Value addition to natural resources for increased intra-continental trade will dominate the second edition of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues.
The three-day summit, to be held in Aburi in the Eastern Region, would see business and political leaders, academia and other development partners, come out with practical actions to enhance productivity.
It would be held from January 25 to 27 and attended by some 15 Heads of States and Governments, over 80 sector Ministers from six economic communities, over 100 top industries and financiers, and some 800 decisionmakers.
The Africa Prosperity Dialogues is being organised by the Africa Prosperity Network – a non-for-profit platform for promoting an Africa beyond aid, and the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Thematic areas for the 2024 Africa Prosperity Dialogues include agriculture and food sovereignty, natural resources and value addition, manufacturing, infrastructure and ICT, finance and investment, and transport and logistics.
At a press briefing ahead of this year’s summit, Mr Njack Kane, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ghana Prosperity Network, it aimed at ensuring deliverables to make Africa’s free trade a reality.
That, he said led to crafting the summit on the theme: “Delivering prosperity in Africa: Produce, add value trade”, with the outcome at the end being presented to the African Union (AU) for consideration.
He urged the media to continue to play their critical role in disseminating information about the prospects of AfCFTA and propagate narratives for its successful implementation.
Mr Gabby Otchere Darko, Founder, Africa Prosperity Network, said the summit was aimed at changing the narrative and focusing on the prosperity of the continent.
He stated that the idea of having a single market under AfCFTA was about the prosperity of the African continent, indicating that it was important for the private sector to drive its implementation, in partnership with governments.
On the success of the Dialogues, he said the AU had so far recognised its importance in making business and political leaders dialogue in unity for the benefit of the continent, making it adopt the pact from last year’s summit.
Mr Silver Ojakol, Chief of Staff at the AfCFTA Secretariat, said the Area would like to see improved connection between business and political leaders that would engender actions to increase productivity, value addition, and increase intra-continental trade.
That, he said, would be helpful in achieving AU’s goal of lifting some 100 million people on the continent out of poverty, adding that, “the AfCFTA Secretariat is working to make the aspiration of the trade pact come alive”.
He stated that while the adoption of the outcome of last year’s dialogues was a step in the right direction, the Secretariat would look forward to how the compact would translate into actionable decisions.
GNA
KK
15 Jan. 2024
