AU’s Boma of Africa to check on Agenda 2063 progress
Monique Nsanzabaganwa, the Deputy Chairperson of African Union Commission.
What you need to know:
- The event's aim is to get a practical framework and set of tangible systems for African countries to cooperate on innovative solutions.
- AU also hopes to find financial innovation blueprints that African governments can rely upon to avert the effects of the global economic downturn.
The African Union will on Friday host the Boma of Africa event in partnership with AfroChampions and its strategic partners to assess its commitment in accelerating Africa’s attainment of the Agenda 2063 goals of unity and continental economic growth.
In a press statement, AU said the event, which will be held virtually, will bring together decision makers across politics, business, technology and the technocracy to take stock of the progress the continent is making towards shared prosperity.
“The event will involve the participation of Heads of State, CEOs of Fortune 500 and world leaders. It will involve the launch of the AU Vaccine Passport and eHealth Backbone,” the statement reads.
The eHealth backbone will point towards activation of a post-pandemic digital health infrastructure that will transform public health in Africa and fortify the continent against future pandemics.
The AU will also use the avenue to unveil the African Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Hub, a massive interoperable platform to digitise intra-Africa trade, and to discuss the continent's transition to clean energy. Furthermore, the event will incorporate the AfCFTA Hackathon Prize ceremony.
Registration to attend the virtual event is free and open on the Africa Boma website or the AfCFTA app website.
At a time of global supply chain and fiscal crises, the AfCFTA Hub project appears very timely. The Hub initiative interlinks major logistics operators, technology platform providers, modern retail market access networks and brand power enablers to work in harmony to provide a massive boost to the continent’s SMEs and start-ups.
The discourse will be spearheaded by the Department of Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry, and Minerals (ETTIM) of the African Union Commission, the AfCFTA Secretariat, AfroChampions and the continental private sector, including Ecobank, MTN, the Village Entrepreneurship Foundation and IC Publications.
The AU Commission expects to get insights from designers of innovative global and continental funds and other financial instruments about how African countries can practically contend with the looming threat of a global recession.
“The event will have four major outcomes: A concrete platform for SMEs and start-ups around Africa to acquire a trusted business identity and benefit from advanced infrastructure for expanding their operations and even possibly scale up to other African countries.”
It will also aim to get a practical framework and set of tangible systems for African countries to cooperate on innovative solutions to guard their populations against public health threats and future pandemics.
A clear commitment to link private investments to public policy programs on climate-smart solutions and digital transformation utilizing innovative mechanisms such as the AU 4D and Trillion Dollar Frameworks is expected to be another outcome.
During the discussions, AU also hopes to find a set of financial innovation blueprints that African governments can rely upon to avert the effects of the ongoing global financial and economic downturn and supply chain crunch.