Mauritius to Host 2022 African Economic Conference
By Khalifa Hemed
Published October 10, 2022
The coastal city of Balaclava in northwest Mauritius is set to host the annual African Economic Conference (AEC).
AEC, Africa’s leading forum for discussing the continent’s emerging challenges and opportunities that shall be jointly hosted by African Development Bank, Economic Commission for Africa, and United Nations Development Programme, shall be held December 9 – 11 under the theme, Supporting Climate-Smart Development in Africa.
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“Hosting such a high-profile event is truly a privilege and an honor for Mauritius,” says Renganaden Padayachy, the Indian Ocean Island nation’s Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development.
Dr Padayach says Mauritius is committed to accelerating its green transformation process, targeting to generate 60% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.
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Kennedy Mbekeani, African Development Bank’s Deputy Director General for Southern Africa, has commended the Government of Mauritius for agreeing to host the AEC 2022 which offers a platform for in-depth reflection on strengthening institutional capacities to develop climate-smart innovative mechanisms to bolster Africa’s resilience and the drive to switch to low-carbon development pathways.
“Water supplies and food production might be hampered by changing weather patterns. Africa’s most vulnerable regions are also among its most fragile due to their dependence on unimproved commodities and lack of economic variety,” Mbekeani says.
Creating climate-smart policies, Mbekeani says, could become a driver of development across Africa, and investments in building resilience to climate change could have wider economic and social benefits.
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Experts warn that most of Africa will suffer from extreme weather events, which have become more frequent and severe, causing damage to agriculture, tourism, cities, infrastructure, water, energy systems, and even the extractive sector.
Since its inception in 2006, AEC is reported to have supported research, policy discussion, and knowledge sharing on issues affecting Africa.
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