AGOA Expo & Trade Fair
Speaker: Mr. Andry Ravalomanda
ANDRY RAVALOMANDA
General Director Economic Development Board of Madagascar
Andry Ravalomanda is the General Director of the Economic Development Board of Madagascar. The EDBM is the official investment promotion agency of Madagascar. Its mission is to develop business linkages between local companies and investors, to increase foreign direct investment and to strengthen the competitiveness of the Malagasy private sectors.
As former General Director in charge of foreign Trade within the ministry of Trade and consumer affairs and former General Director in charge of private sector development at the ministry of industry and private sector development, Andry believes that innovation and technology play an important role for organizations to reach the Sustainable Development Goals.
As international trade and investment has become tightly linked in a hyperconnected world, he is helping the private sector leverage on various economic opportunities to enable them to implement their projects towards sustainability and social impact. He has a result oriented mindset that he developed in the private sector as he ran an IT company for 10 years and was a business consultant in CSR and SDGs. He believes that the economic development of Madagascar will come from a strong, dynamic and innovative private sector.
Looking out for the future, he shares his experience with the younger generation and took part in leadership programs and association. He was selected among the 500 young African leaders who followed intense training in the USA and met President Obama in Washington DC (YALI 2014 Washington fellows). During his training at Yale University he had time to reflect on the importance of strong leadership and self-awareness, as Mahatma Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world”.