OPEN TO THE MEDIA

18^th International Economic Forum on Africa and launch of Revenue Statistics in Africa, 31 October 2018

OECD Conference Centre, (2 rue André-Pascal 75016 Paris)

 

Paris, 16 October 2018 - Since last March, 49 African countries signed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. Once endorsed, AfCFTA, which is part of the African Union Agenda 2063’s long-term vision, will create a single market encompassing 1.2 billion people and more than USD 2 trillion in combined GDP. Simultaneously, a protocol on the free movement of people was adopted by 30 African countries. The 18^th International Economic Forum on Africa will scrutinise the key topics of growth, employment, migration and development in the wake of Africa’s historical decision for closer integration.

 

The Forum will take place on 31 October 2018 in Paris, France and is a joint effort between the Development Centre of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the African Union, and in partnership with the French Development Agency.

  

Speakers include:

 

• Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, President, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
• Malusi Gigaba, Minister of Home Affairs, Republic of South Africa
• Angel Gurría, Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• Victor Harison, Commissioner for Economic Affairs, African Union Commission (AUC)
• François Héran, Collège de France Professor and Institut National d’Études Démographiques Research Associate
• Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
• Stefano Manservisi, Director General for International Cooperation and Development, European Commission
• Ibrahim Mayaki, CEO, New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
• Achille Mbembe, Professor of History and Politics, Witwatersrand University (South Africa)
• Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Patron of the AfroChampions Initiative
• Mario Pezzini, OECD Development Centre Director and Special Advisor to the OECD Secretary General on Development
• Thomas Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson, African Union Commission (AUC)
• Felwine Sarr, Professor of Economics, Gaston Berger University (Senegal)
• Ammin Youssouf, Co-Founder, AfroBytes

 

Further information, including a full agenda, is available on the Forum website.

 

Further reflecting the OECD’s commitment to supporting better policies for better lives in Africa, the OECD Emerging Markets Network (EMnet) will hold a business meeting on “Infrastructure and Regional Connectivity” on Tuesday 30 October.

 

Following the recent release of the first ever Africa’s Development Dynamics report, the third edition of Revenue Statistics in Africa will be launched during the Africa Forum at 10:00 a.m. on 31 October. The report provides comparable information on tax and non-tax revenue for 21 participating countries: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Eswatini, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, Tunisia and Uganda. It examines changes in both the level and the composition of tax and non-tax revenue between 1990 and 2016. The report also includes a special feature on the African Union’ Strategy for the Harmonisation of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA). Revenue Statistics in Africa is a joint production by the African Tax Administration Forum, the African Union Commission and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, with the support of the European Union.

 

How to get to the OECD Conference Centre  - Follow the event on social media: #AfricaForum

 

To register attendance, submit interview requests or receive an embargoed copy of Revenue Statistics in Africa journalists should contact Bochra Kriout in the OECD Development Centre Media Office (+33 1 45 24 82 96).

Press contacts:

African Union Commission : Djeinaba Kane (KaneD@africa-union.org; Tel: +221781200706)

Agence Française de Développement : Lou Bachelier-Degras (bachelierdegrasl@afd.fr; Tel : +33 1 53 44 34 24)

OECD Development Centre : Bochra Kriout ( bochra.kriout@oecd.org; Tel : +33 145 24 82 96)