Addis Ababa, 29 August 2013 (ECA) – The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Union and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will from September 12 – 13 in Addis Ababa host an African regional meeting on Promoting Services Sector Development and Trade-Led Growth.
The meeting will provide an opportunity to inform experts in the sector in Africa of various initiatives undertaken at national and regional levels. It will also be an occasion for stock-taking and reflecting on how to enhance the support provided by development partners and donors to respond to the challenges faced by African countries in the 21st century.
Issues lined up for discussion include how to achieve sustainable development and job creation through the services sector, opportunities and challenges in services trade liberalization across Africa, and
developing strategies for further expanding the sector. The forum will also tackle the challenges of policy implementation as well as the involvement of stakeholders in policy making.
Trade officials, services policy-makers, regulators, the private sector, academia, research institutions and civil society organizations as well as regional players and international organizations active in supporting the development of the services sector on the continent are among those expected to attend. Others are representatives of the World Trade Organization, UNDP, the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), Regional economic communities (RECs), DFID, GIZ, and NGOs, including ILEAP and TRALAC.
An efficient and productive services industry contributes significantly to productivity growth and is crucial for the overall competitiveness of an economy, including in manufacturing and agriculture. While
developed countries still dominate the services industries, developing nations’ share of the sector has been growing strongly in recent years. Compared with Asia’s 8%, the America’s 6%, and the Transition
Economies’ 7%, Africa’s contribution to global services exports in 2012 was 2.2 %.
Issued by:
ECA External Communications and Media Relations Section
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