen its official development assistance, which is now seen as a genuine investment in solidarity and partnership for the benefit of sustainable development objectives, through its technical cooperation agency.

You are particularly active in Africa. Why have you chosen to support African and Diaspora entrepreneurs?

 » Africa is at the heart of our investments and activities for Expertise France and, more generally, for the AFD Group »

As you have noted, Africa is at the heart of our investments and activities for Expertise France and, more generally, for the AFD Group. We are part of a broad dynamic that mobilizes all French and European players to provide the best possible support for a positive and sustainable economic and social dynamic on the continent. As far as entrepreneurs are concerned, we have taken the risk of looking at the equation in a different way. Until now, diasporas have not been considered as relevant players in development projects supporting African economies. But the figures speak for themselves: the amount of remittances sent by diasporas around the world to their countries of origin is four times the total amount of official development assistance. These entrepreneurs are growing in number. They want to be active both in their country of origin and in their host country.

« There is a need to support solutions that create wealth and jobs as close as possible to African realities, and we must respond to this need »

With the MEET Africa project, we started from an observation and a desire shared by both continents: there is a need to support solutions that create wealth and jobs as close as possible to African realities, and we must respond to this need. One of the changes brought about by MEET Africa is to break out of the silo logic: we have taken the risk of creating and fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem between these diasporas and the European and African institutional and private support actors, from ministries and entrepreneurial support structures. We listen, we diagnose and we bring together actors with different approaches to diaspora support. Together we go further.

This is the purpose of the event you are co-organizing, the Diaspora Entrepreneurs Forum, on 11 February in Paris. Could you remind us of the stakes of this event?

Exactly. During this forum, which has a strong resonance within the diaspora and entrepreneurial networks in general, the offers of the various actors I have mentioned will be presented, as well as those of other African and European partners. The idea is to create a vast inventory of good practices, tips and guidance on entrepreneurship in Africa, especially for diaspora project holders. 

On this occasion and throughout the day, there will be times for entrepreneurs to present their projects at different stages of development, from 5-minute pitches to inspiring testimonials. There will also be thematic workshops, country workshops organized by our partners from African countries, and stands of public and private operators. It’s all about giving entrepreneurs the information they need to do business in Africa.

The idea is also to invite French and European entrepreneurs to network?

Of course. MEET Africa stands for “Mobilisation européenne pour l’entrepreneuriat en Afrique” and the European dimension is at the heart of the project. It is co-financed by the European Union with the AFD and has been implemented, since its first phase in 2016, with the German technical agency for international cooperation, GIZ. There is one class of winning entrepreneurs from France and one from Germany. This has a particular resonance a few weeks before the 60th anniversary of the Franco-German Treaty of Friendship. 

We are making good progress with this forum by opening it up to all those who can add value to support a sustainable and inclusive economy in Africa. We also have a lot of complementarity with other programs to support entrepreneurship implemented by other French public agencies, such as the BPI or Business France. All these players will be present and will intervene in one way or another to showcase all the initiatives, which are numerous, in favor of job creation and sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems that have a real impact in the territories.

Finally, beyond Meet Africa, what is your « African » roadmap for this new year?

« Africa, a dynamic and innovative continent that is the driving force behind the world’s youth, will remain at the heart of our partnerships this year »

In line with France’s priorities for the African continent, we, in 2023, will step up our activities in the fields of innovation, digital, cultural and creative industries, with a particular focus on youth. 

We will also continue to support projects in priority sectors such as education and training, health and good governance. Africa, a dynamic and innovative continent that is the driving force behind the world’s youth, will remain at the heart of our partnerships this year.