Nairobi, 29 November 2024 (ECA) - On the sidelines of the 2024 African Special Economic Zones Annual Meeting 2024, the Economic Commission for Africa was awarded a prize for its contribution to the strategic positioning of special economic zones (SEZs) as a catalyst for inclusive and sustainable industrialization on the continent.
Co-organized by the African Economic Zones Organization (AEZO) and the African Union Commission, the 2024 African Special Economic Zones Annual Meeting was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 27-29 November 2024 on the theme, “Building resilient, inclusive and sustainable economies: The role of African SEZs in attracting high-impact investment and redefining competitiveness.” In awarding the Prize, the AEZO recognizes ECA’s mandate of promoting Africa’s structural transformation.
Commenting on the award, Jean-Luc Namegabe Mastaki, Director of the ECA Central African Subregional Office says, “ECA is committed to positioning SEZs as a driver for the development of regional value chains in Africa. Current projects include the electric vehicle and battery SEZ between the DRC and Zambia, the Zambia-Zimbabwe common agro-industrial park, the timber SEZ in Cameroon and the NPK (fertilizer) SEZ in Congo, among others.”
He adds that ECA is committed to accelerating industrialization that is mindful of future generations and aligned with the 2030 Agenda’s flagship slogan “leave no one behind,” “ECA is promoting SEZs integrating the green dimension in the entire value chains, and whose business models ensure that the rights of all stakeholders are considered and reinforced. This is the thrust of the concept of New Generation Special Economic Zones (NGSEZ) being championed by ECA Sub-Regional Office for Central Africa (SRO-CA).”
Koffi Elitcha, an economist at the ECA Central African office took part in the panel discussion on “SEZs as a catalyst for resilient and inclusive growth in Africa”. He highlighted the strategic role of SEZs in advancing economic transformation in Africa and reemphasized the human rights-based approach to SEZ design and implementation, which is at the core of the Office’s interventions in Central Africa.
“Based on the studies carried out, we are supporting our Member States in the operationalization of NGSEZs and encouraging them to collaborate in developing transboundary SEZs based on their comparative advantages, to capitalize on economies of scale and attract sustainable investment. This also serves as a guarantee that our economies will be better prepared to take advantage of the AfCFTA,” said Koffi Elitcha. He also seized the opportunity provided by the AEZO annual meeting to raise awareness of the upcoming symposium on NGSEZs that SRO-CA is organizing from 21 to 23 January 2025, in Douala, Cameroon.
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Zacharie Roger MBARGA - Communications Officer,
ECA Subregional Office for Central Africa
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
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Tel: (+237) 222504348
E-mail: zacharie.mbargayene@un.org