- Top government officials from across Africa have confirmed attendance at the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM Global 2023), the world’s leading investment platform.
- Two weeks from now, the officials will gather under one roof to uphold solidarity and develop economic relations among nations to ultimately achieve global prosperity.
- Among many other goals, AIM Global 2023 seeks to provide governments with access to a diverse demographic of audiences to promote investment opportunities in their respective countries. They will bring with them a wealth of experience and expertise in driving economic development that is both sustainable and inclusive.
Top government officials from across Africa have confirmed attendance of the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM Global 2023), the world’s leading investment platform where business leaders are set to exchange ideas on driving sustainable and inclusive business.
Two weeks from now, top officials will gather under one roof to uphold solidarity and develop economic relations among nations to ultimately achieve global prosperity.
Among many other goals, AIM Global 2023 seeks to provide governments with access to a diverse demographic of audience to promote investment opportunities in their respective countries. They will bring with them a wealth of experience and expertise in driving economic development that is both sustainable and inclusive.
Some of the participating ministers and dignitaries in this year’s edition of the Annual Investment Meeting include His Excellency Ibrahim Yacouba, Energy and Renewable Energies Minister of Niger; His Excellency Dr. Dhieu Mathok Diing, Investment Minister of South Sudan; His Excellency Omar Said Shaaban, Trade and Industrial Development Minister of Zanzibar.
Her Excellency Marie Chantal Nijimbere, Trade, Transport, Industry and Tourism Minister of Burundi; Her Excellency Ahlam Madani, Investment and International Cooperation Minister of Sudan; His Excellency Simplex Chithyola Banda, Trade and Industry Minister of Malawi; and His Excellency Serge Gnaniodem Poda, Industrial Development, Commerce, Handicrafts and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister of Burkina Faso will be in attendance, too.
Further, His Excellency Ahmed Ali Bazi, Economy, Industry and Investments Minister of Comoros; Her Excellency Olivia Ragnaghnewendé Rouamba, Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and Burkinabe Abroad Minister of Burkina Faso; His Excellency Simon-Pierre Boussim, Energy, Mines and Quarries Minister of Burkina Faso; His Excellency Baboucarr Ousmaila Joof, Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment Minister of The Gambia have confirmed attendance.
Her Excellency Louopou Lamah, Trade, Industry and SME Minister of Guinea; and His Excellency Senator Manqoba Khumalo, Commerce, Industry and Trade Minister of Eswatini are also anticipated at AIM Global 2023, along with other ministers and governors from countries such as Portugal, Ecuador, Pakistan, Slovakia, India, Paraguay, Croatia, Cuba, Lebanon, Bulgaria, South Korea, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Ghana, among others will attend the May conference.
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Last year, the event attracted over 11,000 visitors from 174 countries, 65 of which were high-level dignitaries. A greater number of participants and high-level public officials are expected in this year’s edition, which will be held for the first time in the capital city of Abu Dhabi with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED).
His Excellency Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of ADDED, earlier said that organizing the 12th edition of the Annual Investment Meeting in Abu Dhabi, which has established itself as a preferred and thriving business and investment destination, is a result of its proactive ability and flexibility in dealing with changes and developments within the strategic plan of ADDED to stimulate and support appropriate events and providing innovative solutions to face current and future challenges.
Taking part in this year’s Annual Investment Meeting bodes well for economies in Africa, whose average GDP is seen to stabilize in 2023-2024, as per the latest report from the African Development Bank.
According to the “Macroeconomic Performance and Outlook (MEO) 2023” report, Africa’s average GDP will stabilize at 4 percent in the next two years, up from 3.8 percent in 2022, despite the tightening global financial conditions.
AIM Global 2023, which is happening at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from May 8 to 10, has in its agenda a series of activities and programs, including pre-conference workshops, a conference, a specialized international exhibition, roundtable meetings for investments and presentations, investment destinations, regional focus forums, investors hub, investment awards, startup pitch competition, and bilateral meetings between private companies and government representatives.
The Africa Regional Focus Forum, organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, will showcase the investment opportunities in Africa as a prime investment destination for investments that foster sustainable economic growth, diversity and prosperity, with particular attention to the priority sectors of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), namely agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, transport and logistics and automotive.
It also seeks to get a better understanding of how the implementation of the AfCFTA Investment Protocol can translate into sustainable economic growth in support of the green transition and what needs to be done to unlock its opportunities and build investment opportunities.
The forum’s expected outcomes are increased awareness within Annual Investment Meeting’s investor community of investment opportunities that arise as a result of the implementation of the AfCFTA, and to establish contact between high-level officials in key industries of the AfCFTA and investors. This, as the AfCFTA constitutes the largest free trade area in the world with a GDP of US$2.5 trillion, covering a market of 1.2 billion people.
The regional focus forum themed “the Flow of Direct Investments to the Arab Countries of the MENA Region: Reality, Opportunities, & Challenges,” organized by the Union of Arab Chambers in cooperation with the League of Arab States and the Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Bahrain – UNIDO, aims to shed the light on the investment opportunities in the region, the challenges it currently faces, and how to overcome them by developing investment policies and carrying out appropriate economic reforms, especially for the countries that have gone through political crises that led to weakening investor confidence.
In addition, the “Regional Focus Forum for the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States” will review the results of a joint survey conducted by the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies in cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in 2022, which covered 61 investment promotion agencies in the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States region. These forums and sessions, which number more than 150, will be led by over 600 distinguished industry speakers.
