Tab 1 - About Africa Industrialization       Week (AIW)

On November 20th, 2024, Africa will commemorate the 35th anniversary of Africa Industrialization Day (AID). Established in 1989, this day serves as a critical platform to acknowledge the continent's progress in industrial development while addressing the ongoing challenges it faces.

The journey of African industrialization began with a clear vision. In 1989, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the forerunner to the African Union (AU), declared Africa Industrialization Day during its 25th Ordinary Session. This declaration, later echoed by the United Nations General Assembly, highlighted the importance of industrial development for Africa's economic growth and prosperity.

Since then, Africa has made significant strides in its industrial landscape. Sectors like manufacturing, agro-processing, and information and communication technology (ICT) have witnessed notable growth. This progress is fueled by a young and dynamic workforce, coupled with growing investments in infrastructure and technological advancements.

Since 2018, Africa Industrialization Day (AID) has been celebrated with a week of events, dubbed "Africa Industrialization Week" (AIW). This shift allows for deeper discussions and activities around industrialization's critical role in Africa's development.

Africa Industrialization Day (AID) 2018 - Promoting Regional Value Chains in Africa: A pathway for accelerating Africa’s structural transformation, industrialization and pharmaceutical production”.

Africa Industrialization Day (AID) 2019 – “Positioning African Industry to supply the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) Market"

Africa Industrialization Day (AID) 2020 – “Inclusive and sustainable Industrialization in the AfCFTA era”

Africa Industrialization Day (AID) 2022 - Industrializing Africa: Renewed commitment towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Industrialization and Economic Diversification.

Africa Industrialization Day (AID) 2023 - Accelerating Africa's Industrialization through the Empowerment of African Women in Processing for an Integrated Market.

TAB 2   - The 2024 Edition of the Africa Industrialization Week (AIW)

This year, Africa Industrialization Week is set to take place in Kampala, Uganda, from the 25th to the 29th of November 2024, under the theme “Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Green Industrialization to Accelerate Africa's Structural Transformation”.

The theme focuses on harnessing emerging technologies like AI and innovations in green manufacturing to accelerate Africa's industrialization in a sustainable manner. The event aims to build stronger policy advocacy; harness the power of AI in reviving Africa's industrial sectors; improve efficiency; boost productivity; and foster innovation in Africa's industrialization agenda.

Consequently, the 3rd Edition of the African Women in Processing Summit (3rd AWIP) will be held on the margins of the Africa Industrialization Week. This summit will focus on empowering women entrepreneurs in Africa's processing industries.

TAB 3 - AIW overall objectives

The overall objective emphasizes building synergies between policy, investments, innovation, and capacity building across sectors to effectively leverage AI and green solutions for inclusive and sustainable industrial development in Africa, as underlined below. Specifically;

1. To build stronger policy advocacy around leveraging AI and green industrialization for Africa's sustainable development.
2. To highlight strategies and best practices for harnessing the power of AI to boost productivity and efficiency across industrial sectors in Africa.
3. To promote investments in AI solutions that can help revive and transform key industries in Africa.
4. To facilitate experience and knowledge sharing between policymakers, industries, academia, civil society and development partners on integrating AI in production systems.
5. To explore collaborative initiatives between public and private sector for increased funding in AI research and development for industrial applications.
6. To enhance technical skills and capabilities in AI and green technologies critical to Africa's industrial growth and global competitiveness, in line with the existing Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA7 2016-2025), SDG 2030 and the AU Agenda 2063 which aims to transform and revitalize education in Africa.
7. To showcase innovative use cases of AI and green industrialization by youths and women entrepreneurs in Africa.
8. To formulate policy recommendations and actionable strategies for mainstreaming AI and green industry in Africa's industrialization planning and development agenda.

TAB 4 - AIW Expected Outcomes

1. Stronger policy frameworks and advocacy plans formulated to integrate AI and green industrialization in Africa's development policies and strategies at national, regional and continental levels.
2. Increased awareness and knowledge on the applications of AI in enhancing productivity, efficiency and competitiveness across Africa's industrial sectors.
3. New partnerships and investment commitments established to fund AI and green technology R&D and scale up deployment in Africa's industries.
4. Enhanced collaboration between policymakers, industries, academia and other stakeholders to develop sector-specific AI adoption roadmaps.
5. Increased skills, capabilities and technical expertise in AI and green industrial technologies across industrial workforce and institutions in Africa.
6. New databases and knowledge exchange platforms developed to showcase AI and green technology innovations by youths and women entrepreneurs in Africa.
7. Valuable case studies and best practices documented on the implementation of AI and green industry solutions in Africa.
8. Comprehensive policy recommendations and action plans developed for mainstreaming AI and green industrialization in Africa's development policies and strategies.
9. Commitments from stakeholders to implement strategies and actions for harnessing AI and green industry to advance Africa's industrialization.

TAB 5   - How to host a side event

Organizing a side event at the 2024 Edition of Africa Industrialization Week presents a unique opportunity for stakeholders to showcase their initiatives, share knowledge and best practices, and engage with a diverse audience such as the African Ministers responsible for Industry, Trade, Mining and Investment and other relevant ministries; Regional and International representatives of the private sector, civil society, Youth led start-ups, women producers and other stakeholders involved in the industrialization agenda in the continent.

Stakeholders interested in organizing a side event are encouraged to submit their proposals to the AIW2024@africa-union.org  for consideration BY 15^th August 2024.

For more information on the submission process and guidelines, please contact Mr. Robine Okello at robineo@africa-union.org

For more details on the Forum, kindly contact

Ms Faith Adhiambo | Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission | E-mail:  ochiengj@african-union.org | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,

Ms. Meaza Tezera | Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals | African Union Commission | E-mail Meazat@africa-union.org   | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Mr. Abimifoluwa John Oloyede| Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals | African Union Commission | E-mail: oloyedea@africa-union.org | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.