Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosts 'Meet Africa 2025': Expanding investment opportunities and business connections
WVR - On December 11, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized the "Meet Africa 2025" forum under the chairmanship of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang, aiming to connect Vietnamese corporations and businesses interested in investing and cooperating with African countries.
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| Overview of the meeting. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
The meeting was attended by ambassadors and representatives from the diplomatic missions of several African countries, both resident and non-resident in Vietnam, including Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Ethiopia, Chad, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Somalia, Senegal, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Industry and Trade, Agriculture and Environment, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and numerous senior leaders from associations, corporations, and Vietnamese enterprises engaged in investment and cooperation with Africa, such as the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, Northern Food Corporation, PetroVietNam Group, Viettel, HAPRO, Vingroup, T&T, Xuan Thien, Hoa Binh, APEC Global, MK, AquaOne, and many others, were also present.
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| Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang delivers the opening speech. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
In her opening remarks, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang recalled the traditional and close bond between the people of Vietnam and African nations, sharing aspirations for independence, inspiring and supporting each other in past struggles for national liberation and current nation-building efforts.
Amid profound global changes, with Vietnam entering a new development phase aiming to become a high-income developed country by 2045 and African countries emerging as a new growth driver for the world, the Deputy Minister expressed hope that Vietnam and African nations would actively leverage their strong relationship foundation to explore potential and promote concrete, substantive cooperation across various fields, bringing tangible benefits to both peoples and businesses.
Emphasizing the deepening of traditional friendly cooperation with African friends as a priority in Vietnam's foreign policy, the Deputy Minister noted that both sides have significant potential for cooperation, meeting demands and matching capabilities in areas like infrastructure development, energy, green transition, digital transformation, and tourism, alongside traditional agricultural cooperation and food security. Furthermore, Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang affirmed Vietnam's readiness to share experiences in innovation, economic development, and international integration with African friends.
Reiterating Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's directive "Say it, do it; commit, fulfill", the Deputy Foreign Minister stressed that to further strengthen and substantiate Vietnam-Africa relations, the involvement of businesses is crucial, with the government playing a facilitating role for effective cooperation.
Highlighting Africa's vast potential with over 50 countries, a population of more than 1.4 billion, a GDP exceeding 3000 billion USD, rich natural resources, and a young workforce with dynamic economies, the Deputy Foreign Minister urged ministries, sectors, localities, and businesses to continue focusing on and actively engaging in cooperation with the region. The Deputy Minister affirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will always accompany African diplomatic missions and Vietnamese businesses, making Vietnam-Africa relations a model for South-South cooperation in the new era.
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| The meeting was attended by ambassadors and representatives from African diplomatic missions resident in Vietnam. (Photo: Thành Long) |
Speaking at the event, African Ambassadors expressed admiration for Vietnam's socio-economic development achievements over 40 years of renewal, desiring to learn from Vietnam's development and integration experiences, enhance management capacity, and train human resources. They appreciated the practical significance of the event organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hoping it would provide opportunities to meet, directly connect, and explore cooperation with major Vietnamese businesses interested in working with Africa. They called on reputable and capable businesses to explore investment possibilities in Africa, especially in key infrastructure projects and economic corridor connections to promote regional integration and linkage in Africa as the continent advances the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Algerian Ambassador Azeddine Bechka stated that Algeria is intensifying economic diversification, enhancing logistics infrastructure connectivity in North Africa and the Sahel, supporting young entrepreneurs, and is ready for unlimited cooperation with Vietnam, as pledged by the Algerian Prime Minister during Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính's official visit last November.
Angolan Ambassador Fernando Miguel introduced Angola's focus on developing infrastructure projects connecting Angola with the region to accelerate African integration, viewing Vietnam as an important partner in Asia, and acknowledged Vietnam's commitments in cooperation with Africa. He called on capable Vietnamese businesses in transportation, infrastructure, and energy to participate in projects in Angola.
Ethiopian Ambassador Dessie Dalkie Dukamo recalled the official visit to Vietnam by the Ethiopian Prime Minister in April 2025, which yielded positive outcomes, notably the official launch of a direct flight connecting the capitals Hanoi and Addis Ababa in July 2025, expected to further boost economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges in the future.
The Ethiopian Ambassador noted that Africa in general, and Ethiopia in particular, have significant demand and potential for cooperation in energy, infrastructure development, and digital transformation.
Chadian Ambassador Abakar Saleh Chahaimi highlighted the country's potential and strengths, especially untapped gold and oil resources, vast arable land, and interest in energy transition, infrastructure development, and tourism.
In her presentation, Somalian Ambassador Hedan Osman underscored that Somalia is an important "gateway" to the Red Sea, which is also a key route linking Europe, Asia and Africa, and Somalia has a very progressive foreign investment law.
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| Representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Industry and Trade, Agriculture and Environment, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and numerous senior leaders from associations, corporations, and Vietnamese enterprises engaged in investment and cooperation with Africa also attend the forum. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
At the event, senior leaders from major Vietnamese corporations and enterprises also spoke, sharing information on their cooperation needs in areas of strength with African countries and connecting with African Ambassadors.
Speaking at the forum, Mr. Nguyen Phan Hong Hai, Deputy General Director of VinGroup SNG, highly appreciated the active and effective cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, particularly the Middle East–Africa Department, in connecting Vietnamese enterprises with African partners.
He emphasized that VinGroup is one of Vietnam’s leading multi-sector economic groups and aspires to make positive contributions to sustainable development not only in Vietnam but also in other regions around the world. VinGroup is currently present in more than 20 countries across Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Oceania, and most recently, Africa. In the coming period, the group plans to implement a number of projects in infrastructure, clean energy, education, healthcare, and other sectors. To this end, VinGroup has established VinGroup Africa. The Group hopes that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ambassadors of African countries will accompany VinGroup in effectively tapping investment and business opportunities across the highly promising African continent, thereby contributing to the deeper, more substantive, and effective development of friendly and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and African countries, and to the prosperity of each nation.
Mr. Le Viet Hai, Chairman of Hoa Binh Group, expressed his desire to cooperate with African countries, a vast market with a large population. He emphasized the application of Vietnam’s rapidly advancing construction technologies, leveraging the advantages of a latecomer by implementing centralized management, applying artificial intelligence (AI), and making use of the most advanced technologies to develop the construction industry. He also expressed his hope that African countries would adopt policies and legal frameworks in line with international practices to implement strategic cooperation steps and promote economic cooperation for peace and prosperity in Africa as well as globally.
Ms. Truong Thi Ny, Senior Strategic Advisor of APEC Global shared that the group focuses on developing agriculture, finance, vocational education, and supporting women entrepreneurs, stat-ups. The group has projects that have made progress toward officially signed investment contracts in Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa, and hopes to share Vietnam’s development experiences in industrial production, agriculture, and services with African countries.
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| Ms. Nguyen Phuong Tra, Director General of the Middle East - Africa Department, speaks at the meeting. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
Speaking at the meeting, Ms. Nguyen Phuong Tra, Director General of the Middle East - Africa Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called on African Ambassadors to collaborate in proposing and implementing activities to enhance political trust and closer ties between Vietnam and Africa, especially through high-level delegation exchanges. She emphasized reviewing the implementation of existing commitments and agreements, completing the legal framework, and promoting the signing of foundational agreements such as visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders, investment promotion and protection agreements, and double taxation avoidance agreements. She also suggested that Governments of both sides adopt measures to encourage and provide incentives for Vietnamese businesses to invest in Africa.
As immediate measures, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed enhancing information access and business connections, organizing surveys and practical activities, whereby African Ambassadors actively arrange business delegations to explore and discuss cooperation opportunities with Vietnamese enterprises, and promote people-to-people exchanges, cultural exchanges, and tourism promotion between the two sides.
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| Delegates pose for a group photo at the Meet Africa 2025 event. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
On the afternoon of December 11, within the framework of the Meet Africa 2025 program, African Ambassadors visited Vinfast's manufacturing complex in Hai Phong to explore potential cooperation in green transportation with Vietnam in the near future.
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| Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosts 'Meet Africa 2025': Afican Ambassadors at the meeting with Managing Board of Vinfast manufacturing complex in Hai Phonng, on December 11, 2025. (Photo: Courtesy of the VinGroup SNG) |
