Over the last five years, the African Development Bank has organized Business Opportunities Seminars twice a year; one in the spring and one in the fall, physically at its Abidjan headquarters and at a Bank regional office, or remotely. The aim of these seminars is to help strengthen the relationship between the Bank, its shareholders, and the private sector from Bank Group member countries. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bank moved to an online format in 2020, which has expanded the reach of the event while lowering costs. Going forward, an assessment will be made on the selection of BOS format, i.e., physical, online or a combination. For potential partners, the BOS is a one-stop forum for companies, consultants, contractors, manufacturers, and suppliers. It has helped them better understand the Bank’s priorities, its procurement procedures and other valuable information needed to successfully provide goods and services to both projects and to the Bank. The BOS is intended for participants from Regional Member Countries (RMCs) and Non-RMCs to:

• Learn about the Bank Group’s strategic direction, operational priorities, project pipeline and ongoing sovereign and non-sovereign operations;
• Learn about the Bank Group’s financial products and instruments;
• Meet with Bank Group sector and regional specialists;
• Network with other consulting firms and equipment suppliers in RMCs and Non-RMCs of the Bank Group;
• Get familiar with the qualification criteria for Bank-financed contracts as well as for Bank institutional contracts; and
• Discover business opportunities in Africa.

For the Bank, BOSs increase interest and enhance competition for Bank-financed projects, promoting higher-quality offers that deliver optimal value for money for its regional member countries. The workshops have also proven to be an excellent opportunity for Bank experts to exchange with suppliers and service providers from across a range of sectors (including energy, environment, finance, agriculture, transport, water, urban development, health, and education) and to inform them of the types of projects which are important to the Bank and its RMCs.

Between 2017 and 2020, the Resource Mobilization and Partnerships Department (FIRM) organized the BOSs in four host countries- Cote d’Ivoire (2017), Kenya (2018), South Africa (2019) and Tunisia (2020). Approximately 2000 participants attended the BOSs with seventy-four percent (74%) of delegates from Non-Regional Member Countries and Ninety percent (90%) from the private sector. Fifty-five (55) countries were represented.

Since fall 2020 the BOS has been conducted online due to the pandemic related restrictions. The online seminar has since been held twice a year, in April and in October. The online format has also increased geographical reach and representation. Based on surveys and testimonials, the BOS is a valuable and key event for potential Bank partners in both RMCs and Non-RMCs. Participants commended the webinars for being informative and insightful sessions and expressed interest in doing business with the Bank. 

We recommend to future participants to read and watch the presentations available on the website (https://bos.afdb.org/materials) to gain an understanding of the work of the different sectors at the Bank. This will prepare you for effective interactions with sector representatives during the roundtable.