AUSTRIA NEWS ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA LAGOS

3/2016

News from Austria & Local News ›››

Business Opportunities ›››

Upcoming Events ›››

Useful Links ›››

EDITORIAL

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA LAGOS

2/10

Dear Partners and Friends,

I hope you all had a good summer and got back to work with enough

energy to tackle the economic challenges ahead of us. Times are

difficult in most of Subsaharan Africa. With the low global prices for

natural resources, countries that are dependent on their exports have

seen a significant decline in their incomes. Some countries are hit

harder than others, especially the ones whose economies are least

diversified. In Nigeria companies are struggling to source foreign

exchange to buy raw materials or make investments in machinery. GDP

growth has turned negative and inflation is running high.

At times like these my job is especially difficult. Austrian companies

have seen a significant decrease in business activity with Nigeria and

some of the countries our office covers over the last year. Nevertheless,

we believe that this is the time when meaningful partnerships are being built. While some might leave

the continent to look for opportunities elsewhere, we encourage Austrian companies to enter Nigeria

and its neighboring markets now. Partnerships with distributors, representatives and clients that are

established now will yield results in the future when the economy has recovered. Especially as major

markets like Nigeria are looking at diversifying their economy and investing in their infrastructure and

production capacities. Austrian companies are not known to jump ship when times are difficult. They

are renowned for their reliability and continuity. They will support their partners through difficult

times.

We are thus putting even more efforts into promoting Nigeria and the entire West- and Central African

market and believe that the current challenging situation will have a positive effect on the medium to

long term by turning resource driven economies into global manufacturing hubs.

Read more about our companies and our activities on the following pages.

Nella Hengstler

Commercial Counsellor

Austrian Embassy Nigeria – Commercial Section Lagos

NEWS FROM AUSTRIA

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA LAGOS

3/10

DANGOTE FOUNDATION’S CEO AND UNIDO‘S FORMER DIRECTOR GENERAL SPEAK AT

EVENT IN VIENNA

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA, the Foreign Trade Promotion Organisation of the Austrian Federal Economic

Chamber, organized an event titled „Do we need a Marshall

Plan for Africa?”, which took place in Vienna on September

5th, 2016. This High-Level Forum discussed the role of

Business & Development at the interface of multilateral

development institutions, international financial institutions

and the business community.

Special Guest Speakers included Mrs. Zouera Youssoufou,

CEO, Dangote Foundation, Nigeria and Mr. Kandeh Yumkella,

Former Director General, UNIDO, CEO SE4ALL and current

Presidential Candidate, Sierra Leone.

Their invaluable experience and expertise in their respective

fields was well sought after and one of the highlights at the

maiden edition of the forum.

The event intended to stimulate discussion on such issues as how Business & Development can

contribute to a robust and sustainable development in Africa, and what role the private sector should

play in African countries. This Forum brought together high-level representatives from business,

finance, the international development community and politics in Africa and the EU.

RED BULL AND SWAROVSKI - AUSTRIA'S TOP BRANDS

The energy drink Red Bull remains Austria's most valuable brand by a significant

margin.

With a brand value of EUR 15.1 bn (+2%), Red Bull

remains unchallenged at the top of the latest ranking

by the European Brand Institute. Red Bull was

founded in the mid 1980s, is now available in more

than 169 countries and an estimated 60 billion cans

have been consumed so far.

In second place by a considerable margin comes the Tyrolean

crystal producer Swarovski, achieving a rise of 5.3% in brand value

to EUR 3.4 bn, the strongest growth recorded by any Austrian

brand. Swarovski originates from the small town of Wattens, high

in the Austrian Alps. The Swarovski Group now comprises of

Swarovski Optik, producer of precision optical instruments; Tyrolit,

producer of grinding, sawing, drilling, & dressing tools; and the Swarovski Crystal Business.

Gaming group Novomatic whose brand is worth EUR 2.9 bn (+3.2%), is third in the ranking.

The European Brand Institute evaluates the most valuable brands every year. The Top 10 in the

Austrian brand value study 2016 represented a brand value totalling EUR 32 bn (+0,9%).

© WKO

© Swarovski

© Red Bull

LOCAL NEWS

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA LAGOS

4/10

EASIER VISA APPLCATIONS FOR AUSTRIA THROUGH VFS

The Austrian Embassy in Abuja recently signed an agreement with the Visa Facilitation Service (VFS).

With immediate effect, travellers who intend to visit Austria have the option to submit their visa

applications at the offices of VFS in Lagos or Abuja without having to book an appointment in advance.

VFS facilitates the submission of visa applications including taking finger prints and forwards

applications to the Austrian Embassy in Abuja for further processing.

For more details please visit the VFS website here.

Countries covered by the Austrian Embassy in Abuja include Benin, Cameroon, Central African

Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Togo.

Schengen visa applicants, living in the following countries covered by the Austrian Embassy in Abuja

can also apply for a visa at:

Ghana: Dutch Embassy in Accra

Cameroon: Belgian Embassy in Yaoundé

Equatorial Guinea: Spanish Embassy in Malabo

São Tomé and Príncipe: Portuguese Embassy in São Tomé

Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Gabon, Togo: French Embassy in each respective country

For other countries covered by the Austrian Embassy - Commercial Section, Lagos:

Congo Republic: French Embassy in Brazzaville

Liberia, Sierra Leone: Austrian Embassy in Dakar

Democratic Republic of Congo: Belgian Embassy in Kinshasa

Applications at each one of these Embassies are subject to the regulations and procedures of the

respective Embassy. The Austrian Embassy, Abuja therefore recommends contacting these

Embassies directly.

For more information please download the Austrian Embassy's Visa Information Guide.

CHANGE OF HEAD OF MISSION AT THE AUSTRIAN EMBASSY IN ABUJA

At the end of July, Ambassador Joachim Öppinger completed his mission

to Nigeria and left the country to take up his new post in Chile. We would

like to express our cordial gratitude to Ambassador Öppinger for the

excellent co-operation over the past few years.

His successor, Mr. Werner Senfter, arrived in Abuja in the beginning of

August. Before coming to Nigeria, Ambassador Senfter worked as Deputy

Inspector General at the Austrian Foreign Ministry. His previous postings

abroad included the former Yugoslavia, China and the Netherlands.

We look forward to welcoming Ambassador Senfter on his first visit to

Lagos .

LOCAL NEWS

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA LAGOS

5/10

ANTON PAAR - WORLD LEADER ENSURING THE QUALITY OF LOCAL BEVERAGES AND LUBRICANTS

Anton Paar produces high-end measuring and laboratory instruments for industry and research which

are used in different sectors of the Nigerian and West African economies in areas such as the

beverages industry, petroleum sector particularly in the lubricant industry as well as in material

characterization.

It is the world leader in the measurement of density, concentration and CO2 and in the field of

rheometry, viscometry, sample preparation, microwave synthesis, petroleum testing and high –

precision temperature measurement amongst others.

For the past 12 years the local agent Winelight Anaytical has developed a mutually beneficial and

increasingly expanding relationship with local manufacturers promoting Austrian technology and

expertise in the sub region.

To find out more about the companies please visit the websites for Anton Paar and Winelight

Analytics.

AUSTRIAN RESUMES POSITION AS MANAGING DIRECTOR OF JULIUS BERGER NIGERIA

Nigeria’s largest construction company which took up operations as a then German owned company

in 1965 with the construction of the Eko Bridge in Lagos has been headed by Wolfgang Goetsch from

2007 to 2014. Mr. Goetsch is an Austrian national who, after studying civil engineering at the University

in Innsbruck, got his first work experience at a large construction

site in Tyrol. After completion

of this assignement his desire

was to work internationally. He

joined Julius Berger Nigeria in

1991 together with his Austrian

wife Lisa. They both fell in love

with the country and its people

and decided to stay and

continue to work at JBN. In

2007 Wolfgang was elevated to the position of Managing Director

which he held until June 2014 when he moved back to Austria

for personal reasons together with his family. He continued

working for JBN as Head of their German subsidiary in

Wiesbaden and Non-Executive Director of the Board in Nigeria.

In light of the dire situation the Nigerian economy is facing,

Julius Berger Nigeria had to lay-off more than 10.000 of its workforce. Mr. Goetsch was then called

back to assume his old post as Managing Director which he did on 23rd July of this year.

We would like to extend a warm “Welcome Back!” to Mr. Goetsch and wish him all the best for the

challenging job he has taken up!

© Julius Berger Nigeria

© Julius Berger Nigeria

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA LAGOS

6/10

FRAUD-PROOF ID CARDS FOR CONGO-KINSHASA STUDENTS BY VARIUSCARD

With a mandate by the Democratic

Republic of Congo to deliver high

volume and quality fraud-proof picture

identity cards within a short time frame

for the coming academic year 2016/17,

Austrian company Variuscard GmbH,

produced over 100.000 cards per day in

its Vienna headquarters. The cards

have visible and invisible as well as

forensic security marks and integrated

codes for definite identification.

Variuscard is a second generation family business, specialized in developing and

producing innovative plastic cards for a variety of industries as well as manufacturing of high security

identity solutions for the private and public sector. The company also offers system solutions for

staff, client as well as voucher management.

SUNNYBAG - YOUR PERSONAL PORTABLE CHARGING STATION

It is two o’clock in the afternoon. Your mobile phone only has 10% battery life left. You forgot to

charge your powerbank the night

before. You are nowhere near a place

you could possibly use your charger.

The prospect of being without a phone

is too difficult to fathom. Being Africa,

it is however a sunny day. Enter Sunnybag, a fully functional

solar bag.

The SunnyBAG solar system provides for a mobile and

environmentally friendly way to charge electronic devices

such as mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, small video

cameras and MP3 players with the help of sunlight via the

built-in USB port. Solar panels on the bags generate energy

directly from the sun which in turn provide the SunnyBAG with

power to charge your devices. Never again will you have to find yourself with a dead phone.

For more information and to see the different bag designs, please visit the following link.

© SunnyBAG GmbH

© Variuscard GmbH

© SunnyBAG GmbH

© Variuscard GmbH

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA LAGOS

7/10

GIS AQUA AUSTRIA - STEEL/PLANT CONSTRUCTION AND WATER TREATMENT EXPERTS

GIS Aqua Austria GmbH was founded in 1912 and since the 1970s has provided top quality, in-depth

know-how in the planning, production and implementation of

components and complete plants. GIS Aqua has become a

specialist in the water treatment, steel construction and plant

construction sectors.

The company is in search of joint venture partners for projects

with end customers in the water infrastructure sector and for

plant construction projects, services and know-how in the

water engineering sector and production of stainless steel and

plastic components.

For more information please visit the GIS Aqua website.

SUNDROPS® AND AZUD - TRUSTED IRRIGATION SYSTEMS AND MOBILE SOLAR POWER PLANTS

1stLevelSolar GmbH is looking for a distributor for Sun-

Drops®, the mobile solar power plant, and AZUD drip irri-

gation and filter systems.

The focus is on the distribution of SunDrops®, which has

the ability to produce power anytime and anywhere, power

solar pumping systems and treat drinking water.

The distributor and its employees must complete an in-

depth training course in order to be able to sell, maintain

and repair SunDrops® and the irrigation systems.

For more information visit the following link.

GAW TECHNOLOGIES - WORLDWIDE PREFERRED SUPPLIER TO THE PAPER INDUSTRY

GAW Technologies is seeking new contacts to paper and carton producers.

Their product portfolio includes processing plants for the

manufacture of refined paper and cardboard based on decades of

experience and global expertise .

Amongst their core competencies are coating colour kitchens, work

stations, dispersing machines, starch and pigment processing,

metering technology, filter systems, GCC machines, coating colour

quality analysis, process control systems.

Interested companies can contact GAW Technologies by visiting the

following link.

© 1st­Level­Solar GmbH

© GIS Aqua GmbH

© GAW Technologies

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA LAGOS

8/10

TZ AUSTRIA - THE RELIABLE SUPPLIER FOR FURNITURE-FRONTS AND CARCASS-

ELEMENTS

TZ Austria is best known as a reliable and always on time supp-

lier of furniture-fronts, carcass-elements and furniture-

components. Over the years the company has specialised on mo-

dern surface lamination. Via it factories in Austria and Asia TZ

Austria also offers high-gloss finished parts.

Today, TZ Austria is one of the most innovative suppliers to the

furniture industry in the world. Their success is based on high

quality materials, state of the art machines, pioneering innovati-

ons and highest quality production standards.

For more information please visit their website.

iSi - ESSENTIAL TOOLS TO ENRICH GASTRONOMY

From simple whipped cream to complex, sweet and savory foams, and

everything in between, the iSi System of whippers and soda siphons, powered

by Austrian-manufactured gas chargers, allows you to achieve pure flavor in

endlessly creative ways. Crafted with exceptional quality, these innovative

products have become essential tools for both the home and professional

kitchen.

The iSi product range includes cream and soda chargers, cream whippers,

and soda siphons that are targeted at the catering, hotel, food and drinks

industries.

To find out more about iSi kindly visit their website.

RUBBLE MASTER - THE SPECIALIST FOR MOBILE CRUSHERS

Rubble Master mobile crushers are ready for immediate deployment wherever they are needed and

provide excellent performance for recycling (construction rubble,

concrete, bricks etc.) and processing natural stone thanks to their

cost effectiveness and environmental relevance. For example the

high quality grain they produce is used as a construction material in

road building projects.

Rubble Master is looking for direct customers for their cost-

effective compact crushers which can be used in the following

fields: environmental technologies, renewable energies, transpor-

tation and logistics, construction and infrastructure, machinery and

plant construction. Rubble Master is already successfully establis-

hed in Cameroon.

For more inforation please visit Rubble Master‘s website.

© Rubble Master GmbH

© iSi GmbH

© TZ Austria GmbH

USEFUL LINKS

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA LAGOS

9/10

EVENT CALENDER

NOVEMBER

10—11: iPAD Energy Infrastructure Forum, Yaoundé, Cameroon

Clark Energy, representatives of Austrian company GE Jenbacher will be

participating at the event.

23—24: West Africa Power Convention (WAPIC), Lagos

You can visit the Austrian company Omicron at their stand.

28– 30: Austrian Trade Mission to Nigeria, Lagos

DECEMBER

1.12 Extrunet GmbH Industry Serminar on: Window profiles and production, Lagos

FEBRUARY 2017

14—16: AfricaBuild, Lagos

Austria will again be represented with a group exhibition - come find us at the

Advantage Austria stand!

FRESH VIEW Organic Food

You can download the FRESH VIEW MAGAZINE on Organic Food to find out

more about business opportunities available in the Austrian organic food

industry.

Special edition: Austria‘s Born Global Champions II

The special Fresh View edition on Austria‘s Born Global Champions can al-

so be accessed via the link above .

For a full list of available FRESH VIEW magazines, please visit our website.

CONTACT & SERVICE

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA LAGOS

10/10

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA Lagos Austrian Embassy - Commercial Section

65, Oyinkan Abayomi Drive

Ikoyi, Lagos

NIGERIA

T +234 1 280 1305

C +234 809 097 8603

E lagos@advantageaustria.org

W www.advantageaustria.org/ng

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA, with its network of foreign trade

offices, is the Foreign Trade Promotion Organisation of

the Austrian economy. Under the auspices of the Austrian

Federal Economic Chamber, ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA is

Austria's largest service provider and driver of all inter-

national economic activities. ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA acts

as an official lobby, representing the interests of its Aus-

trian members both at home and abroad.

DISCLAIMER:

Limitation of liability:

To the extent permitted by law, ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA Lagos will not be liable for any damage, including loss of

business or profits, in relation to usage of this newsletter.

Copyright:

The contents of this newsletter may not be copied, reproduced, republished, transmitted or distributed in whole

or part unless ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA Lagos is explicitly mentioned as the source.