AfDB to co-host ‘Africa Day’ in Washington

WASHINGTON, November 15, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) (http://www.afdb.org) in collaboration with the World Bank Group will host the first ever ‘Africa Day’ during the Law, Justice and Development (LJD) Week 2013, on November 20th, at the World Bank Group Headquarters in Washington DC. Every year, the LJD Week is organized to provide a forum for legal and development practitioners, scholars, governments and civil society to discuss the critical role the law and judicial mechanisms can play in furthering development outcomes.

Photo Donald Kaberuka

 

The aim of “Africa Day” is to bolster knowledge on key and emerging legal issues on the African continent. Participants of Africa Day will explore how law and justice can help translate voice, social contract, and accountability into development impacts in Africa.

For decades, a number of African countries have grappled with developing and implementing effective legal regimes so as to promote sustainable economic development. The results have been mixed. Because law is an essential tool for promoting economic growth and development, the Bank’s legal experts will be joining a panel of fellow specialists, judicial officers, and senior government officials in key relevant ministries, local and international institutions, to offer a global perspective on Africa and the key development and legal challenges it faces.

This year’s “Africa Day” would be opened with an address by the AfDB President, Dr. Donald Kaberuka, setting the tone for an in-depth focus on critical legal issues in Africa’s development process.

The themes for the day are in three main areas namely:

(a) Economic opportunities in extractive industries (mainly in the oil and gas sectors) and meaningful engagement with BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and South/South cooperation;

(b) Emerging issues with a focus on the Africa 50 Fund which seeks to unlock private financing sources and to accelerate the speed of infrastructure delivery in Africa, thereby creating a new platform for Africa’s growth and prosperity; and

(c) Emerging issues relating to illicit financial flows and the recent constitutional developments in a number of countries.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Contacts:

Muriel Kei-Boguinard: m.kei-boguinard@afdb.org

Yvonne Fiadjoe: y.fiadjoe@afdb.org