A joint press conference focusing on the African Economic Conference (AEC) 2022, to be hosted in Mauritius from 09 to 11 December 2022, was held on Thursday morning in Port-Louis. The Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Renganaden Padayachy, and the Deputy Director General of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Country Manager for Mauritius, Mr Kennedy K. Mbekeani, shared details about AEC 2022 which is being jointly organised by the AfDB, the Economic Commission for Africa and the United Nations Development Programme.
The finance minister said that it is an honour and privilege for Mauritius to host such a prestigious event which will contribute to reinforce the existing relations between the country and the AfDB.
Dr Padayachy pointed out that the AEC is Africa’s leading forum for discussions on emerging challenges confronted by African countries and opportunities in the pipeline, while highlighting that it will be also an occasion for knowledge exchange on a wide range of themes for enhanced policy-making. The Minister informed that about 300 participants are expected at AEC 2022 including Heads of States, Ministers from various African States, leading Economists, researchers, representatives of the private sector, financial institutions, and international organisations.
Speaking about the theme of the event, ‘Supporting Climate-Smart Development in Africa’, Mr Padayachy underpinned its relevance for both the African continent and for Mauritius which are both highly exposed to the impacts of climate change.
The conference, according to him, will be the ideal platform to probe into the impacts of climate change, the related challenges and the adaptation and mitigation strategies required, along with the ways to chart a robust, low-carbon and sustainable development which is resilient to climate change.
Furthermore, the Minister dwelt on the unflinching support of the AfDB, by contributing to the socioeconomic progress of Mauritius and during tough times including the COVID-19 pandemic during which a COVID-19 crisis Response Budget programme of EUR 188 million was obtained.
As for Mr Kennedy K. Mbekeani, he indicated that the conference is an ideal forum to discuss the key economic issues that countries from the African continent are facing and exchange knowledge on new areas of development. It will also be an opportunity to reflect on the institutional capacities to support development, build resilience, and transition to low-carbon development pathways.
Mr Mbekeani underscored the core objectives of the initiative, namely to promote knowledge management as an important driver of policy dialogue, planning, and implementation and foster dialogue among researchers, development practitioners, and policymakers.
As regards the theme for this year, he remarked that Africa’s development will be markedly influenced by climate change which is considered as a threat multiplier and the conference is an occasion to discuss support climate smart development in Africa.
He also expressed gratitude to the Government of Mauritius for the support being extended to them and reiterated the continued support of the AfDB to Mauritius.
