Unlocking the potential of regional value chains in North Africa: review of the pharmaceutical and digital finance sectors : report of the meeting

Abstract

This report of the meeting delivered at the Expert group meeting Marrakech, Morocco (hybrid). On the report, some points highlighted. The importance of the pharmaceutical and digital finance sectors for the dynamics of African integration in the context of implementation of the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area. The opening ceremony was followed by a keynote address by David Luke. In his address, Mr. Luke thanked the participants and the ECA Sub regional Office for North Africa for inviting him to address the meeting as a keynote speaker. He pointed out that the only way for those countries to overcome that dependence was to diversify their trade, in particular by strengthening intra-African trade within the framework of the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area. The potential for the intraregional trade of generic drugs could be more easily realized at the local level because of the availability of patents on active ingredients and knowledge of manufacturing processes and formulations.