Focal topics at IFAT Africa 2017
Munich, August 17, 2017
Press Release
Focal topics at IFAT Africa 2017
From drinking water supply to youth development
The environmental industry will gather at IFAT Africa at the Johannesburg Expo Centre from September 12 to 14. The 2017 edition of the African Trade Fair for Water, Sewage, Refuse and Recycling will be accompanied by a diverse supporting program that delivers answers to the continent’s pressing environmental problems. Stefan Rummel, Managing Director of Messe München, reveals the program’s highlights
Mr. Rummel, at the premiere in 2015, the supporting program was an integral part of IFAT Africa. What about this year?
We are once again integrating numerous expert talks, panel discussions and seminars in the event in 2017. All in all, numerous items on subjects relating to the African environmental market will be presented to visitors. Our mission for IFAT Africa is to not only offer a business platform, but also to boost the sharing of expertise and to promote innovations.
You mentioned young experts. What does IFAT Africa have in store for them?
Quite a bit. A new forum, the Young Professionals Forum, aims to help young academics to forge valuable contacts and make it easier for them to launch their career in the environmental sector. Anyone wishing to expand their practical experience can take part in the DWA University Challenge. In this competition, students learn how to plan water and waste treatment plants professionally and efficiently. The winning team can look forward to a special prize: a trip to Munich for IFAT, the parent trade fair of IFAT Africa, taking place in May 2018.
Can you highlight the focal topics at IFAT Africa 2017?
The major focus will be on the subject of drinking water. Acute water shortage still poses enormous challenges for the continent’s inhabitants – as I discovered again on my recent trip to South Africa. In order for the crisis to be addressed, we have invited top experts to share their know-how and solution proposals at IFAT Africa. Industrial water treatment also plays an important role in the supporting program this year. Large industries in Africa, such as the beverage and food industry, are increasingly committed to resource-efficient production in order to curb the loss of water. A representative from Pentair, a supplier of filtration and separation technology, will speak about that very subject in his talk Water Treatment and Reuse in the Food and Beverage Industry.
What environmental topics are also on the agenda?
One other focus is on the mining sector. The event will look at what impact mining has on the environment and how the consequences can be minimized. The potential of renewable energies for Africa is also on the agenda. All of these are issues that may be crucial to the continent’s development.
Who is involved in the supporting program?
We traditionally integrate many industry associations, both African and international, at all our IFAT trade fairs. As a result, our events always have their finger on the pulse and reflect the interests of exhibitors and visitors. Participants at IFAT Africa 2017 include: the German-African Business Association, the African Sustainable Energy Association (AFSEA), the German Water Partnership (GWP), the National Recycling Forum, the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA), the Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA), the International Solid Waste Association, the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) and many more.
Thank you for the interview.
Free visitor registration is available online now: http://www.ifat-africa.com/onlineregistration.
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More information on IFAT Africa: www.ifat-africa.com.
IFAT Africa
IFAT Africa is one of the leading environmental technology trade fairs in the African market. The premiere of IFAT Environmental Technology Forum Africa, which took place in September 2015, was attended by 116 exhibitors from 13 countries and more than 2,273 visitors from 38 countries, with the trade fair occupying a total exhibition area of 4,500 square meters in the process. The next event will take place from September 12 to 14, 2017 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre (JEC).
IFAT worldwide
Messe München´s competence in organizing environmental-technology events is demonstrated not only in the world´s leading trade fair for the sector, IFAT, but also in a range of other international trade exhibitions around the world. The spectrum encompasses IFAT Africa in Johannesburg, IFAT Eurasia in Istanbul, IFAT India in Mumbai, as well as IE expo in Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Messe München
Messe München is one of the leading exhibition organizers worldwide with more than 50 of its own trade shows for capital goods, consumer goods and new technologies. Every year, a total of over 50,000 exhibitors and around three million visitors take part in more than 200 events at the exhibition center in Munich, at the ICM – Internationales Congress Center München and the MOC Veranstaltungscenter München as well as abroad. Together with its subsidiary companies, Messe München organizes trade shows in China, India, Brazil, Russia, Turkey, South Africa, Nigeria, Vietnam and Iran. With a network of associated companies in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America as well as around 70 representations abroad for over 100 countries, Messe München has a global presence.