The African Union (AU)–European Union (EU) Business Forum (AEBF) is a high-level private sector focused platform that runs in parallel to the AU-EU Summit.
The 2025 session was opened by the African Union Chairperson and President of the European Commission and brought together African and European business leaders, policymakers and investors to drive partnerships and investment.
It offered a space for the learnings and stories of SME beneficiaries to be heard and fed into the design of strategies to grow Africa-EU commercial ties and the support measures needed to unlock inclusive participation in the priority sectors of the Global Gateway.
Africa Trade Competitiveness and Market Access (ATCMA) Programme (ATMCA) was centre stage at the AU-EU Business Forum including the organisation of a side event led by the International Trade Centre (ITC).
A key spotlight was on the personal journeys of three coffee businesses from Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya supported under the first ATCMA chapter implemented in East Africa: EU-EAC MARKUP II.
The SMEs demonstrated how the programme is already helping them to comply with regional and EU standards, upgrade quality, innovate in value addition, and access new markets, offering a preview of the scale and impact expected across other target regions.
The East African enterprises also participated in business and investor networking activities and exhibited their expert packaged products, offering firsthand evidence of how AU-EU collaborations can translate the Global Gateway commitments into real competitiveness gains on the ground.
