Progress Panel meets in Genf

GENEVA, 26 November – Investment, tax, remittances, and aid will all be on the agenda when African thought leaders meet in Geneva to discuss how Africa can raise more and cheaper finance for inclusive and sustainable growth, the Executive Director of the Africa Progress Panel (APP) said this week.
Organised by the Africa Progress Panel, chaired by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the meeting between former government leaders, economists, and experts on agriculture, fisheries, and infrastructure, took place on Thursday.

Among the participants are three former presidents, together with thought leaders from the IMF, United Nations, governments, the private sector and the media. The discussion will inform the 2014 Africa Progress Report, due for release in May.
“The great strength of the Africa Progress Report is that the Panel’s combined experience and independence allows it to convene some of the best and brightest thought leaders and experts from all over the continent and indeed the world,” Caroline Kende-Robb said.
Launched in Cape Town last May, the 2013 Africa Progress Report, Equity in Extractives, showed how Africa’s oil, gas, and mining sectors offer excellent opportunity to improve the lives of millions. But while the continent’s natural resource wealth has driven economic growth throughout the continent, it has not benefitted enough people.
Chaired by Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, the ten-member Africa Progress Panel advocates at the highest levels for equitable and sustainable development in Africa. The Panel releases its flagship publication, the Africa Progress Report, every year in May.