Andhra Pradesh invites French companies to Partnership Summit 2025
Roadshow held in Paris in partnership with CII, CCIFI
The roadshow was attended by several French businesses
In association with the Confederation of Indian Industry and CCIFI, a delegation of Andhra Pradesh government officials held a roadshow in Paris to invite French businesses to participate in the upcoming Partnership Summit, scheduled to be held on November 14-15 at Visakhapatnam.
The roadshow was attended by several French businesses
With the aim to attract a large delegation of French industry to participate in the Partnership Summit 2025, a delegation of the Andhra Pradesh government visited Paris to hold a roadshow that was organised in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFI), the leading Indo-French industry association.
Members of the delegation included Gottipati Ravi Kumar, Minister of Energy of Andhra Pradesh and CM Saikanth Varma, CEO, Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB), which oversees the organisation of the Partnership Summit.
On the occasion, Varma highlighted the various parametres that made Andhra Pradesh a leading investment destination for companies from around the world and also underlined the key areas and sectors where the state government was seeking industrial partners from around the world to invest in the state. These include agriculture and food processing, electronics manufacturing, green energy, pharmaceuticals, automobile and technology. The delegation also highlighted the ambitious plans of the state to scale up its solar power production capacity to 78.50 GW through its AP Integrated Clean Energy Policy 2024.
Also present at the event was Shalia Shah, Counsellor (Economics and Commerce) of the Embassy of India in Paris who highlighted the important place that Andhra Pradesh occupied in India.
“Within this broader framework, Andhra Pradesh stands out as one of India’s most progressive and investment-ready states. With its strategic location on the eastern coast of India, robust industrial infrastructure, skilled workforce, and investor-friendly policies, Andhra Pradesh has emerged as a gateway to the fastest-growing markets in South and Southeast Asia,” Shah told the gathering.
On the occasion, Coumar Ananda, President of CCIFI, said that Andhra Pradesh had several unique strengths such as its coastline and ports, its industrial parks, its skilled human capital and its clear governance model, adding that these were critical ingredients for attracting world-class partners.
Coumar Ananda
“In renewable energy, Andhra Pradesh’s ambition in solar, wind, and green hydrogen can align with the expertise of EDF, ENGIE, and TotalEnergies, while in aerospace and defence, the state could build on the example of Safran’s success in Hyderabad by creating a cluster of French-Indian joint ventures. Also, in agriculture and food processing, Andhra Pradesh’s horticulture, aquaculture, and dairy sectors are ripe for partnerships with French firms such as Danone and Savencia, bringing advanced processing and cold-chain solutions,’’ said Ananda.
He added that to convert this potential into reality, a dedicated French industry delegation to Andhra Pradesh was the logical next step as it would allow French companies to engage directly with the state’s leadership, visit industrial clusters, and identify specific areas of investment.
“We, at CCIFI, will be proud to facilitate and coordinate this engagement,’’ he added.
