Preparations for the fifty-third session of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) have reached advanced stages.
The Conference of Ministers will be held virtually from 17-23 March, 2021, under the theme “Africa’s sustainable industrialisation and diversification in the digital era in the context of Covid-19’.
The theme recognizes the continent’s desire to industrialize and create jobs for the millions of its populace, in particular the youth joining the labour market annually.
ECA’s Regional Integration and Trade Division Director, Stephen Karingi, says with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) now up and running, the theme comes in handy, offering ministers and experts a platform to discuss the need to ensure that digitalization strategies are integrated into policy and planning frameworks for industrialization.