Africa Industrialization Week 2019 #AIW2019

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November 18, 2019 to November 22, 2019

Register to participate at AIW2019

MEDIA ADVISORY

INVITATION TO MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES

WHAT: Africa Industrialization Week 2019 #AIW2019 themed, “Positioning African Industry to supply the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AFCTA) Market"

WHEN: 18 -22 November 2019,

WHERE: African Union, Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

WHO: The African Union, The Government of Ethiopia, International Trade Center (ITC), Korea-Africa Foundation, Africa Free Zones Organisation & Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) office of the AU.

Background Information

The 25th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) 1989, declared November 20 to be Africa Industrialization Day. It was first observed on November 20, 1990.

The Africa Industrialization Day (AID), represents a unique platform to enhance international cooperation and dialogue on the pan-African industrialization agenda, and to raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges associated with this innovation drive. Every year it gathers African leaders, policy makers, and representatives of the private sector, academia, international financial institutions (IFIs) and development partners to showcase the continued relevance of industry, including manufacturing production, as a powerful engine to build the Africa we want as underlined in Agenda 2063.

This year the African Union in collaboration and partners have planned a week long activities to mark Africa Industrialization Day (AID). Africa Industrialization Week 2019 is themed, “Positioning African Industry to supply the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AFCTA) Market"

AIW 2019 Key Objectives are:

Mobilizing both African and leaders from the rest of the world, including international development organizations to advocate for the accelerated and sustainable as well as inclusive industrialization of Africa.
Promotion of startups, small and medium sized enterprises/industries (SMEIs), as well as established middle and high-cap enterprises to strengthen the continent’s capacity to integrate into the global production and trading system.
Providing a platform for public-private engagement between industrial policy makers, the private sector, civil society, and development cooperating partners as they endeavor to share ideas on how to shape the continent’s industrialization agenda. This will also provide an opportunity for African manufacturers to learn from their counterparts from the rest of the world.
Promote the implementation of AU continental frameworks such as; the Accelerated Industrial Development of Africa (AIDA); the Africa Mining Vision (AMV), the SME Strategy; the Boosting Intra-African Trade strategy (BIAT); the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA); and the UN General Assembly's Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa (IDDA III) in the context of Agenda 2063.
Development a continental strategy on the automotive value chain to catalyze industrialization.

Six key outcomes are envisaged to emerge from the AIW2019.

Enhanced awareness on the process of Africa industrialization,
Policy coherence on industrialization,
Effective engagement with key stakeholders on industrialization and trade especially in the context of the AfCFTA.
Enhanced synergies between the private and public sectors as they interface with global capital and technology,
Agreement on new model of developing Africa’s productive capacities in order to boost intra-African trade and enhance Africa’s share of global trade.
Enhanced collaboration among various stakeholders for industrialization on the continent and beyond

A number of side events will be organized around the Africa industrialization day, below you can find the list and description of all the official sides the African Union will organize with its partners. See below

Please note that each side event has its own registration.

No.	Date	Event	Organizer
1	20 November 2019	The Africa Industrialization Day Celebrations The 20th November was set aside as the Africa Industrialization Day, during the 25th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) held from 24th to 26th July, 1989 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The day was set out to be a platform for key stakeholders to reflect on Africa’s industrialization by looking at how the continent can change its current status quo. The principal objective of the Africa Industrialization Week, therefore, is to raise global awareness on the strides the continent is making and challenges being faced on the continent. Venue: Mandela Hall	African Union Commission (AUC)
2	21 – 22 November 2019	The World Export Development Forum The World Export Development Forum, the International Trade Centre’s annual flagship event, is the ideal setting to discuss issues around trade and development and strategies to connect businesses to new markets. Sessions are designed to help buyers and sellers make the most of the new African Continental Free Trade Area – with a special focus on the role of women and youth. Join us to seize opportunities for trading and investing in One Africa. Venue: Mandela Hall	International Trade Centre (ITC)
3	18 November 2019	The 3^rd Symposium on Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and Green Industrialization The 3rd Symposium on SEZs, organized by the AUC – DTI and AFZO, is looking forward to provide a better understanding of SEZs development challenge in Africa; showcase African SEZ success stories and foster the exchange of lessons learned; identify SEZ development and management needs of African Governments; facilitate the exchange of experience among African SEZ developers and managers; and exchange views and experiences on how SEZs can be utilized as vehicles for green industrialization in African countries. Venue: Medium Conference Hall	AUC
4	18 November 2019	A Roundtable on Africa’s Automotive Value Chain The forum will analyze automotive market size and potential; how it can facilitate global industrialization and allow skills and technology transfer from well-established vehicle producing countries. The automotive industry creates forward and backward linkages within an economy thereby catalyzing further industrialization and creating job opportunities. Venue: Small Conference Room 3	AUC
5	19 November 2019	The 4th General Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Africa Free Zones Organization (AFZO) The African leaders of Economic Zones and Free Zones engaged their collective knowledge, through Africa Free Zones Organization (AFZO) meetings, providing strategic and technical assistance, identifying business opportunities and promoting sustainable economic development models and practices. - The 4th General Assembly and annual Meeting of the Africa Free Zones Organization. Venue: Medium Conference Hall	Africa Free Zones Organisation (AFZO)
6	21 November 2019	The Regional Value Chains Forum The forum will review the progress and potential of developing regional value chains on the continent. Sessions will focus on selected industries including: agro-processing, fashion and mining value chains. In addition, the forum will include a session focused on SME development and the potential for SME’s to supply inputs for the growing value chains. Venue: Small Conference Room 3	AUC
7	19 – 21 November 2019	2019 Africa-Korea Start Up/SMEs Fair The Korea-Africa Foundation (launched in June 2018), aims to help Korean youth and entrepreneurs build presence in Africa and to raise people’s awareness of Africa in the Republic of Korea. The Foundation focus on promoting success stories of Korean startups in Africa, and serves as an opportunity to encourage young people to set up global startups by raising awareness of the possibility of Africa as a new startup market, and by increasing exchanges between Korean and African youth. The Fair will see Korean startups exhibit their products and solutions, with a knowledge exchange planned between Korean and African startus. Venue: Outdoor, Entrance NCC	The Korea-Africa Foundation (KAF) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea
8	22 November 2019	2019 Africa-Korea Business Forum This Business Forum will run under the theme “Partnerships for Accelerating Industrialization in Africa” with sessions looking at the Korean experience of developing a manufacturing industry, a review of continental initiatives to advance Industrialization in Africa and a spotlight on Africa’s youth startup enterprise ecosystem. Venue: Small Conference Room 3	KAF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea
9	19 November 2019	She Trades Global SheTrades Global is ITC’s flagship event on women and the economy, serving as a unique opportunity to pioneer lasting and innovative solutions for women’s participation in trade. Thought-leaders will convene in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for SheTrades Global 2019 to chart the next milestone in transforming the global agenda on women and trade. Venue: Mandela Hall	ITC
10	20 November 2019	The China – Ethiopia Investment Meetings This meeting aims to create strategies on how to drive growth and create jobs by attracting Chinese investment; and hosting investment promotion events, roundtable discussions, and government-to-company (G2C) face-to-face investment meetings in China and Ethiopia. Venue: Multipurpose Hall	ITC
11	18 - 19 November 2019	Pan African Manufacturer Association Meeting (Closed) The first meeting of this newly formed Association will take place on the sidelines of AIW 2019. The Association will be officially launched on the 20^th November 2019 during the Official Opening Ceremony. The Association seeks to provide African manufacturers a platform to promote joint ventures that would enable manufacturers supply to scale in the AfCFTA market as well as discussion with the Ministers responsible for Industry on how to promote a conducive environment for the development of manufacturing across Africa. Venue: Small Conference Room 4	AUC
12	18 – 22 November 2019	A Media Awareness training This training aims to strengthen dialogue between the AU and the media by publicizing the various industrial and trade policies on the continent. The workshop will also provide an opportunity to share reliable information to business journalists on what the African Union is doing to drive the industrialization agenda. Venue: Caucus Room 10	AUC & ITC
13	20 – 21 November 2019	B2B Matching Meetings This meeting will explore and expand upon business and investment partnerships in the agro-processing and manufacturing sectors. Companies participating in this B2B match-making event will have the opportunity to meet with new business partners, explore new areas of cooperation and establish new business linkages and the expansion of professional networks on both sides. Venue: Multipurpose Hall	ITC
14	20 November 2019	The Yes Forum The YES Forum is a youth entrepreneurship event, explores policies, skills, networks and finance. It is part of the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth, it is organized with the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Capital Development Fund, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. Venue: Medium Conference Hall	EU / ITC / ILO / KAF
15	18 – 22 November 2019	A course on Agro-Industrial Policy Making (Closed Session) This meeting will discuss case studies on successful industrial policy implementation and related instruments to boost local content in manufacturing. Venue: Caucus Room 8	AUC / IDEP
16	21 November 2019	Industry 4.0 &: Opportunities for AfCFTA Industry 4.0 and Opportunities for Operationalization of AfCFTA to enhance Inter-African Trade This event will bring together key stakeholders to discuss on the current status of Industry 4.0 in Africa and its important role in advancing AfCFTA’s implementation and enhancing investments and technology transfer. It looks to create an avenue for an exchange of views and sharing of experience on digitalization of trade and industry in Africa, and to sensitize stakeholders and the public at large on AID 2019 and the IDDAIII as well as how AfCFTA can contribute to the development agenda 2030 and the African development Agenda 2063. Venue: Small Conference Room 4	UNIDO