The latest edition of the Africa-France Summit held in Montpellier on October 8, 2021 shed light on a new way of thinking about the continent: talking about Africa today means considering its population’s driving force and potential. This summit -which, as French President Emmanuel Macron put it, was an opportunity to listen to the voice of Africa’s youth
-, encourages all players to re-examine their relationship with emerging countries in view of the rich complexity of the continent’s dynamics and its population’s tropisms.
In this context, merely implementing what is being successfully done in the Global North no longer suffices. It is now necessary to adapt to local particularities from which we more often than not draw valuable lessons.
Our approach is therefore to actively listen
, i.e. to delve into local issues and incorporate them alongside resilience, sustainable local economic development and financial profitability as a critical element of our decision-making process.
Being mindful of local issues also contributes to laying the foundations for a multi-dimensional dialogue involving all stakeholders, enabling the building of joint projects and the emergence of new networks.
This mutually beneficial dialogue, enabled by our teams’ commitment, paves the way for the development of impact projects which will prove structuring for the countries that initiate them. Our targeted local presence, as close as possible to the concerned players and communities, further strengthens our committed approach. The latter is in line with our inclusive investment policy, aimed at producing positive impact and externalities benefiting local populations. It also materializes through more upstream interventions, with STOA engaging with governments and long-term industrial partners and leading the development of bankable projects.
Enjoy the reading!
