African Finance, Planning & Economic Dev’t Ministers to hold conference in Addis Ababa next week

Addis Ababa, March 9, 2025 (FMC) – The 57th Session of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development will be held from 12 March to 18 March, 2025 in Addis Ababa, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) announced.

This year’s theme is “Advancing the Implementation of the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area: Proposing Transformative Strategic Actions.”

The conference will convene Africa’s leading economic policymakers to discuss and propose strategic actions for advancing the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Participants will explore the necessary institutional frameworks, complementary measures, and initiatives that African countries should adopt to accelerate the Agreement’s implementation, while ensuring that trade supports the continent’s industrialization and diversification efforts.

Participants include African ministers responsible for finance, planning, and economic development; governors of central banks; senior government officials; representatives from intergovernmental organizations; development partners; private sector entities; civil society organizations; and other key stakeholders.

This platform is crucial in expediting the implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which aims to transform Africa into a prosperous and integrated continent.

According to ECA, the session will begin with the Committee of Experts from 12 to 14 March 2025, followed by side events from 15 and 16 March.

The ministerial segment will be held on 17 and 18 March 2025 and will include a high-level policy dialogue on the theme of the session, the annual Adebayo Adedeji lecture and round-table discussions on a series of sub-themes.

The Launch of the Economic Report on Africa, 2025, and round-table discussions on sub-themes, including the nexus between the African Continental Free Trade Area and infrastructure development, promoting cross-border investment, instant payment systems and digital inclusivity in Africa, and Special economic zones as drivers of the development of regional value chains in the context of the AfCFTA will be held during the ministerial session.