Fwd: INVITATION TO THE AMDC VIRTUAL SIDE EVENT AT THE AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT ON INDUSTRIALIZATION AND ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION ON NOVEMBER 24TH 2022

fya

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E.K.Bensah Jr, 
*Deputy Executive Director -- AfCFTA Policy Network-Ghana & Diaspora

*AU Department of Trade & Industry Media Network on Africa's Industrialization
*Agenda2063 Media Network Member
*APRM Communicators Network
*M-D, EcowasBusinessNews.blogspot.com
*Head of Comms & Research & Host -- "Africa in Focus Show" /AIFTV
*former Exec Producer -- XYZ Africa News Bulletin@8

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http://www.twitter.com/ekbensah | 
*TEL:+233.268.687.653 / +233.233.311.789 / +233.243.111.789
*eml: ekbensah@gmail.com | africainfocusshow@gmail.com
*Telegram/Whatsapp:+233.233.311.789
AFRICA IN FOCUS: africainfocusshow.blogspot.com
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EKBENSAH DotNet: Regional integration Intelligence| West Africa-ECOWAS | Communications | Civil society 
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---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Thuso Mogae <MogaeT@africa-union.org>
Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2022, 12:02
Subject: INVITATION TO THE AMDC VIRTUAL SIDE EVENT AT THE AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT ON INDUSTRIALIZATION AND ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION ON NOVEMBER 24TH 2022
To: Thuso Mogae <MogaeT@africa-union.org>

Dear Sir/ Madam,

 

You are cordially invited to participate in AMDCs virtual side event in the margins of the AU Industrialization Summit taking place on 24^th November 2022 from 14:00hrs to 15:45hrs Niamey time. Please note the link on the brochure attached.

 

The concept note, program and brochure are attached.

 

We count on your active participation.

 

 

Kind Regards,

 

Thuso Mogae

Administrative and Finance Officer

African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC)

Department of Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals(ETTIM)

African Union Commission Headquarters

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

+251 963971624

 

APN CONFERS HONORARY MEMBERSHIP UPON THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA

APN Group led by APN Chairman Dr. Joe Tackie met with the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia on Monday 17th October, 2022 at the Jubilee House. 

The meeting presented an opportunity to formally introduce APN to the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana while highlighting the role of APN in attaining a successful African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). 

The Chairman expressed focus on women and the youth within the activities of APN as well as African Continental Free Trade Area sensitization programmes. Honing in on Africa's population potential by 2050, he elaborated on the necessity of youth involvement within AfCFTA and how if properly mobilized, could effectively make Africa a global leader in the coming 4th Industrial Revolution.

The Chairman emphasized the role of women within the mentioned 4th Industrial Revolution, considering that women comprise the larger population in Africa. He cited further that women constitute the majority of the present trading population across the continent and as such, focus on improving the capacities of women in trade in Africa is not an option.

The Chairman of APN further inform the Vice President of the international nature of APN with representatives from across the world as evidenced by 2 representatives of the University of Cincinnati present at the meeting. He expressed the importance of this international community for carrying out the global sensitization agenda of AfCFTA across the world. 

The Chairman proceeded to respectfully confer Honorary Membership of APN on His Excellency the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia; to which the Vice President warmly accepted.

He made known the strong ties that exist between the AfCFTA Secretariat and APN Group and especially, the relationship established with the Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat Wamkele Mene.

He cited the acknowledgement of the Secretary General on the unique role played by APN in the realization of AfCFTA thus far, emphasizing the necessity of the relationship between the two intertwined organisations. 

The APN Chairman briefed the Vice President of the Republic on some key activities undertaken within the APN calendar such as the Africa Globalized Investment Forum and State of AfCFTA Trading. 

The Executive Director stated the intentions of APN to invite the Vice President to the next Africa Globalized Investment Forum in Seychelles in 2023.

The Vice President acknowledged the African Continental Free Trade Area as the largest Free Trade Area in the world with over $2 billion dollars in trading goods expected to be generated each year. Africa has no excuse than to make it work.

He stated that "the advocacy of APN is critical to actualizing the goals of AfCFTA".

The Vice President expressed his sincere gladness to know that the role of women and youth is at the forefront of the APN agenda, citing that women and youth remain the key to Africa's future given our population potential.

He highlighted the launch of Pan African Payment Settlement Systems (PAPSS) earlier in 2022 to help facilitate the challenges faced in cross border payments across the continent and the diaspora.

Furthermore, the Vice President emphasized that the quickest way for Africa to be transformed is through the development of technology, focusing particularly on digitization initiatives that are needed all across the continent.

His Excellency commended the government on the successful implementation of the ECOWAS Biometric ID Card which has become a prerequisite for most systems operations in Ghana. 

Furthermore, he cited Ghana as one of only four states worldwide to have successfully implemented this nationwide initiative. This initiative as well as the technological advancement made within the past years has had a tremendous effect on bank account ownership which has risen from 30% to 90%.

Also, the digital property address initiative has brought about vast new opportunities and accessibilities to business in Ghana. It opened up the e-Commerce sector and the formal economy.

His Excellency Dr. Bawumia stated emphatically that with the One District One Factory promise, Ghana now has at least one factory in each district with as many as five in some. He added that 70% of factories are in the Agro processing sector.

He further added that Ghana now possesses the world's largest medical drone delivery system which is pivotal to such exercises as conveying blood to centers where needed. He emphasized that every flight potentially saves a life.

Source: APN TradeNews

    

#AfDB Releases New Report on Security, Investment & Development on Sidelines of #AUTangiers2022

The AfDB has responded to the just-ended Tangiers conference on peace, security and development nexus by launching a report unpacking *Security, Investment & Development* 👇🏿

The report highlights several significant issues such as:

*Insecurity on the rise:* The report finds that incidences of conflict and violence are on the rise in Africa. _*In the last twenty years, more than 469,000 people lost their lives due to conflicts and human insecurity*_. In 2021, more than 18,000 conflicts affected the continent and the number of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) reached 32 million.

*Government response*; implication for development budgets: Governments are responding to insecurity _*by increasing budgetary allocation to security spending*_. Military expenditure in Africa was an estimated US$39 billion in 2021[based on data from 48 countries], 7 percent higher than in 2018 and 16 percent higher than in 2011. Over the past decade, the biggest percentage increases in military expenditure occurred in the Sahel countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Countries with large development needs are allocating a large share of their GDPs to military expenditure, undermining prospects for attaining the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the targets of Agenda 2063.

*Fiscal implications of multiple crisis:* Many countries are faced with multiple crisis _*imposed by conflict, climate change, and COVID-19*_.  These countries are dealing with recurrent public financing deficit, ballooning debt levels and limited private capital to bridge their domestic financing needs. The dilemma of allocating scarce resources to mitigate against these crises is putting immense pressures on fiscal balances, threatening debt sustainability, and adversely affecting people and livelihoods.

*Spillover risks:* The report presents the risks of _*cross-border spill overs both in terms of conflict and their consequences*_.  Fourteen African countries that have a current conflict situation _*share 80 land borders with other African countries*_. Due to these spill-over risks, conflict in a few African countries undermines the continent's competitiveness as a destination for trade and investment.

*Inadequate resources and uncoordinated approaches:* While development partners present opportunities for building peace in the continent, _*the lack of a coherent strategy and limitations in both resource availability and their predictability have constrained progress and sustainability*_.

Findings of the study are already informing the Bank's engagements with the African Union, member countries of the Bank Group, development partners and other key stakeholder, *to explore the Security-Indexed Investment Bonds ("SIIBs") initiative*. The initiative plans to mobilize adequate scalable, adaptable, and flexible resources to effectively address the root causes of insecurity, enhance the capacity of formal institutions, build communities' resilience, and rehabilitate communities and infrastructure adversely impacted by insecurity.

The report will complement the Bank's engagements in fragile and conflict affected situations and the work of African Union's Peace and Security Architecture.

"The African Development Bank Group remains committed to working with the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities, development partners, governments, the private sector and civil society organizations to mobilize the resources needed to help address Africa's development and regional integration challenges," N'Sele said..

Contact: 

Amba Mpoke-Bigg, Communication and External Relations Department, email: a.mpoke-bigg@afdb.org

#Niger launches #WURI project to issue biometric ID for regional trade and public services

Oct 31, 2022, 1:33 pm EDT | Chris Burt

A regional system for digital identity that is *interoperable between West African countries has been launched in Niger*, LeSahel.org reports. The project will support the establishment of a biometric ID for domestic and regional use.

The West Africa Unique Identification for Regional Integration and Inclusion (WURI) is a project to build foundational identity systems in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The WURI-Niger project will begin with strengthening legal and institutional frameworks, identifying gaps in the existing legal foundation. The second component is the establishment of robust and inclusive identification systems, including unique identification numbers linked to biometric data. The government will issue credentials free of charge, according to an English translation of the article.

The third component of the project is intended to provide documents that can be used to access public and private-sector services. These credentials are intended to support cross-border service access through the verification and authentication of users' digital identity.

Biometric identification will be used to provide access to basic public services, WURI-Niger says in an announcement on LinkedIn.

The project also includes upgrading the capacity of the High Authority for the Protection of Personal Data (HAPDP).

The project is not intended to replace the existing national civil status system, but rather to extend it with a regional credential which is also recognized within the country.

Niger's implementation is part of the second phase of the WURI project, which is funded with $273 million from the World Bank. Togo began working with MOSIP to develop its national ID system in line with the WURI initiative towards the end of 2021.

The Niger launch announcement was attended by representatives of the Presidency of the Republic of Niger, the World Bank and its ID4D initiative, UNICEF, UNHCR, the World Food Programme and other national authorities, according to another LinkedIn post.

If successful, the project will deliver proof of identity to 22 million people in Niger by 2026.

Source: https://www.biometricupdate.com/202210/niger-launches-wuri-project-to-issue-biometric-id-for-regional-trade-and-public-services