Events

The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), under the leadership of the Republic of Zambia, through the Africa Think Tank Network (ATTN) and the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry (MCTI) of Zambia, is convening the 9^th instalment of the Africa Think Tank Summit. The summit will run under the theme “Linking Evidence, Policies, and Practice to Contribute to the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement”.

The 9^th Africa Think Tank Summit is to share ideas and experiences and devise implementable recommendations on what works and what needs to change in Africa’s approach to implementing the AfCFTA. Participants will particularly discuss what capacities are required to accelerate the implementation of the AfCFTA and how it translates into the delivery of sound policies and actions at regional and country levels that can guarantee sustainable development in Africa.

Think tanks and other stakeholders, including policy makers, private sector representatives, researchers, civil society organizations executives, and development practitioners, will share ideas and experiences on the various interventions around AfCFTA implementation. Participants will offer concrete recommendations on options and approaches to support the implementation of the AfCFTA.

The specific objectives of the 9th Africa Think Tank Summit are to:

• review the status of AfCFTA implementation at the national and continental levels;
• analyze and raise awareness of the data and evidence gaps to support the successful and effective implementation of the AfCFTA
  • share the experiences and roles of think tanks to improve the use of evidence, practices, and policies in the implementation of the AfCFTA ;
  • identify key capacity and critical technical skills challenges faced by critical institutions and actors that could jeopardize the implementation of the AfCFTA;
  • share experiences on the practical solutions available to ensure the capacity development challenges faced by key actors vis-à-vis the AfCFTA are addressed;
  • propose specific actions to ensure that the private sector is fully capacitated to drive the AfCFTA and benefit from its successful implementation;
  • propose a coalition of think tanks and partners to deliver specific interventions to strengthen efforts toward implementing the AfCFTA.

The event is supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Visa Foundation and will be co-organized with the Regional Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes (ReNAPRI) Secretariat, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC).