Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia is set to host Africa’s finance and economic planning ministers this week for the 57th Session of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development.
The meeting will take place at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 12 March to 18 March 2025, according to the information from the organizer – UNECA. This year’s theme is “Advancing the Implementation of the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area: Proposing Transformative Strategic Actions.”
It is stated that the conference will convene Africa’s leading economic policymakers to discuss and propose strategic actions for advancing the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Participants will explore the necessary institutional frameworks, complementary measures, and initiatives that African countries should adopt to accelerate the Agreement’s implementation, while ensuring that trade supports the continent’s industrialization and diversification efforts.
Participants include African ministers responsible for finance, planning, and economic development; governors of central banks; senior government officials; representatives from intergovernmental organizations; development partners; private sector entities; civil society organizations; and other key stakeholders.
The major agendas of the meeting include a preparatory technical meeting to deliberate on the session’s theme, review Africa’s economic and social development status, and assess progress towards regional integration. In addition, focused discussions on pertinent development issues related to the main theme, including food security, cross-border trade, innovative financing systems, and other relevant topics are also included.
The organizers also stated that the Ministerial Segment during the last two days of the meeting will also features a high-level policy dialogue on the session’s theme, the annual Adebayo Adedeji lecture, the Launch of the Economic Report on Africa, 2025. It will be followed by round-table discussions on sub-themes, including the nexus between the African Continental Free Trade Area and infrastructure development, promoting cross-border investment, instant payment systems and digital inclusivity in Africa, and Special economic zones as drivers of the development of regional value chains in the context of the AfCFTA.