Geneva, 2 April 2008 — The twelfth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development will take place from 20 to 25 April in Ghana, Africa - a continent that embodies the best and worst aspects of globalization.
During the conference´s high-level segment, "Trade and development for Africa´s prosperity: action and direction", heads of state and government will focus discussions on the trade and development needs of African countries and measures necessary for African countries to benefit more from globalization. This debate, to be chaired by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and moderated by UNCTAD Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpakdi, aims to strengthen the international community´s engagement in promoting development friendly trade and economic growth in Africa. This should include considering new commitments and initiatives as well as supporting existing ones. Despite relatively strong economic growth rates in recent years, Africa is still far from reaching the most prominent of the Millennium Development goals – halving poverty by 2015.
Africa will also feature prominently at the World Investment Forum, where corporate leaders, ministers, senior officials and experts will discuss Africa as a new emerging market for foreign direct investment (FDI) and the lessons to be drawn from increasing collaboration between transnational corporations and African countries.
UNCTAD´s World Investment Directory: Africa (under embargo until 18 April, 17:00 GMT) will be presented at a press conference on 18 April at the UNCTAD XII press centre. In addition to statistics on foreign direct investment (FDI) by country, the directory includes a detailed analysis of FDI trends in Africa in the context of surging commodity prices and a more positive climate for investments, both from developed and developing countries.
A workshop on development strategies in Africa on 19 April in Accra will bring together renowned African economists to reflect on lessons from the past and ways forward. Fifty years after many countries ended colonial rule, why did the dream of economic development and prosperity fail so spectacularly? How can Africa reinvent itself?
Economic progress in the 33 African least developed countries (LDCs)(1) was discussed at a high-level workshop for LDCs in Africa, organized by the Turkish government on 4-5 March in Izmir. Ministers and Geneva-based ambassadors, along with representatives of relevant international organizations, also considered the obstacles facing these countries. The situation in world´s 49 LDCs, a category established by the United Nations, is the subject of UNCTAD´s annual Least Developed Countries Report.
UNCTAD XII will put the spotlight on the diversity and wealth of African culture as well as the strength of its creative industries through a series of events taking place during the conference.
- Contemporary Art Exhibit. Organized in cooperation with Dak´Art Biennal, the African art exhibit held in Dakar, Senegal every two years, the show will feature the works of famous international artists: Ludovic Fadairo (Benin), Joel Mpah-Dooh (Cameroon), Bill Kouelany (Congo), Freddy Tsimba (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Jacques Samir Stenka (Côte d´Ivoire), Brahim El-Anatsui (Ghana), Abdoulaye Konaté (Mali), Bruce Onobrakpeya (Nigeria), Souleymane Keita (Senegal), Sokey Edorh (Togo).
- Fashion shows. Designer, singer, composer and model Anggy Haif from Cameroon will show his creations, which marry modern textiles with natural materials, such as raphia, roots, liana, leaves and other gathered items. Niger´s Alphadi, a well-known fashion designer who travels Africa promoting the continent´s talent, will be in Accra to convince decision-makers of the contribution fashion can make to economic development, particularly given the job-creating potential of areas such as textiles, jewellery and leather goods. Also showing will be Kofi Ansah, a renowned avant-garde Ghanaian designer who studied in and worked in Europe, returning to Ghana in 1992 to contribute to the development of the Ghanaian clothes industry.
- Concerts with Youssou N´Dour, whose music known as mbalax blends Senegal´s traditional griot percussion and praise-singing with Afro-Cuban arrangements and flavours; Femi Kuti, an exhilarating performer of afro-beat, the mixture of funk, jazz and traditional African music; and Kojo Antwi, whose Afro Pop sound blends West African music and Afro-American rhythm and blues.
- Dance with the Ghana Dance Ensemble, which has become an ambassador for Ghanaian culture with its works combining ancient folk and contemporary dance forms; and the Egyptian star and Afro-oriental dancer, Dina Talaat.
Finally, six African businesswomen are among the ten finalists nominated for the first Women in Business Awards (21 April in Accra). The winners will be chosen from among owners of firms that have benefited from the business development services of UNCTAD´s pioneering Empretec programme, which promotes and enables entrepreneurship in developing countries. The productive and innovative ten enterprises range from small makers of hand-made goods to a website offering advice to entrepreneurs. What distinguishes these developing country women is their ability to surmount obstacles traditionally faced by small enterprises. At a time of cultural change in their home countries, they also act as role models for other women.
