28 March 2007
Addis Ababa — African ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development are due to meet in Addis Ababa to discuss on how to accelerate growth so the continent could meet Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The regional ministerial meeting is scheduled to be held on 2 and 3 April 2007 at the UN Conference Centre where other dignitaries are also invited as guest speakers, apart from the nearly 200 participants which include central bank governors, leading academics and researchers, and international partners who are also to attend or present papers.
The meeting will feature a panel discussion involving Benjamin Mkapa, former president of the United Republic of Tanzania, and eminent economists Sir Nicholas Stern and Jeffrey D. Sachs.
"The panelists will bring their considerable experience in global economic policy-making to enrich the discussion on strategies and the way forward to achieving the MDGs," the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) said in a statement.
One important area for discussion, according to ECA which is organizing the forum, will be the design of the right mix of interventions that African countries need to implement in order to accelerate growth and development.
September 2007 will mark the mid-point on the road to 2015, the date for achieving the MDGs, aimed at reducing poverty by half in the developing countries, mainly in Africa.
But recent assessments conducted by ECA and others conclude that Africa is at risk of not achieving the goals by the target date, 2015.
Growth, Employment and Inequality in Africa; Scaling up Financing and Public Sector Investments; Planning, Monitoring and Tracking Economic Performance; Peace and Security; and Partnerships and Globalization are among the agendas the forum is set to discuss on, according to the statement that will be discussed during the regional forum in Addis Ababa.
The regional forum will be held under the theme: Accelerating Africa's Growth and Development to meet the MDGs: Emerging Challenges and the way forward.
Recent assessments by ECA and others conclude that Africa is at risk of not achieving the goals by the target date, 2015.
September 2007 will mark the mid-point on the road to 2015, the date for achieving the MDGs, aimed at reducing poverty by half in the developing countries, mainly in Africa.
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