Opening Session
“The 58th session of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development: “Growth through innovation: harnessing data and frontier technologies for the economic transformation of Africa”.
28 March – 03 April 2026
Tangier, the Kingdom of Morocco
Draft Opening Remarks by Newly Elected Incoming Chair of the Bureau
Expert Segment
Excellencies
Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Mr. Claver Gatete
Deputy Executive Secretaries of the Economic Commission for Africa, Ms. Hanan Morsy and Ms. Mama Keita
Distinguished Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is my great honour to address you today as the new Chair of the fifty-eighth session of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
I wish to express our sincere gratitude to all Member States for electing Cameroon as Chair of the incoming Bureau of this Conference. I also have the honour of speaking on behalf of my fellow Bureau members in this leadership position.
Allow me to extend our warm congratulations to the Kingdom of Morocco, Chair of the outgoing Bureau, for their outstanding leadership and service over the past year.
I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Government and people of the Kingdom of Morocco for hosting us here in Tangier with warm hospitality, and to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa for convening this important conference under the timely theme “Growth through innovation: harnessing data and frontier technologies for the economic transformation of Africa.”
Our tenure arrives at a pivotal juncture in Africa’s economic transformation, marked by low-productivity, early de-industrialization, volatile commodity price, increasing debt risks, climate shocks, and rapid digitalization. These forces are profoundly reshaping Africa’s production, productivity, and export opportunities.
Amidst these challenges, harnessing data and frontier technologies presents a transformative opportunity for Africa to move beyond low-productivity and unlock new engines of growth.
Advances in digital technologies, artificial intelligence, big data, biotechnology, and other frontier innovations have the potential to enhance productivity, accelerate industrial upgrading, and support more diversified and resilient economies.
With strategic use, data and frontier technologies can drive inclusive and sustainable development by improving service delivery, strengthening governance, expanding digital entrepreneurship, and enabling more efficient resource management.
In doing so, they can play a critical role in accelerating Africa’s progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and realizing the aspirations of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.
Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
To effectively capitalize on the transformative role of data and frontier technologies in the continent’s economic transformation, there is a need for visionary leadership, bold investments, and collective action.
At the sectoral level, priorities in Africa’s agriculture include expanding irrigation, mechanization, and agro-processing, and redesigning financing to channel resources toward farm-level innovation.
In manufacturing, building robust industrial ecosystems, strengthening vocational and technical training, and expanding access to technology-focused financing as are essential. When it comes to services, combining digitalization with financial inclusion and investing in human-capital especially digital and entrepreneurial skills is key.
At the national and regional level, there is a need to strengthen governance; harness partnerships; promote R&D, innovation, and entrepreneurship; reform the International Financing Environment; de-risk investment in frontier technologies; develop inclusive and dynamic strategic policies; promote human capital development for the future and invest in hard and soft infrastructure.
In support of these policy priorities, coordinated policies and strategies that collectively drive Africa’s technology and innovation ambitions and ensure sustainable and inclusive growth are required.
Effective implementation of these policy priorities requires collaboration between governments, private sectors, academia, civil society organizations, and international institutions.
The theme of this conference, “Growth through innovation: harnessing data and frontier technologies for the economic transformation of Africa,” effectively brings together various stakeholders and fosters dialogue to accelerate Africa’s inclusive and sustainable development.
Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
As I conclude, I wish to reaffirm, on behalf of the incoming Bureau, our strong commitment to working collaboratively with all Member States, the Economic Commission for Africa, and our valued partners to advance the strategic use of data and frontier technologies across the continent.
Through collective effort and shared resolve, we can harness Africa’s immense potential and emerging opportunities to drive meaningful economic development, productivity gains, and sustained structural transformation.
The Bureau looks forward to the constructive and forward-looking deliberations in the days ahead.
We are confident that these discussions will generate actionable recommendations and culminate in a statement that reflects the scale of ambition and transformative change that Africa urgently requires.
Thank you for your kind attention.