The AFRIMAC 2 Initiative (for business, technological, entrepreneurial and innovative exchange in matters of high economic impact between the Canary Islands and West Africa) has ended its actions on December 31, 2023 based on its programming.
Territorial cooperation
The President of the Island Council of Fuerteventura, Marcial Morales, recently met with the director of Labour and Tourism of the Government of Cape Verde, Paulo Semedo, and the Director of Patrimony and Finance of the Government of Cape Verde, Joao Tomar, to assess the initiatives that have been carried out within the Afrimac territorial cooperation project and to discuss future collaboration agreements. The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Employment, Rafael Páez, among others.
Afrimac is a project for business exchange in areas of high economic and environmental impact between the Canary Islands and West Africa. This initiative, led by the Island Council of Fuerteventura, has as its investment priority support for the capacity of SMEs to grow in regional, national and international markets, as well as in the innovation processes.
In this way, Afrimac's general objective is to improve knowledge of existing international business opportunities. On the one hand, it aims to act in specific sectors with high added value such as water and renewable energy. Thus, actions have been carried out to increase the awareness of these sectors and promote business cooperation. It Is worth metioning at this point the celebration, in November of last year, of Africagua: an international meeting focused on water and renewable energies that brings together the public and private sectors to seek and develop opportunities in the countries of West Africa, with the organization of the Government of the Canary Islands, the Island Council of Fuerteventura, Casa África and the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Navigation of Fuerteventura.
On the other hand, in order to increase commercial exchanges at the international level, networks have been set up based on a technological platform that serves as a meeting point between the needs generated in African countries and the search for suppliers and even funding for them.
The Operational Programme for Territorial Cooperation Madeira-Azores-Canary Islands (MAC) 2014-2020 is the main instrument available to the ultra-peripheral regions of Spain and Portugal to provide an effective response to common challenges they face in terms of innovation, competitiveness, internationalisation and sustainable development.
The Cooperation Area is also made up of three countries: Cape Verde, Senegal and Mauritania, which, due to their geographical proximity, have been invited and have agreed to participate in the Programme, which has made it possible to enlarge the natural area of socio-economic and cultural influence.