Media Advisory - African Economic Conference 2016

MEDIA ADVISORY

African Economic Conference 2016

"Feed Africa: Towards Agro-Allied Industrialization for Inclusive Growth"

What:

The 11 th African Economic Conference (AEC) will take place in Abuja, Nigeria under the theme " Feed Africa: Towards Agro-Allied Industrialization for Inclusive Growth". The Conference is jointly organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Who:

1. His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,

2. Mr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB),

3. Mr. Abdalla Hamdok, Acting Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA),

4. Mr. Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and

5. Professor Eric Maskin (Harvard University) and 2007 Nobel Laureate in Economics

When:

Monday 5 - 7 December 2016 - The Opening Ceremony will start at 08:30AM on Monday 5 December 2016, Abuja time (7:30AM Abidjan/GMT, 2:30 AM New York).

Where:

Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria

The conference will provide an opportunity for participants to discuss Africa's agricultural transformation by presenting the latest empirical evidence on how to leverage agro-industrialization for feeding Africa and promoting inclusive growth. It will also provide critical thinking on how policy-makers, development partners, the private sector, civil society organizations and the academia should support the planning and implementation of these industrialization strategies.

Ending Hunger & Enabling Food Security in Africa - ECA @ #2016AEC

"To turn the tide on jobless growth and curb inequality," Abdalla Hamdok, the Acting Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), wrote that there is "a light at the end of the tunnel and it lies in one of the most promising of sectors - agriculture - which underpins the theme of this year's African Economic Conference - Feeding Africa: Towards Agro-Allied Industrialization for Inclusive Growth." The conference kicked off in Abuja on Monday. More about ECA in this BRIEFING.

A special event of the Conference will be the launch of UNDP's Africa Human Development Report 2016 ("Accelerating Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Africa") on Monday 5 December, 2016 (Hilton Hotel, Lagos/Osun Meeting Room, 2:30PM to 3:30PM Abuja time) to be officiated by Nigeria's Ministers of Budget and Planning, and Women Affairs together with UNDP's Regional Director for Africa. Two other special events will hold on Tuesday 6 December: Launch of Economic Report on Africa 2016 and a discussion on Youth Agri-preneurship's Aspirations and Challenges.

We invite you to cover the conference and engage with us on social media using the hashtags #2016AEC #FeedAfrica. Kindly confirm your participation via this email by 5:00PM Friday, 2 December 2016.

For information on the conference, visit: http://www.afdb.org/aec

UNDP (Abuja): Lucky Musonda, lucky.musonda@undp.org, tel +234 812 949 2749

AfDB (Abidjan): Olivia Ndong Obiang, o.ndong-obiang@afdb.org, tel. +225 75 75 02 15

AfDB (Abuja): Fatimah Abubakar Alkali, f.alkali@afdb.org , mobile: +234 808 779 7701

ECA (Addis Ababa): Sophia Denekew, denekews@uneca.org, tel. +251 92 10 14 767

UNDP (New York): Lamine Bal, lamine.bal@undp.org , tel: +1 212 906 5937

Read the original article on UNECA.