Secretariat proposes theme for next CoM

The ECA Secretariat has proposed that the theme for 55th session of the Committee of Experts (CoM) will be ‘Fostering Africa’s recovery and transformation to reduce inequality and vulnerability’. 

Stephen Karingi, Director of Regional Integration and Trade Division at the ECA, announced that the conference will be held in Addis Ababa between March and April in 2023, if the theme and location are agreed to by the Committee. 

A member state can submit a proposal to host the conference or change the theme if it so wishes. 

“We have talked a lot about the inequalities and the vulnerabilities that our economies are facing because of where we are now,” Karingi said. 

“We need to have a detailed discussion to address the issues of inequality and vulnerability including the link to climate change, so that is the background for the next conference.” 

The director added that 41 African countries have been impacted by recent negative shocks to health, food and finance. 

The ECA’s 2021 economic report on Africa showed that inequality has increased in Africa during Covid-19, highlighting the need to comprehensively address the multitude of issues facing the continent. 

“While the issues of growing inequality and vulnerability are not new, the daunting challenges that they pose have yet to be examined by the Conference of Ministers in a systematic and holistic manner,” the ECA said. 

“The way forward for African countries is to put in place integrated national financing frameworks that promote reliance on domestic resources, thereby expanding the policy space for reducing inequality and vulnerability,” the ECA said.