Leaders set up to improve African growth

27 May '06

2 min read

Over 650 participants from 39 countries to attend the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town.

Leaders from business, government, civil society and academia will convene at the 16th World Economic Forum on Africa on an agenda entitled Going for Growth.

Billed as the 'Davos of Africa', heads of state, top ministers and senior business leaders of African companies and multinationals active in Africa will review Africa's unprecedented growth path.

Focusing on the impact of China and India and the commodity price boom underpinning much of Africa's growth, leaders will identify priorities to sustain recent growth, assess new opportunities and address the challenges of boosting the physical and social infrastructure needed to sustain the resurgence of Africa.

At a pre-summit press conference in Johannesburg, Haiko Alfeld, Director for Africa at the World Economic Forum, commented that, "at an unprecedented 5.3 percent growth rate, the numbers finally support the aspirations, yet Africa is not creating the jobs to turn the tide.

How do we ensure that we continue to focus on the right thing at the right time? In Cape Town, we will review how differing scenarios for developments on the global stage affect the continent and focus on the legacy of negative perception that continues to hinder investment and trade."

Among confirmed participants are a host of top executives of the largest African companies and multinationals active in Africa, as well as Presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, Armando Emilio Guebuza of Mozambique and Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania.

Summit co-chairs leading the deliberations will be Syamal Gupta, Chairman, Tata International, India; Jim Goodnight, Chief Executive Officer, SAS Institute, USA; Maria Ramos, Chief Executive Officer, Transnet, South Africa and Charles Soludo, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

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