Antananarivo, Madagascar, 23 August 2019: To enhance the interface and partnership between the African Union, the policy makers and the private sector and drive the realization of the aspirations of Africa’s development framework Agenda 2063, the African Union Commission through the Department of Economic Affairs, is convening the 11th African Private Sector Forum set to be hosted in Antananarivo, Madagascar, on the 6-8 November 2019. The forum will be held under the theme of “Transforming African economies through private sector mobilization and capitalization of experiences from other regions of the world”.

To unveil the activities leading to the Forum, an African Union Commission delegation led by the Commissioner for Economic Affairs, H.E. Prof. Victor Harison, has wrapped up a stakeholders engagement and evaluation mission in Madagascar. During the visit, the delegation held bilateral meetings with government officials on the preparations of the Forum and also took the opportunity to engage with key private sector players in the country on the role of the diverse stakeholders during the three-day Forum. AUC has partnered with the Government of Madagascar, the United Nations Office for South- South Cooperation (UNOSSC) and the International Organization for Francophonie (OIF) in organizing this year’s Forum. The 11th African Private Sector Forum will be preceded by a Capacity Building Training for Women and Youth Entrepreneurs to be held from 3-5 November 2019.

In acknowledging the critical role the private sector is expected to play in Africa’s transformation of economies and implementation of Agenda 2063, in particular its contribution to poverty reduction through investment and employment creation, the African Union Commission organizes an annual Forum engaging with private sector actors on the continent. This year’s Forum is expected to attract over 300 participants with Private Sector actors and investors coming from the five (5) Regions of the African Continent and investors from China, Turkey, United States of America and other regions as well. The Forum will have different panel sessions covering topics such as Agribusiness, Youth Capacity Development for Entrepreneurs, Mining, Public-Private Partnerships, Digitalization, Access to Financing and Investments among other key topics. The Forum will equally be an opportunity for Business to Business (B2B), Business to Government (B2G) and Business to Others (B2O) exchanges as well as an exhibition providing African entrepreneurs a platform to showcase their products and network with other African and International entrepreneurs.

This Private Sector Forum is another activity of the African Union, a demonstration of its continued commitment towards enhancing the private sector capacity to be a part of the global value-chain, promoting and recognizing the important role played by the private sector in the development of the socio- economic development of the continent in line with the aspirations of Agenda2063 for the Africa we want and the recent launch of the AfCFTA.

The African Union Commission delegation rounded up their visit with a press briefing to announce the launch of the activities of the upcoming 11th Private Sector Forum activities. The Turkish government, Axian Group, the World Savings and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI), UNFPA and SIPROMAD are sponsoring the Forum.

Note to editors.
The African Union Commission, has throughout the years worked closely with the private sector to define the significant role and great contribution by the Private sector in driving the economic development Agenda of the continent. The efforts are a demonstration of the African Union’s commitment towards enhancing the private sector capacity to contribute towards the realization of Agenda 2063 and be part of the global value-chain, for inclusive and sustainable growth in Africa. The African Annual Private Sector Forum has over the years expanded its participation and remains one of the strategic platforms organized by the African Union Commission to engage policy makers, private sector representatives, academia, civil societies and development organizations, among other key stakeholders.

For further information:
Djeinaba Kane | Department of Economic Affairs | African Union Commission I E-mail: KaneD@africa-union.org I
Esther Azaa Tankou | Head of Information Division | E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org | Tel: +251911361185

Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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