4th Annual Meeting of African Economic Zones on the theme of industrialization

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA - Media OutReach - 21 November 2019 - Africa Free Zones Organisation (AFZO) organized on November 19^th, 2019, at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, its 4^th Annual Meeting, under the theme "Economic Zones -- Accelerator for Industrialization in Africa", with the support of the Department of Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission (AUC).

Opening ceremony of the Africa Free Zones Organisation' 4th Annual Meeting  co-chaired by H.E. M Albert Muchanga the Commissioner for Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission (AUC), Ms Dagmawit Moges the Minister of Transport of Ethiopia, M Mehdi Tazi Riffi the President of the Africa Free Zones Organisation

The meeting was held during the "Africa Industrialization Week", organized by the African Union from the 18^th to the 22^nd November 2019.

Several international speakers representing international and financial institutions such as UNCTAD, UNIDO, UNECA, AfDB etc. shared during this event their expertise on effective means for economic zones development in Africa. In this respect, various topics related to challenges and trends of African economic zones were addressed including strategic directions and effective governance model, contribution of economic zones for FDI growth and job creation, importance of logistics competitiveness within economic zones, skills development and training.

The opening ceremony of the Africa Free Zones Organisation' 4^th Annual Meeting was co-chaired by H.E. M Albert Muchanga the Commissioner for Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission (AUC), Ms Dagmawit Moges the Minister of Transport of Ethiopia, M Mehdi Tazi Riffi the President of the Africa Free Zones Organisation. Along with representatives from official authorities and special economic zones.

Over 220 delegates representing 43 countries attended this important event, including 60 African economic zones, 30 experts, as well as several representatives of governmental authorities, international institutions and public and private organizations.

Africa Free Zones Organisation (AFZO): Serving the development of Economic Zones in Africa

AFZO was founded back in 2015 by Tanger Med along with other African economic zones.

Africa Free Zones Organisation brings together the leading African economic zones and institutions in charge of the development, management and promotion of economic zones in our continent.

The Africa Free Zones Organisation ensures:

-          Representation of African Economic Zones at international organisations

-          Enhancement and improvement of economic zones attractiveness

-          Setting up of tailored model for economic zones development

The Organisation currently has more than 72 members representing 37 African countries.

To this end, several actions have been organised by AFZO this last year, including:

-          4 regional meetings in several countries including Ghana (Accra), Gabon (Libreville), and Togo (Lomé). These workshops brought together more than 500 participants from 30 different countries.

-          Training sessions for members, led by international experts on topics related to economic zones. These sessions benefited more than 200 participants.

-          Production of the first comprehensive economic zones database "Atlas Book", including all relevant information on areas such as macroeconomic data, investment attractiveness, and regulations and laws.

-          Establishment of a Knowledge Center including several reports and studies on the economic zones, as well as an interactive exchange platform facilitating the sharing of documentation and best practices.

-          Presentation of the "African Economic Zones Outlook" through an analysis of African economic zones, their contribution in attracting FDI and job creation as well as prevailing PPP development models.