{"id":2789,"date":"2021-07-01T15:45:44","date_gmt":"2021-07-01T15:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adfi-ci.org\/?p=2789"},"modified":"2021-07-01T15:45:44","modified_gmt":"2021-07-01T15:45:44","slug":"the-aadfi-held-its-2021-annual-general-assembly-meetings-from-june-29-and-30-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adfi-ci.org\/fr\/the-aadfi-held-its-2021-annual-general-assembly-meetings-from-june-29-and-30-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"The AADFI held its 2021 Annual General Assembly Meetings from June 29 and 30, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

Abidjan, July 1, 2021 \u2013<\/strong> <\/strong>The 2021 Annual General Assembly Meetings of the Association of African Development Finance Institutions (AADFI were successfully concluded on the theme \u201cAchieving the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): what roles and opportunities for national DFIs?\u201d. The events which were held virtually were co-organized with the African Development Bank (AfDB) from June 29 to 30, 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021 AADFI-AfDB Annual Workshop<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The meetings started with the Annual Workshop, which was attended by more than 100 delegates from across the globe. The webinar raised awareness of the AfCFTA and the business opportunities it offered in its implementation. The program also strengthened partnerships in promoting cross-border projects that would support the AfCFTA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Thabo Thamane, Chairman of AADFI & CEO of Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA), Botswana, in his opening statement, acknowledged that: \u201cthe AfCFTA has the potential to hugely impact the activities of SMEs, which presently account for 80% of the continent\u2019s business activities, as well as, industrial and manufacturing activities. As such, DFIs have a role to play in mobilizing resources and facilitating projects that actualize the objectives of the AfCFTA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Solomon Quaynor, Vice-President of the Private Sector, Infrastructure, and Industrialization Complex of the AfDB, presented a Keynote Address on how AfDB supports the implementation of the agenda of the AfCFTA. He highlighted that: \u201cthe successful implementation of the AfCFTA would require that all parties, governments, regional economic communities, private sector, DFIs, and Multilateral Development Banks, play their respective roles.\u201d The vice president indicated that the AfDB has been at the core of the implementation of the AfCFTA, and supported his assertion by highlighting the Bank\u2019s projects and activities that focused on supporting the AfCFTA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other key speakers and panelists at the webinar were Dr.Obiora Madu, Chief Executive Officer of African Center for Supply Chain (ACSC), Mr. Patrick Dlamini, Honorary Chairman of AADFI and CEO of Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), Ms. Catherine Kimaryo, Chief Strategy Advisor, Trade and Development Bank (TD Bank); M. Abdelouahb Boushaba, CEO, Tamwil El Fellah (TEF)\/ Group Credit Agricole Maroc (GCAM); Mr. Gainmore Zanamwe, Senior Manager, Intra-African Trade Initiative, African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim); and West Africa Development Bank (BOAD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key conclusions from the webinar are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. The AfCFTA offers massive hopes for Africa. <\/strong>It was acknowledged that the AfCFTA will help create massive job opportunities and significantly contribute to addressing the social and economic challenges of the continent. The AfCFTA creates huge opportunities for the development of various sectors, including SMEs, trade facilitation, manufacturing and industrialization, transport and logistics, and infrastructure, among others.
    <\/li>
  2. DFIs have a critical role to play in actualizing the AfCFTA.<\/strong> As a result, national, regional, and multilateral DFIs should work together and complement each other by building collaboration through cooperation and partnership in facilitating knowledge, \u00a0mobilizing capital, and project funding.
    <\/li>
  3. The AADFIas the continental organization for African development finance institutions is called upon to:<\/strong>