The fifty-first session of the Economic Commission for Africa and the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development will be held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa from 11 to 15 May 2018. The ministerial segment will be preceded by a preparatory meeting of the Committee of Experts, which will open at 9 a.m. on Friday, 11 May 2018. The ministerial segment will open at 9 a.m. on Monday, 14 May 2018.

The plenary sessions of the Conference will commence with a high-level policy dialogue on the theme, followed by plenary sessions on a series of subthemes. The discussions will benefit from the contributions of seasoned and high-level panellists from within and outside Africa and will build on the issues paper and technical background materials, which synthesize the results of recent research on the matters under consideration, with a view to achieving an agreed outcome that will have important implications for the continent’s future. Further inspiring discussions and findings are anticipated from a number of parallel side events scheduled to be held on 13 May 2018.