Delegate Programme: IFAT Trade Show 2022

Munich, 30 May – 03 June 2022

As environmental technologies and sustainable waste and water treatment are focus
sectors of ITPO Germany, IFAT Munich was a key event of the annual working plan. At the ITPO Germany booth, companies from both Africa and Europe had the chance to learn about opportunities for technology transfer and investment. The presence of six different co-exhibitors led to an even higher footfall and to new linkages between the companies.

ITPO Germany also organized two delegations from the water and waste sector, enabling 12 experts from eight countries across Sub-Saharan Africa to promote their investment projects and to talk to business partners (see Section “Delegate Programme”). In addition, ITPO Germany organized and moderated two co-events on the Innovation Stage at IFAT: The first event focused on Skills Innovation and International Partnerships in the Water Sector and was co-organized with Festo Didactic and GWOPA/UN-Habitat, another UN agency located at the UN Campus in Bonn. The other event addressed the Business Case for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Plastic Recycling in Africa and was organized together with the E-Waste Producer Responsibility Organization Nigeria (EPRON), Maluwa Foundation Zambia and Technical University Darmstadt. This brought the spotlight on e-waste management in Nigeria. Using the country as a case study, EPRON Executive Secretary
Ibukun Faluyi presented how sustainable waste management systems can be built
from scratch to help create jobs and save resources. 

The networking event “Africa Meets IFAT”, co-organized with the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) at the end of the second day of the trade show, attracted over 200 participants and partners of ITPO Germany engaged and interested in promoting the waste and water sectors on the African continent. The event was opened by Richard Clemens, Managing Director at VDMA, and Deputy Head of ITPO Germany Michael Schmidt and offered ample opportunities for further networking. In order to showcase to the sponsor of ITPO Nigeria (Federal Ministry for Investment and Trade in Nigeria, FMITI) the opportunities arising from synergistic collaboration between the different ITPOs, the FMITI delegation visited ITPO Germany’s booth at IFAT, where Rolf Steltemeier, Head of ITPO Germany, welcomed the State Minister and her delegation. Subsequently the delegation was accompanied to the booth of the Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection as well as the German Water Partnership e.V., where meetings had been scheduled by ITPO Germany.