Draft report of the meeting of the Committee of Experts

Abstract

The thirty-ninth meeting of the Committee of Experts of the Economic Commission for Africa Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development was held in Addis Ababa, in a hybrid format featuring both in-person and online participation, from 17 to 19 March 2021. In the ensuing discussion, the experts aired their concerns regarding uncertainties in projecting the economic growth of Africa in the context of COVID-19. These included the occurrence of a second wave of infections, inequality and the slow pace of accessing the vaccines, as well as the diversity of the virus variants, which affected the capacity of States to fight the pandemic in an effective manner. The experts emphasized the need for an inclusive and cost-effective distribution and access to vaccines at global, regional and national levels, as part of a sustainable response and recovery process.