2016 Conference of Ministers

9th Joint Annual Meetings of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee on Finance, Monetary Affairs, Economic Planning and Integration and the ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

The ninth Joint AUC-ECA Annual Meetings of the AU Conference of Ministers of the Economy and Finance and ECA Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development will take place from 31 March to 5 April 2016 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Conference will tackle the theme, Towards an Integrated and Coherent Approach to Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation of Agenda 2063 and the SDGs.  

This year’s conference will take place against the backdrop of the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, agenda 2030, where African leaders, along with other world leaders, recommitted themselves to the pursuit of a more sustainable development pathway. In this context, African countries are confronted with a dual transition: a global level transition from the Millennium Development Goals to agenda 2030; and a regional level transition to Agenda 2063. By signing onto Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063, African member States demonstrated commitment to the implementation and follow-up on both agendas.  

The conference will therefore deliberate on pertinent issues of how countries can harmonise frameworks and establish common mechanisms of implementation, monitoring and evaluation to achieve Africa’s collective goals of sustainable development and transformation. A common development framework for Africa has the potential to be a powerful driver of sustainable pro-poor growth in African countries. The conference will place greater emphasis on the policies and institutions needed for the transformation of African economies.

In a shift from previous years, and following immense interest and enthusiasm to see this platform as the premier forum and a wider opportunity for both African ministers and other key stakeholders to dialogue on issues pertinent to the development agenda of Africa, in addition to the statutory activities, we are pleased to announce that this year’s  Conference will be held as part of the wider African Development Week.

The conference, which will draw seasoned and high-level panellists from Africa and other regions, will be interactive so as to give Ministers the opportunities to address the issues, discuss and share their views and experiences in the advancement of Africa’s development. 

The 2016 conference promises to be a very exciting and engaging event, with high expectations, as the topics to be discussed and decisions to be taken will have important implications for Africa’s future.