Bujumbura, Burundi, 26 September 2023 (ECA) - A four-day meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee of Senior Officials and Experts (ICSOE) for Central and Eastern Africa, jointly organized by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Government of Burundi, opens on 26 September in Bujumbura, the Economic city of Burundi.
This annual meeting will bring together ministers and high-level policymakers, international organizations, private sector actors, youth representatives, UN officials, academics and media practitioners, and will focus on the theme: "Establishing Central and East Africa as Sources of Quality Products and Investment Destinations of Choice, to Accelerate Industrialization and Economic Diversification, and to Strengthen Food Security".
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Burundi H.E. Gervais Ndirakobuca and the Deputy Executive Secretary / Chief Economist of ECA, Ms. Hanan Morsy will grace the meeting with their presence and insights.
According to Mama Keita, ECA Director in Eastern Africa, the Bujumbura meeting will discuss food insecurity because climate change, high food prices, and supply chain disruptions cause hunger and malnutrition for millions in Central and East Africa . Mama Keita says that the meeting will look at the barriers to food security and the potential of digital food platforms, which can help producers, consumers, and traders exchange food products and information more easily and cheaply.
Jean Luc Mastaki, Director of ECA in Central Africa said that the ICSOE meeting will also tackle one of the main challenges facing Eastern and Central African countries which is how to boost industrial and agricultural production with quality and environmental standards. He added that the Bujumbura ICSOE will discuss the current and future economic prospects of the Central and Eastern Africa regions, which are facing multiple economic and social challenges in the wake of the recent global "triple crises facing ".
“The COVID-19 pandemic, impacts of climate change and supply constraints due to Ukrainian war that soared inflation and tightened monetary and financial conditions have exacerbated the existing vulnerabilities of the many people in our regions", said Mastaki.
The ICSOE will propose policies, strategies and options for implementing a “quality culture” and promoting intra-African trade in order to increase the quantity and quality of production in the region so as to strengthen food security, promote economic diversification and attract more investment.
The ICSOE will bring together representatives from 7 Central African countries and 14 Eastern African countries as follows:
Central Africa: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe.
Eastern Africa: Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Issued by:
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Economic Commission for Africa
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