What: The 2018 African Economic Conference (AEC) will take place in Kigali, Rwanda, under the theme “Regional and Continental Integration for Africa’s Development”. The Conference is jointly organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) (www.AfDB.org).
Who:
- H.E. Paul Kagame, President, Republic of Rwanda (TBC)
- H.E. Saulos Chilima, Vice-President, Republic of Malawi
- H.E. Prof. Victor Harison, Commissioner for Economic Affairs, African Union Commission
- Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for Africa, UNDP
- Ms. Giovannie Biha, Deputy Executive Secretary, UNECA
- Mr. Gabriel Negatu, Director General, East Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office, AfDB
When: Monday 3 December 2016 – Wednesday 7 December 2018
The Opening Ceremony will start on Monday 3 December 2018 at 09:30AM, Kigali time, 7:30AM Abidjan/GMT, 2:30 AM New York.
Where: Marriott Hotel, Kigali
Following the launch of the Continental Free Trade Area for Africa in March 2018, the Conference objective will be advocate for and provide clear policy guidance based on research and best practices for a stronger partnership for faster integration in all its dimensions. It will offer a unique avenue for researchers, policymakers and development practitioners to debate and build knowledge on solutions for continental integration. The debates would focus on using four pillars (Conceptual underpinning of Africa’s integration; Infrastructure and institution for Africa’s integration; Leveraging private sector for Africa’s integration; Partnerships for effective integration) to propel innovative solutions to impediments of Africa’s regional and continental integration.
The Conference will include the following special events:
Accelerating Inclusive Regional Integration (UNDP) on Monday 3 December 2018 (Marriott Hotel, Kigali/Kilimanjaro Ballroom, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Kigali time.
What Next After the Launch: Implementing the AfCFTA? (Launch of the 2018 Visa Openness Index) on Tuesday 4 December 2018 (Marriott Hotel, Kigali/Kilimanjaro Ballroom, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM Kigali time.
Launch of the 2018 Africa Sustainable Development Report (AfDB, ECA, UNDP) and the African Governance Report (ECA) on Tuesday 4 December 2018 (Marriott Hotel, Kigali/Kilimanjaro Ballroom, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM Kigali time.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
