President Paul Kagame yesterday arrived in Marrakech, Morocco, to attend the 48th Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB). The Head of State is expected to give a key note address and participate in a high level debate today dubbed, ‘Is this Africa’s hour?’.The five-day meeting held under the theme “Africa’s structural transformation” focuses on the need for Africa to turn economic growth into shared and sustainable economic transformation within the next half century. It opened yesterday.According to organisers, the overriding theme of the meeting is that, the time has come to change the way the continent does business in terms of political and economic governance.Key agendaMore than 2,500 participants, including distinguished academics, finance ministers, political leaders, central bank governors, representatives of international organisations, chief executive officers, civil society organisations and the media are attending the event to examine the key drivers of growth in Africa in next half century.The meeting’s key agenda includes a bold new proposal of an Africa Infrastructure Fund and a Special Purpose Vehicle to raise money in the markets for high return infrastructure projects that will help Africa to unlock her potential.The panellists, including Dr. Donald Kaberuka, president of the AfDB, and Dr. Mo Ibrahim, chairman of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, will discuss the relevance of leadership and governance for Africa’s transformation; the challenges of measuring progress in governance; and the way forward.
