Date, venue and theme of the fifty-third session of the Commission

Abstract

The present document contains suggestions made by the secretariat for the consideration of the committee of experts. The committee may wish to consider the dates and a theme for the fifty-third session of the conference of African ministers of finance, planning and economic development, to be held in 2020, and to provide the secretariat with guidance in that regard. The secretariat submits the following topic for the consideration of the committee of experts: “The future of Africa’s industrialization and competitiveness in the digital era”. The continent’s emphasis on industrialization reflects the clear benefits it can bring. Manufactured goods can provide a more sustainable tax base, since they are much less vulnerable to fluctuating global prices than extractive goods. At the same time, they are more pervasively produced by micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises, which comprise about 80 per cent of all enterprises in Africa, and are thus key to supporting inclusion and poverty reduction. Traditional manufacturing processes are also typically labor-intensive and crucial to creating decent jobs for Africa’s burgeoning population of young people, which is of particular importance for Africa, the continent with the largest population of young people in the world.