Xavier Bettel meets BPF entrepreneurs at Global Gateway: innovation in action

At the Global Gateway Roadshow hosted by the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce last month, one message came through clearly: partnerships between public and private actors are key to scaling sustainable solutions worldwide.

Bringing together Luxembourg-based companies, European institutions and development actors, the event showcased how initiatives like the Business Partnership Facility (BPF) are turning innovation into concrete impact in the Global South.

A shared ambition for global impact

Opening the conference, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, underlined the importance of mobilising both public and private investment to address global challenges.
His message echoed the core ambition of the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy: to foster sustainable growth through strategic investments in sectors such as energy, infrastructure, health, digitalisation and education — while building trusted, long-term partnerships with countries around the world.

Partnerships that make a difference: 10 years of the BPF

Launched by the Luxembourg Cooperation and implemented by LuxDev, the BPF supports collaborations between European companies and partners in the Global South to develop market-driven solutions to development challenges.
These partnerships can for instance focus on testing and scaling innovative business models that create both economic opportunities and social or environmental impact locally.
This year marks a milestone: 10 years of the BPF. Over the past decade, the programme has supported more than 50 projects, contributing to the creation of over 2,200 jobs and improving the lives of more than 100,000 people worldwide.

A video marking the BPF’s 10-year anniversary was shown during the event and is available online:

For LuxDev’s Director General, Manu Tonnar, these results illustrate a simple idea: businesses can be powerful drivers of development when innovation meets local needs.

Entrepreneurs at the heart of the conversation

At the Roadshow, this impact came to life at the LuxAid and BPF booth, where BPF-supported companies presented their projects and exchanged directly with stakeholders.
Minister Bettel’s visit provided a valuable opportunity to highlight concrete examples of how these partnerships deliver results on the ground.
Several companies — including IBISA Network, BCE (Broadcasting Center Europe) and B Medical Systems — also took to the stage to share their experience. Their testimonies showed how Luxembourg-based businesses are developing solutions tailored to local contexts, from climate risk insurance to healthcare technologies.

Looking ahead: building the next wave of partnerships

Beyond showcasing ongoing projects, the Roadshow aimed to inspire more companies to engage in development cooperation. With the next BPF call for proposals scheduled for autumn 2026, the focus is now on expanding this ecosystem of impact-driven partnerships.
As the BPF enters its second decade, the ambition remains unchanged: to link innovation, entrepreneurship and development cooperation to deliver lasting results where they are needed most.

Photo credit: © Focalize – Chamber of Commerce