Conference of ACP-EU Intermediary Organizations: Partnership for the

Development of Enterprise-12-13 July 2010, Brussels

Statement by Mr. Achille Bassilekin III Assistant Secretary-General for Sustainable

Economic Development and Trade at the ACP Secretariat

Honorable Minister Charles Michel,

Distinguished ACP Ambassadors,
Colleagues from the European Commission, the CDE and ProInvest,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, I would like to convey the apology of the Secretary General, Dr. Chambas
for not being personally present here today as he is, at this very moment, participating in
the 5TH Regional Meeting of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, in Seychelles.

It is therefore an honor for me to make this intervention on behalf of the ACP Secretariat.

First and foremost I would like to thank Minister Michel, whose presence here today is a
clear testimony of the importance that Belgium, which has recently taken EU Presidency,
attaches to the development of Private Sector in ACP Countries.

I would also wish to thank the CDE and ProInvest teams for this initiative and for hosting
this very important event. It is indeed with great satisfaction that I note the presence,
here today, of so many participants from ACP and EU Intermediary Organizations. It is
worth noting that many of our ACP colleagues have travelled from very far to attend this
meeting.

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Intermediary Organizations have key and catalytic roles to play in the development of a
strong and dynamic Private Sector in our countries. It is therefore of no surprise that the
Cotonou Agreement explicitly provides for their support.

The roles of Intermediary Organizations are even greater in the wake of the financial
crisis, where so many Private Sector actors have had to reengineer themselves to survive.

Nonetheless the crisis has provided an opportunity for many to draw the correct lessons
and lay the ground for improved practices. Likewise approaches aimed at fostering
domestic, regional and international markets and boosting trade exchanges, have taken on
new urgency and this is where we see the contribution of Intermediary Organizations as
pivotal.
We note from the agenda of this conference that thematic panels and bilateral meetings
are foreseen. We hope that the various Panel discussions and exchanges, will
meaningfully contribute to reinforcing the capacity of ACP Intermediary Organizations in
their day to day assistance to enterprises. It is to be noted that ACP Intermediary
Organizations are beset by a number of inherent constraints, which if properly addressed
will enhance their capacity to drive the development of a strong ACP private Sector.

We also hope that concrete operational partnerships between ACP and EU organizations
will emerge from these encounters and that these will be translated into tangible projects
in ACP countries.

Equally, I believe that while we are here to discuss Private Sector issues, it would be
appropriate for us to take this enriching opportunity to touch on the question of
competitiveness of ACP countries.

This is where we see the importance of ACP-EU programs such CDE and ProInvest,
which have the potential to assist ACP enterprises in becoming more competitive.
However we continue to believe that the CDE, following its recent reform, should be
provided with appropriate resources to enable it to meet the ACP Private Sector
expectations, especially in the context of the implementation of the EPAs.

On this note, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish you all a fruitful deliberation.

Thank you for your attention.