Twenty-six African nations are expected to this week to take part in the World Economic Forum's (WEF) 14th African Economic Summit, being held in Maputo, Mozambique.
An estimated 600 delegates including government and private sector leaders are expected at the conference that will take place under the theme "engaging business in development".
The three-day summit will be held under the patronage of President Joachim Chissano of Mozambique and aims to speed up the pace of economic and business reform, which is holding back the potential of many African economies.
"The Africa Economic Summit is an opportunity for the continent's leaders, both from business and politics, to move beyond listing African challenges to developing scalable action plans that unleash Africa's full potential," said Haiko Alfeld, the Director for Africa at the World Economic Forum.
In Maputo, participants will engage in dialogue aimed at producing results and advancing the cause of Africa's reintegration into the global economy.
Focusing on the role and contribution of business in development, the Summit will highlight best practices, draw lessons, propose practical solutions and provoke concerted action to act as a catalyst for change and impact on the African development agenda.
Meanwhile, the WEF will on Wednesday launch the Africa Competitiveness Report for 2004.
The report analyses some of the key challenges confronting policy makers in the region, whether in the area of macroeconomic management or in terms of the need to strengthen the quality of public sector institutions, which must underpin economic reforms.
Fonte: AIM
