Invest.EastAfrica! Business and Investment Forum concludes with concrete partnerships and strong MOVE–ComCashew engagement

The inaugural Invest.EastAfrica! – Business and Investment Forum, held from 27–29 January 2026 in Frankfurt am Main and Berlin, has concluded with tangible results, marking an important milestone in strengthening economic ties between Germany and the East African Community (EAC). The forum culminated in the launch of five new business partnerships between leading European companies and East African enterprises, aimed at accelerating sustainable trade, resilient value chains and inclusive economic growth.

The high-level forum brought together over 350 representatives of German companies and a delegation of 60 East African businesses across a three-day programme of panel discussions, targeted B2B meetings and sector-focused exchanges. Priority areas included agri-business, digital innovation and artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, carbon credits, tourism, entrepreneurship and value-added processing.

From dialogue to delivery: new partnerships announced
Among the most notable outcomes of the forum was the announcement of five new business partnerships, involving European companies such as Bayer, Melitta and Ofi, working with East African partners to develop concrete, market-driven cooperation models. These partnerships are designed to strengthen cross-regional value chains, promote sustainable sourcing and processing, and unlock new investment opportunities in one of Africa’s fastest-growing regions.

Speaking at the forum, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Bärbel Kofler, underlined the strategic importance of the partnerships:

“The five partnerships between German and East African private sector actors and the BMZ presented today send a clear message: Germany and the EAC are driving a form of private sector cooperation that delivers economic growth while creating tangible benefits for people.”

The forum took place against the backdrop of East Africa’s growing economic integration, with inter-regional trade expanding by more than 12 percent, and renewed momentum to finalise the EAC–EU Economic Partnership Agreement. Hosted in the State of Hesse, one of Germany’s economic hubs, the event aimed to diversify trade and investment portfolios at a time of increasing global economic uncertainty.

MOVE–ComCashew: enabling business linkages and value chain cooperation
The GIZ/MOVE–ComCashew project played an active role in the forum, contributing its experience in private sector cooperation, match-making and value chain development across Africa. GIZ/MOVE–ComCashew showcased its work in East Africa and facilitated important business linkages among its Matching Grant Fund partners, with a particular focus on the cashew value chain.

During targeted B2B sessions, organised within the framework of the Business Support Facility for Resilient Agricultural Value Chains (BSF4RAVC), East African cashew processors Akros (Tanzania) and Equatorial Nuts (Kenya) met with the Head of Sales Nuts Europe from OLAM Food Ingredients (ofi). These exchanges were facilitated by Mr. Bastian Domke, Director of Private Sector Cooperation at GIZ/MOVE-ComCashew, and focused on strengthening cooperation in premium cashew markets.

East African cashews are increasingly recognised for their high quality and strong positioning in premium market segments, and the forum provided an important platform to deepen commercial relationships beyond project-based cooperation. Ofi, Akros and Equatorial Nuts are all current or former Matching Grant Fund partners, implementing projects in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire (ofi), Tanzania (Akros) and Kenya (Equatorial Nuts).

Reflecting on the engagement, Ms Beate Weiskopf, Head of Project, MOVE–ComCashew, noted:

“We were very happy to see the proactive and business-oriented cooperation between ofi, Akros and Equatorial Nuts. Seeing their continued engagement beyond the successful Matching Grant Fund projects, providing tangible impact on the ground, is inspiring and proof of the importance of targeted match-making across regions – from East Africa and West Africa to Europe as a key consumer market.”

For MOVE–ComCashew, the forum reaffirmed the value of structured business dialogue, targeted match-making and long-term private sector engagement as key drivers of sustainable agricultural value chains and inclusive economic development across Africa.

The GIZ MOVE-ComCashew project is co-funded by the #European Union under the Samoa Agreement with the Secretariat of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ), and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH ).