Africagua Canarias is a global business event linking Africa with Europe and beyond to discuss water, renewable energy, and climate resilience. Enterprise Europe Network partners in the Canary Islands help make it happen by connecting companies and professionals from around the world.
What is Africagua Canarias?
Africagua Canarias is a global business forum held every two years in Fuerteventura. It brings together leaders from Africa, Europe, and beyond to tackle major challenges in water, renewable energy, and climate resilience. The event supports the Africa-EU Partnership’s goals to strengthen economic cooperation, promote sustainable development, and create long-lasting solutions to boost energy efficiency and fight the climate crisis.
Connecting businesses with the right opportunities
In 2021, Africagua welcomed over 90 participants from Europe, Africa, and the US. Eight African countries joined, including newcomers São Tomé and Príncipe, Ivory Coast, and Ghana. Through virtual B2B meetings, companies shared insights and explored partnerships for sustainable solutions.
The Enterprise Europe Network Partners in the Canary Islands, alongside the Canary Islands Institute of Technology (ITC), PROEXCA and the Commerce Chamber of Fuerteventura, organised 132 B2B meetings and offered technical support to the event. The ITC, an instrumental agency of the Canary Islands government and a member of the Network, also promoted the forum regionally and internationally. This allowed the Network to boost the visibility of the event and set up an attractive virtual marketplace for businesses. The Network also guided participants in building strong business profiles to boost their visibility and attract the right partners.
The Enterprise Europe Network Canarias: A bridge between Europe and Africa
The Enterprise Europe Network Partners in the Canary Islands have played a key role in strengthening ties between Europe and Africa. They have provided a strategic platform for collaboration, as seen in projects like ITC's DESAL+LIVING LAB and CLIMARISK. DESAL+LIVING LAB focuses on desalination research and innovation, while CLIMARISK offers modular systems for power, water, and cooling during humanitarian crises. Both projects are vital for many African regions, addressing water and energy shortages. These initiatives have made ITC a trusted knowledge hub for countries like Morocco, Senegal, and Mauritania.
The Network Partners also help Canary Islands companies connect with Africa, facilitating partnerships through local contact points and regional chambers of commerce in Gran Canaria and Tenerife. For instance, the Canarian SME ECOS, specialising in water technologies, teamed up with an African company on a project in Mauritania thanks to the Network’s support.
If your business is interested in sustainable projects in Africa, Enterprise Europe Network can help. We connect companies to opportunities, partners, and expert advice to help them grow responsibly. Our mission is to build strong, lasting EU-Africa collaborations that drive innovation and resilience.
Teresa Rodríguez is a General Network Advisor and Scale-up Advisor. She works as a Project Technician at the Innovation Department of the ITC. She has been part of the Enterprise Europe Network Canarias since 2008, where she supports internationalisation, financing, EU funding and transnational technology transfer to SMEs and R&D centres in the Canary Islands.
Benito Brito is a communication technician at the ITC. He holds a degree in Journalism, as well as a master’s in organizational communication.
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