Moroni — H.E. Djaffar Ahmed Said Hassani, the First Vice-President of the Comoros, in charge of the Ministry of Economy, Planning, Industry, Crafts, Tourism, Investments, Private Sector and Land Affairs, met a delegation of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in Moroni last week to discuss the preparations for its annual sub-regional meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts (ICE).

The Moroni meeting - which is scheduled to take place in November 2017 - will focus on the theme of "Accelerating Structural Transformation in Eastern Africa - Catalysts and Constraints. " The Vice president expressed the enthusiasm of the Comoriangovernment to host the meeting.

The meeting is expected to be attended by around 150 participants from the fourteen member States served by the office (Burundi, Comoros, D.R Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda) as well as Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs), development partners, research centers, media and other stakeholders.

The ECA delegation, led by Andrew Mold, Acting Director for the Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa, discussed with the Vice-President of the Comoros how the forthcoming meeting will provide an overview of region's economic and social performance, as well as giving space for more in-depth discussions about sectoral prospects, in crucial areas to regional development like tourism, the blue economy and energy.

During their visit to Moroni, the members of ECA delegation also met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Finance, the Resident Coordinator and other senior UN officials, representatives of Chamber of Commerce, as well as other high-level government officials .