AfDB Annual Meeting to Focus on Regional Integration

Addis Ababa March 05/2019 African Development Bank’s (AfDB) annual meeting of 2019, which will take place in Equatorial Guinea in June, will focus on regional integration, according to a press release issued by the bank.

The theme of this year’s annual meeting is “Regional integration”, one of the Bank’s five strategic priorities.

AfDB’s priorities also known as High 5s are Light up and power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa and Improve the quality of life of the people of Africa.

With one billion people, Africa has a combined GDP of more than 3.4 trillion dollars, it stated, adding “such a market could create huge opportunities for producers on the continent.”

However, to realize that AfDB stressed “African governments and regional economic communities should intensify efforts aimed at facilitating the free movement of goods, services, people and trade across borders.”

The bank’s annual meetings represent opportunity to discuss challenges and ways to advance the continent’s regional integration agenda, it was indicated.

According to the release, some 3,000 participants drawn from finance ministers, governors of central banks, policy makers, civil society groups, heads of international organizations and business leaders from the Bank Group’s member states are expected to attend the meeting in Malabo.