Addis Ababa — The 52nd Session of the Economic Commission for Africa's (ECA) Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development will be held in Marrakech, Morocco, from 20-26 March 2019 under the theme; Fiscal policy, trade and the private sector in the digital era: A strategy for Africa.

This year's theme recognises the need to improve domestic resource mobilization on the continent and increase competitiveness leveraging on the strength of digital technology.

ECA Executive Secretary, Vera Songwe, says discussions during the 2019 CoM will focus on effective fiscal policy for growth in Africa.

"With its changing economic basis, Africa needs to renew its fiscal policy in order to align with the economic order and to meet its needs for investments and growth," says Ms. Songwe as plans for the CoM continue to gather momentum both in Addis Ababa, the seat of the ECA, and Marrakech.

The conference will provide an opportunity for African Ministers to examine the fiscal policies necessary for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) within the frameworks of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and Africa's development programme, Agenda 2063, and the critical role of private sector in the era of the digital economy.

The plenary sessions of the conference of Ministers will commence with a high-level policy dialogue on the theme for 2019. This will be followed by plenary sessions on a series of sub-themes and at least 16 side events on various issues affecting African economies.

Contributions from seasoned and high-level panellists from within and outside Africa will guide the discussion, which will be informed by recent findings.

The sessions will build consensus on Africa's priority areas for action.

The annual Adebayo Adedeji Lecture is also on the cards with inspiring discussions expected from experts from within and outside the continent.