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<p>The 2024 edition of the Africa Business Forum invited the public and private sector to have an open dialogue about Africa’s efforts to accelerate the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the agenda 2063, the Africa we want. This Focus On brings key voices to highlight what needs to be done to boost Africa’s transformation through education, technology, and innovation.</p>


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Focus On ABF: Boosting Africa’s Transformation through Education, Science, Technology & Innovation

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<p>The Africa Business Forum 2024, a pivotal event which recently took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Spearheaded by Claver Gatete, the UN Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, this gathering marks a significant milestone in shaping the continent&#8217;s future. Under the overarching theme of &#8220;Boosting Africa’s Transformation through Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation,&#8221; leaders, innovators, and visionaries converge to explore pathways for sustainable growth and development.</p>


ABF 2024: Boosting Africa’s Transformation through Education, Science, Technology & Innovation

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<p>Africa Business Forum will be held under the theme, Boosting Africa’s transformation through education, science, technology, and innovation. The goal of the Africa Business Forum is to promote an on-going dialogue between the private and the public sectors in Africa to accelerate collective efforts towards realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, of the African Union. This segment will interrogate what it will take to realise the &#8220;Africa We Want&#8221; and reimagine Africa&#8217;s Tech and STEM future.</p>


Africa Business Forum 2024: Reimagining Africa’s Tech & STEM Future

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<p>Africa continues to face significant headwinds including rising living costs, weakening economic growth, tightening of global financial conditions, increasing effects of climate change, lingering impacts of health pandemics, and geopolitical tensions. This panel discussion reflects on Africa&#8217;s Macroeconomic Performance and Outlook Report for 2024.</p>


AfDB: Africa’s 2024 Macroeconomic Performance & Outlook Report

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<p>The African Economic Summit 2023 brought together leaders from across disciplines to discuss the Imperatives for Sustainable Industrial Development in Africa. These are the closing remarks at the end of three days of in-depth deliberation.</p>


African Economic Conference 2023: Closing Session

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<p>This panel discussion from the African Economic Conference 2023 held in Ethiopia, explores the role of Special Economic Zones in promoting sustainable development in Africa.</p>


African Economic Conference 2023: Role of SEZs in Africa’s economic development

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<p>The port of Djibouti handles close to 95 per cent of Ethiopia&#8217;s maritime trade with 25 per cent of this being transported from Addis Ababa by rail. Over the years the state of the railway has deteriorated affecting Ethiopia&#8217;s port access for more on this we are joined by Stephen Hayes from the Corporate Council on Africa.</p>


Corporate Council on Africa: Why rail line remains essential to the future of Africa


<p>Given the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic, Africa could be facing an economic crisis of unprecedented magnitude. Although the peak of the epidemic has not yet hit the continent, all economic indicators are currently flashing red as a result of preventive measures such as lockdowns and national border closures across most of the continent.</p>



<p>Why should we be so concerned with what is happening across the Mediterranean? Because if the growth dynamic recorded in Africa over the past several decades stalls, it is Europe that will suffer the consequences in a later stage. Everything that has been undertaken with the help of development aid and the setting up of structuring partnerships at the economic level as well as at the health and education levels is at risk of being reduced to nothing. For example, more than 8 million children have been enrolled in primary and more than 160,000 in secondary education in Africa as a result of EU-funded interventions in 2013-2014. This ambitious partnership needs to continue on an ever-stronger footing. Needless to also say that a new wave of migration would also have an impact on our societies: the looming economic crisis would be coupled with a real political crisis that would undoubtedly give populist parties the upper hand in the next elections.</p>



<p>As European politicians, Africa is one of our priorities. Sceptics need only remember the first trip made by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen; her first official trip, just a week after taking office, was to Addis Ababa, to the African Union&#8217;s headquarters. Two months later she went back, along with 20 of the 27 European Commissioners, a sign that Africa and the EU have a real “common destiny” and an ambitious partnership to rebuild.</p>



<p>We need to think, and fast, about how we can help our African partner in the race against time as it faces the predicted economic disaster in the wake of the global covid-19 pandemic. Let&#8217;s ask ourselves the right questions: what works in Africa, what are the factors for development and growth? One is undoubtedly Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), since Africa had more than 400 million Internet users in 2018 – that’s 20% more than in 2017. Mobile phones are the preferred means of accessing the Internet (used three times more than computers) and the United Nations estimates that mobile phone operators are major job creators today. Before the crisis, it was predicted that the mobile phone industry would generate 7.9% of GDP and create 3.45 million jobs in sub-Saharan Africa by 2022.</p>



<p>As Co-Chair and Vice-Chair of the soon to be established RUMRA &amp; Smart Villages Intergroup in the European Parliament, we know how important access to a good Internet connection is as a factor for growth. The intergroup aims to “promote the integrated development of European territories in all their diversity”. And what is true for Europe is all the more true for Africa! ICTs facilitate access to education, they contribute to increasing business productivity, and they represent real added value in the agricultural sector, for example by giving family farmers access to targeted information on techniques to improve their yields.</p>



<p>In light of these facts, there is an urgent need to support the companies operating in the ICT sector that are working on providing Internet access and deploying fibre optics on the African continent, such as Vodafone, Orange, or Huawei Northern Africa. Huawei for instance provides 200,000 kilometers of optical fibre network coverage on the African continent, and owns 50% of the 3G and 4G networks. Orange invests 1 billion euros every year in network development in Africa and Vodafone now has more than 170 million mobile customers across eight African countries, with 4G networks launched in many African markets. These groups are engines of growth and potential solutions to the impending crisis. In this process we need to make sure not to single out any of these companies for geo-strategic considerations that should have no place in our economic considerations. As free marketeers our decisions need to be based solely on merit and the ability of any given company to provide the ICT solutions needed.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Without complicity, without naivety, we have to think about what will impact us positively in the short, medium and long term. Our fear is that our reluctance to move towards greater connectivity will impact our economies, and those of our neighbors, and Africa first and foremost. So let&#8217;s be responsible, let&#8217;s be political, and let&#8217;s take responsibility for our choices. ICTs are one of the ways out of the crisis caused by Covid-19, so let&#8217;s not deprive anyone, and especially not Africa!</p>



<p><strong>Franc Bogovic</strong>, Member of the European Parliament from Slovenia in the centre right group of the European People&#8217;s Party &amp;</p>



<p><strong>Engin Eroglu</strong>, Member of the European Parliament from Germany in the liberal Renew Europe Group</p>



<p>For more coverage on COVID-19 visit: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/">https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/</a></p>


Op-Ed: Supporting the ICT sector in Africa as a cure for the economic crisis

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The Interim Director of One Africa, Edwin Ikhuoria, says to silence the guns of conflict in Africa, the continent’s leaders must first deal with the root cause which is unemployment. Ikhuoria argues that if youths are employed, they will not be available to be radicalised. He discussed this and more with CNBC Africa’s Godfrey Mutizwa on the side-lines of the concluded 33rd African Union Summit.</p>


AU Summit 2020: “This is the year of dealing with root causes of conflicts in Africa” – One Africa’s Edwin Ikhuoria

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The Commissioner for Trade and Industry at the African Union, Albert Muchanga, says the union is ready for the commencement of trade under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement on the first of July this year. While speaking to CNBC Africa’s Godfrey Mutizwa, Muchanga added that the union is almost done with its work on the rules of origin. They discussed this and more on the sidelines of the 33rd African Union Summit.</p>


AU Summit 2020: AFCFTA: How prepared is Africa for July 1st?

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The Community for Eastern and Southern African States (COMESA) sees the creation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area as further enhancement of its work and a bigger opportunity for business from the region rather than as a threat. CNBC Africa caught up with the COMESA Secretary General, Chileshe Kapwepwe on the side-lines of the AU summit.</p>


AU Summit 2020: Chileshe Kapwepwe brekas down COMESA’s 3 pillars of development

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Silencing the guns is a slogan at this year’s AU summit as part of this the continental body held discussions on the role of women in this initiative. CNBC Africa spoke to UNECA&#8217;s Executive Director, Vera Songwe for more.</p>


AU Summit 2020: UNECA on the role of women in promoting development & security in Africa

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Minister in the presidency, Jackson Mthembu spoke to CNBC Africa’s Godfrey Mutizwa on the side-lines of the 33rd African Union Summit in Addis Ababa about South Africa&#8217;s approach to its stewardship of the continent following its first stint 2002.</p>


AU Summit 2020: Minister Mthembu on SA’s agenda at the summit

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The African Development Bank (AfDB) has warned that a failure to end conflicts on the continent will undermine plans to accelerate economic integration on the continent. AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina spoke to CNBC Africa on the side-lines of the on-going African Union Summit.</p>


AU Summit 2020: Africa’s youth are our greatest asset & we have to invest in them – Adesina

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The President of African Export-Import Bank, Benedict Oramah says there is political will and support towards initiatives and tasks set out by the bank across Africa. He spoke to CNBC Africa’s Godfrey Mutizwa on the sidelines of the 33rd African Union Summit to share his thought on political support on the continent.</p>


AU Summit 2020: Afreximbank President Oramah: Political will remains key to African free trade

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The 37th African Union Development Agency &#8211; NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) Session took place over the weekend and there, Rwandan President Paul Kagame was elected Chairperson of one of its new agencies that will drive the continent towards achieving Agenda 2063 . CNBC Africa spoke to Ibrahim Mayaki, CEO of NEPAD, for more.</p>


AU Summit 2020: 37th HSGOC Session – Kagame tasked with driving Agenda 2063

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South African president Cyril Ramaphosa flew off from Waterkloof air base near Johannesburg to take up the reins of the African Union. He is on the way to Addis Ababa to take up the chair of the AU on behalf of South Africa.  CNBC Africa&#8217;s Kopano Gumbi filed this report.</p>


Addis Ababa

Focus On ABF: Boosting Africa’s Transformation through Education, Science, Technology & Innovation

ABF 2024: Boosting Africa’s Transformation through Education, Science, Technology & Innovation

Africa Business Forum 2024: Reimagining Africa’s Tech & STEM Future

AfDB: Africa’s 2024 Macroeconomic Performance & Outlook Report

African Economic Conference 2023: Closing Session

African Economic Conference 2023: Role of SEZs in Africa’s economic development

Corporate Council on Africa: Why rail line remains essential to the future of Africa

Op-Ed: Supporting the ICT sector in Africa as a cure for the economic crisis

AU Summit 2020: “This is the year of dealing with root causes of conflicts in Africa” – One Africa’s Edwin Ikhuoria

AU Summit 2020: AFCFTA: How prepared is Africa for July 1st?

AU Summit 2020: Chileshe Kapwepwe brekas down COMESA’s 3 pillars of development

AU Summit 2020: UNECA on the role of women in promoting development & security in Africa

AU Summit 2020: Minister Mthembu on SA’s agenda at the summit

AU Summit 2020: Africa’s youth are our greatest asset & we have to invest in them – Adesina

AU Summit 2020: Afreximbank President Oramah: Political will remains key to African free trade

AU Summit 2020: 37th HSGOC Session – Kagame tasked with driving Agenda 2063

AU Summit 2020: Ramaphosa on assuming the AU Chairmanship & what it means for SA

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Addis Ababa

Focus On ABF: Boosting Africa’s Transformation through Education, Science, Technology & Innovation

ABF 2024: Boosting Africa’s Transformation through Education, Science, Technology & Innovation

Africa Business Forum 2024: Reimagining Africa’s Tech & STEM Future

AfDB: Africa’s 2024 Macroeconomic Performance & Outlook Report

African Economic Conference 2023: Closing Session

African Economic Conference 2023: Role of SEZs in Africa’s economic development

Corporate Council on Africa: Why rail line remains essential to the future of Africa

Op-Ed: Supporting the ICT sector in Africa as a cure for the economic crisis

AU Summit 2020: “This is the year of dealing with root causes of conflicts in Africa” – One Africa’s Edwin Ikhuoria

AU Summit 2020: AFCFTA: How prepared is Africa for July 1st?

AU Summit 2020: Chileshe Kapwepwe brekas down COMESA’s 3 pillars of development

AU Summit 2020: UNECA on the role of women in promoting development & security in Africa

AU Summit 2020: Minister Mthembu on SA’s agenda at the summit

AU Summit 2020: Africa’s youth are our greatest asset & we have to invest in them – Adesina

AU Summit 2020: Afreximbank President Oramah: Political will remains key to African free trade

AU Summit 2020: 37th HSGOC Session – Kagame tasked with driving Agenda 2063

AU Summit 2020: Ramaphosa on assuming the AU Chairmanship & what it means for SA

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