Business Partnership Facility 2022 Launched

On Wednesday 20 April 2021, Luxembourg's Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Action, Franz Fayot, and the Director of International Affairs at the Chamber of Commerce, Cindy Tereba, launched the 2022 edition of the Business Partnership Facility (BPF) during an information event organised at the Chamber of Commerce and broadcast live on the web.

In his opening remarks, Minister Fayot highlighted the catalytic role that the private sector plays in the implementation of Luxembourg's development cooperation strategy, especially in terms of the resources and innovations that it can provide to promote inclusive and sustainable economic development.

Minister Fayot underlined: “The BPF supports partnerships between Luxembourg or European companies and players from developing countries, whether companies, public administrations or civil society organisations, so that they can set up, together, sustainable and innovative business projects. Projects supported by BPF co-financing contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through green and inclusive growth, job creation and technology transfer. Project promoters are also required to demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding social and environmental rights,”  He concluded: “I am also happy that we took advantage of the launch of the 2022 edition to highlight the opportunities in Senegal, a country with which Luxembourg has strong ties of friendship and cooperation”.

The presentation of the 2022 edition was an opportunity to draw attention to a number of new features introduced in terms of project eligibility criteria and the promotion of the creation of partnerships. Instead of one call per year, the BPF is moving towards a two-stage call for projects model: a first with a closing date in May and a second with a submission date in October. Secondly, the scope of eligibility criteria has been expanded: all projects that can contribute to achieving the seventeen sustainable development goals are now eligible. Finally, improved support is now offered by Lux-Development, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation executing agency, in order to encourage the formation of partnerships: a digital matchmaking platform allows the various players who register there to present their offer or their needs and organise bilateral meetings.

Ms Tereba reiterated the Chamber of Commerce's support for the BPF, before emphasising the excellent collaboration carried out in this context between the Directorate for Development Cooperation and humanitarian aid, Lux-Development, the Ministry of the Economy and the Chamber of Commerce, as well as Luxinnovation, which offers support to Luxembourg companies wishing to carry out a project. After two years marked by a lackluster economic context due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms Tereba thus encouraged Luxembourg companies to take the plunge.

This year, the organisers have chosen to honor Senegal, a long-standing priority partner country of Luxembourg, which is characterised by a dynamic business environment. Thus, Thiaba Camara Sy, founding member of Women's Investment and the Senegalese Investors Club (Club des investisseurs sénégalais - CIS), and Jean-François Vassas, president of the Evolv group and member of the Mouvement des entreprises du Sénégal, presented the opportunities for business development in Senegal. The event was also an opportunity for Jean-Marc Boueyrie, CEO of Jway, to share his experience, a company specialising in digitalisation that has benefited from the support of the BPF.

The BPF is initiated and funded by the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Action of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and implemented by Lux-Development, the Luxembourg agency for Development cooperation, in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, the Ministry of the Economy and Luxinnovation. The BPF is a co-financing in the form of a grant which aims to encourage partnerships between Luxembourg or European companies and partners (companies, administrations or civil society) based in developing countries. Co-financing can reach up to 50% of the total project budget with a maximum of €200,000. Since its launch in 2016, the BPF has supported 34 projects, mostly in Africa.

Details on the activities and support measures are available on BPF website via: www.bpf.lu.