Communiqué: 2nd African Ministerial Conference on Financing for Development
ECA Press Release No. 11/2007
Addis Ababa 4 June 2007 (ECA) – The Second African Ministerial Conference on Financing for Development ended in Accra, Ghana, on 31 May with the release of a Ministerial Communiqué spelling out actions that have to be taken by African governments to address the financing needs of the energy sector in African countries and to examine how to enhance the contribution of the sector to growth and poverty reduction in the region.
The Conference convened in the Ghanaian capital on 30-31 May, under the theme “Infrastructure for Growth – The Energy Challenge”.
The Communiqué also highlights areas where actions are required from the international community and the private sector.
Furthermore, Ministers also asked ECA and the African Development Bank to work out modalities for setting up a permanent Financing for Development secretariat as a joint venture.
In addition to discussing the energy sector, the conference also took stock of progress made in the implementation of commitments made by African countries at the first Ministerial Conference on Financing for Development held in Abuja, Nigeria, in 2006. There were also updates on progress with regard to the implementation of commitments made by African countries at the 2006 World Bank/IMF joint meetings in Singapore and the 2007 Forum of Energy Ministers of Africa (FEMA) held in Maputo, Mozambique.
The full Ministerial Communiqué and other conference documents, speeches can be can be accessed at http://www.financingfordevelopment.org/index.htm
Issued by the ECA Information and Communication Service P.O. Box 3001
Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Tel: 251 11 5445098 Fax: +251 11 5510365 E-mail: ecainfo@uneca.org Web: www.uneca.org
