There comes a moment, in every international growth journey, when opportunities stop being merely potential and become real conversations, exchanges of ideas and new perspectives. That’s exactly what happens during the Business Networking Week in Italy (BNWI), the networking program E4Impact offers to top entrepreneurs from its academic and training pathways in Africa.
What Is the Business Networking Week
BNWI is a five-day program in Italy built around interactions, dedicated sessions on internationalization, and exclusive meetings with selected stakeholders. It was created with a clear goal: to facilitate matchmaking between European and African companies committed to social and environmental impact and to build a strong Africa–Italy collaboration platform.
Each edition is designed as a selective experience (with up to 20 entrepreneurs) and focused on internationalizing key value chains, ensuring quality and tangible results.
In other words, it isn’t just a trip to Italy. It’s an accelerator for B2B relationships—a setting where you learn, test your positioning, refine your value proposition and, above all, build connections that last over time.
The 2026 Edition, Under the INSPIRE and Pact4Skills Banner
The BNWI 2026, held in Rimini April 20–24, 2026, was a special edition: exclusively dedicated to Ghana’s entrepreneurial community and supported by the I.N.S.P.I.R.E. and Pact4Skills projects.
I.N.S.P.I.R.E. (Implementing New Solutions for the Professional Integration of Human Resources in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Ghana), funded by the Italian Cooperation, aims to strengthen SME competitiveness and professional integration through new and inclusive solutions: valuing talent and preparing a workforce aligned with labor-market needs. Among its many activities, the project includes: the Italian Innovation Center at the University of Professional Studies of Accra (UPSA), training tracks on innovation, digitalization and sustainability, a business–labor observatory, and B2B initiatives to strengthen Ghana–Italy, including, of course, the Business Networking Week in Italy.
The 2026 edition was also co-financed by EU-Ghana Pact4Skills, an initiative aimed at strengthening the link between tertiary education, private sector needs and sustainable employability in Ghana, with a specific focus on green entrepreneurship, digital sectors, acceleration and incubation services. By supporting skills development and stronger university–business collaboration, Pact4Skills further enriched the BNWI experience as a concrete opportunity to connect Ghanaian entrepreneurial talent with international markets and strategic business networks.
Eight Impactpreneurs from Ghana, One Booth, Many Connections
The 2026 edition saw E4Impact take part with a dedicated booth at MACFRUT 2026, a leading international B2B trade fair for the fruit and vegetable industry. Eight selected Ghanaian entrepreneurs, active in the sector, along with the welcome presence of Mahmoud Iddrisu, Deputy CEO of the Ghana Enterprise Agency, on this occasion were able to:
- showcase products and solutions,
- engage with international buyers and exhibitors,
- kick off exchanges geared toward internationalization,
- activate and strengthen B2B synergies and connections.
The numbers tell the story: during the fair, our impact entrepreneurs welcomed visits from over 130 visitors interested in their businesses and launched more than 70 B2B meetings with industry stakeholders. Targeted conversations, booth pitches, contact exchanges, follow-up requests—the fair became a live lab for commercial validation and trust-building.
More Than a Trade Fair: Strategic Coaching with CCCD in the New G4I Program
During this BNWI, networking was further enriched with tools and targeted growth moments. Entrepreneurs benefited from valuable coaching sessions delivered by Susanne Lang and Stephen Jackson, senior mentors at CCCD (Centrum für Corporate Citizenship Deutschland gGmbH), as part of the new program G4I – Grow4Impact. G4I is a initiative for business coaching and advisory promoted by E4Impact and CCCD and offers tailored 1:1 sessions to support entrepreneurs as they pursue their growth goals and the economic and social impact of their businesses.
The sessions enabled a more hands-on look at each participant’s business structure. The result? Early operational insights, real-time feedback from the field and immediately actionable takeaways to refine strategy and positioning.
Looking Ahead
This experience reinforces a well-established truth: integrating high-potential businesses, an international platform, and structured support acts as a growth accelerator, creating relationships and opportunities over the mid-long term.
We can’t wait to welcome our #E4IEntrepreneurs at the next edition of the Business Networking Week in Italy, and to keep supporting their entrepreneurial journey.