United Nations Economic Commission for Africa - Ideas for a prosperous Africa

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  Building the foundations of a trusted data ecosystem in the Republic of the Congo

  par eskinder.tsegaye le June 12, 2026

  9 June, 2026Share this:facebooktwitteremailprintBrazzaville, Republic of the Congo, 9 June 2026 (ECA) – The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy and with the support of GIZ through the Data Governance in Africa initiative, convened a Stakeholder Engagement Workshop and Capacity Building Programme in Brazzaville on 8 and 9 June 2026 to support the development of the Republic of the Congo’s National Data Governance Strategy. The engagements followed a national Country Assessment Mission conducted from 2 to 6 June 2026, during which consultations were held with 21 institutions representing government, regulatory authorities, academia, the private sector, civil society, and development partners. The assessment examined the country’s legal, institutional, and technical data governance landscape and informed the priorities discussed during the workshops. The Stakeholder Engagement Workshop brought together 60 participants to review assessment findings, identify national priorities, and contribute to the development of a coherent and inclusive data governance framework. The Capacity Building Programme, attended by 50 participants, strengthened knowledge and skills on key topics including the African Union Data Policy Framework, data protection, cybersecurity, interoperability, digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and the public value of data. In addition, and as part of the broader partnership between ECA and Google, participants were introduced to the Government AI Campus and undertook an AI Readiness Assessment. This exercise helped identify institutional capacity gaps, as well as opportunities to support the responsible adoption and integration of artificial intelligence within public sector institutions. Opening the workshops, Mr. Kô Goma, Director of Cabinet of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy, reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to establishing a National Data Governance Strategy as a key pillar of the country’s digital transformation agenda. Representing ECA, Ms. Adyam Abay highlighted the importance of data governance in fostering trust, innovation, and digital sovereignty, while emphasizing the need for collaborative approaches that enable countries to harness data for sustainable development. The workshops also provided a platform to validate preliminary assessment findings and gather stakeholder inputs on strengthening institutional coordination, trusted data-sharing, cybersecurity, interoperability, and alignment with continental frameworks, including the African Union Data Policy Framework and the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020–2030). Participants reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the Government of the Republic of the Congo in developing a National Data Governance Strategy that promotes secure, inclusive, and effective use of data to drive innovation, improve public service delivery, and advance socio-economic development. The initiative represents an important step toward strengthening the Republic of the Congo’s digital governance ecosystem and advancing the country's vision for a trusted and data-driven digital future. Issued by:Communications SectionEconomic Commission for AfricaPO Box 3001Addis AbabaEthiopiaTel: +251 11 551 5826E-mail: eca-info@un.org

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  Africa's youth take centre stage on day one of the inaugural Africa Development Impact Forum

  par minilik.demissie le June 12, 2026

  11 June, 2026From financial architecture to AI, entrepreneurship and trade, a day of bold ideas, frank dialogue and nine innovators competing to transform Africa's jobs crisisShare this:facebooktwitteremailprintAddis Ababa,11 June 2026 (ECA) — The inaugural Africa Development Impact Forum (ADIF) concluded its first day in Addis Ababa on Thursday with a full programme of high-level dialogue, policy innovation and youth-centred debate, as hundreds of researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers and young Africans convened at the United Nations Conference Centre to move the continent from conversation to action on job creation. Spanning five thematic sessions, a landmark youth dialogue on global finance, and a live policy hackathon, Day One made clear that Africa's challenge is not a shortage of ideas, it is a shortage of the systems, financing and political will to scale them. Confronting the Global Financial Architecture The morning opened with a frank and data-driven dialogue on the global financial architecture, a session that set a tone of urgency and agency for the rest of the day. Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist of ECA, Hanan Morsy, presented the structural realities constraining Africa's development to members of the Young Economists Network, drawn from universities across Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal and Tunisia. The figures were unambiguous. Africa faces a financing gap of nearly $1.3 trillion to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. More than 25 African countries are in debt distress or at high risk. In 2025, African governments paid over $100 billion in public debt repayments, more than many spent on critical social sectors. And Africa receives just 3.6% of global climate finance, despite contributing less than 4% of global emissions. But the dialogue moved deliberately beyond diagnosis. Ms. Morsy outlined four reform priorities, a debt system that works for development, lower costs of capital, climate finance that serves Africa, and stronger domestic resource mobilization and called on young Africans to own this agenda at every level. "You are not merely stakeholders in Africa's future. You are authors of it," she told participants. ECA Executive Secretary Claver Gatete opened the Forum with a clear-eyed assessment of where Africa stands and what the continent must do next. "If Africa's greatest challenge is jobs, then Africa's greatest opportunity is also jobs. We already have the ideas, the talent, the resources, a dynamic private sector and the market to transform our economies. What we need now is execution," Mr. Gatete said. He later closed the youth dialogue session with a direct challenge to the room. Drawing on his experience as a former Minister of Finance, he noted that the most consequential insight often comes not from ministers and senior officials but from young people, those who will live longest with the decisions being made. "Involving you is not enough. We must empower you. You give ideas when you are well-informed. And we are ready to assist you in this process." Nine Innovators. Six Judges. One Question. The morning's Policy and Strategy Hackathon, the "Hack the Job Challenge", brought the Forum's competitive energy to the fore. Nine innovators from Rwanda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Kenya, South Africa, Togo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo each had five minutes to pitch a scalable job creation solution to a panel of six expert judges from ECA, UNDP, ILO, UNESCO, PEMANDU Associates and UN Women. Pitches ranged from a pan-African youth employment platform connecting skills, SMEs and investors across four pillars, to a solar workforce development initiative training youth and women to build clean energy micro-grids in communities without grid access. Other contestants presented models for agro-industrial ecosystems, a credentialing platform tackling the "no job, no experience" cycle that leaves 60% of Ghana's 300,000 annual graduates unemployed, and a decentralized productive transformation framework for the DRC. One theme cut across every pitch: the problem is not that Africa lacks solutions. It is that the financing, regulation, market access and policy systems have not caught up. The winner will be announced on Day Two. Entrepreneurship, AI and Trade: Three Afternoon Sessions Three thematic sessions drove the afternoon's agenda. The session on youth entrepreneurship challenged whether entrepreneurship should be understood simply as a job substitute or as something broader, a set of transferable skills and a system-level lever for inclusion and resilience. Panellists and audience members pushed back against programmes that reach only already-visible, networked founders, calling for deliberate inclusion of informal entrepreneurs, women and rural innovators. The consensus: impact is not measured by the number of startups launched but by who is included, who survives, and who scales. The session on artificial intelligence and jobs examined one of the most contested questions in Africa's development conversation. With AI projected to unlock over $100 billion in economic value across more than 20 sectors while putting 16.7 million jobs at productivity risk, panellists debated whether Africa's youth demographic is a structural asset or a structural vulnerability in the AI transition. The emerging consensus: AI adoption in Africa's largely informal economy must be context-specific, and youth should be seen not as passive recipients of disruption, but as potential AI trainers, data labellers and prompt specialists provided access and enabling environments keep pace. The session on regional value chains under the African Continental Free Trade Area heard directly from youth-led entrepreneurs navigating cross-border trade. Founders from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Rwanda and Ethiopia shared lived experiences of logistics delays, currency volatility, inaccessible trade finance and fragmented dispute resolution, and the innovations they have built around these barriers rather than waiting for them to be solved. The session affirmed what is increasingly clear: young people are not merely beneficiaries of AfCFTA. They are its most dynamic anchors of innovation. The day closed with an impact talk on translating the UN Pact for the Future into language and formats accessible to the generation most critical to its implementation, with a clear message that the shift required is from engaging youth to co-leading with them. Issued by: Communications Section Economic Commission for Africa PO Box 3001 Addis Ababa Ethiopia Tel: +251 11 551 5826 E-mail: eca-info@un.org

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  ECA launches Africa Development Impact Forum to bridge the gap between ideas and impact

  par minilik.demissie le June 11, 2026

  11 June, 2026Inaugural edition focuses on job creation as Africa's most pressing development priorityShare this:facebooktwitteremailprintAddis Ababa, 11 June 2026 (ECA) — The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) today opens the inaugural Africa Development Impact Forum (ADIF), a bold new platform designed to move Africa beyond dialogue and into measurable, scalable action on the continent's most pressing development challenges. Taking place on 11–12 June 2026 at the United Nations Conference Center in Addis Ababa, the inaugural edition of ADIF brings together researchers, policymakers, investors, development partners, and industry leaders under the theme: Best Practices and Innovative Solutions for Job Creation in Africa. Africa is not short of ideas, research, or policy frameworks. What has been missing is the system that turns them into results. Promising innovations remain isolated. Pilot programs go unscaled. Applied research sits disconnected from the decisions that shape people's lives. ADIF is designed to change that. Spearheaded by ECA, ADIF is a direct response to the structural inertia that has stalled Africa's transformation for too long. It operates on a three-stage model that begins before the forum opens and continues long after it closes: a pre-forum Call-to-Action Challenge that co-develops problem statements and mobilizes ideas; a Policy and Strategy Hackathon during the forum that tests and refines actionable solutions; and a post-forum Implementation Clock that tracks, supports, and scales proven models. "We want to close the gap between ideas and implementation. That is exactly why we built ADIF, to connect innovators with funders, partners, and the country systems that can turn good ideas into real impact." — Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary, ECA Africa needs to create more than 15 million jobs every year to meet the aspirations of its growing youth population. Without a fundamental shift in how solutions are identified, tested, and scaled, investment will continue to underperform, yielding limited or unsustainable impact. ADIF 2026 directly addresses this challenge by showcasing scalable models for job creation across sectors and regions, encouraging evidence-based policy design informed by applied research, and building consensus around replicable and fundable solutions that governments and the private sector can act on immediately. "Africa needs to create more than 15 million jobs every year to meet the aspirations of its growing youth population. ADIF brings together researchers, policymakers, investors, development partners and industry leaders to turn ideas into industries, industries into jobs, and jobs into shared prosperity." — Mama Keita, Deputy Executive Secretary (Programme Support), ECA Unlike one-off convenings, ADIF is designed as a recurring platform with cumulative impact. Each annual edition focuses on a specific thematic issue while maintaining continuity with previous years, building a sustained body of evidence, action, and accountability. Future editions will explore themes such as Africa's industrialization and the full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), creating a linked and reinforcing agenda for transformation. Issued by: Communications Section Economic Commission for Africa PO Box 3001 Addis Ababa Ethiopia Tel: +251 11 551 5826 E-mail: eca-info@un.org

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  Niger and the United Nations join forces to strengthen Domestic Resource Mobilization

  par eskinder.tsegaye le June 9, 2026

  5 June, 2026Share this:facebooktwitteremailprintNiamey, Niger – 5 June 2026 – The Government of Niger, in collaboration with the United Nations System in Niger, the Sub-Regional Office for West Africa of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), launched on 3 June in Niamey a validation workshop aimed at strengthening domestic resource mobilization. Organized under the framework of the United Nations Flagship Programmes, the workshop brings together key stakeholders to review and validate two strategic reports underpinning the national domestic resource mobilization agenda: An assessment of tax policies and tax administration in Niger; A set of priority recommendations and reform measures to enhance domestic resource mobilization. The primary objective of the workshop is to validate the diagnostic findings and recommendations, and to collectively define a set of reforms and measures to be implemented through a Priority Action Plan (PAP), including clear modalities for execution. In his opening remarks, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Mr. Sama Mamane, underscored the critical role of domestic revenue as a cornerstone for financing national priorities, particularly those outlined in the Programme for the Refoundation of the Republic. “Domestic resources must serve as a catalyst to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), respond to climate and security challenges, strengthen the delivery of basic social services, and reinforce the State’s financial autonomy,” he stated. He further emphasized that in a context of increasing public financing needs, strengthening domestic resource mobilization remains a strategic imperative. Speaking on behalf of the interim United Nations Resident Coordinator in Niger, the UNDP Resident Representative, Mr. Rudasingwa Laurent, highlighted that enhancing both the volume and efficiency of domestic resource mobilization is no longer a technical option, but a structural necessity. “It is essential to reinforce the State’s capacity to finance its development priorities, maintain macroeconomic stability, and accelerate the achievement of the SDGs,” he noted. The workshop is expected to conclude with a validated set of recommendations and a clear, operational roadmap to strengthen domestic resource mobilization in Niger, backed by strong consensus among stakeholders. Issued by:Communications SectionEconomic Commission for AfricaPO Box 3001Addis AbabaEthiopiaTel: +251 11 551 5826E-mail: eca-info@un.org

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  AU ministerial session backs continental frameworks on transport and energy

  par minilik.demissie le June 5, 2026

  30 April, 2026Share this:facebooktwitteremailprintJohannesburg, South Africa, 30 April 2026 (ECA) - Ministers from across Africa have approved continental frameworks on transport and energy, including frameworks on energy security, electric mobility, and aviation resilience, all of which the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) played a central role in developing. The decisions were adopted at the 5th Ordinary Session of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Transport and Energy, held from 27–30 April 2026 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Convened under the theme The Africa We Build: Transport and Energy as Catalysts for Africa's Prosperity, the session brought together AU member states, regional economic communities, and continental institutions including the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and AUDA-NEPAD. Speaking at the opening of the Experts Meeting on 27 April, Mr. Robert Lisinge, Director of ECA's Technology, Innovation, Connectivity and Infrastructure Division (TICID), underlined the urgency of building Africa's energy security and accelerating sustainable transport solutions. He drew the link between reliable energy infrastructure and the continent's broader ambitions, from transport electrification and digital transformation to reducing logistics costs and unlocking intra-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). At the Ministerial Meeting on 30 April, Mr. Lisinge delivered opening remarks on behalf of ECA Executive Secretary Claver Gatete, calling for integrated approaches to energy, transport, and digital infrastructure that drive structural transformation across the continent. Mr. Yohannes Hailu, ECA's energy expert, presented the Commission's continental and regional energy work during the experts' session. He outlined ECA's lead role in developing the Continental Energy Security Policy Framework, its contribution to the SADC Energy Transition Framework and Action Plan, and its ongoing support to PIDA infrastructure initiatives and PPP capacity-building across member states. During a special session on nuclear energy, Mr. Hailu presented analysis on economic and financial barriers to nuclear energy development in Africa and outlined potential policy pathways. The Ministerial Declaration formally approved the following ECA-led continental instruments: The Continental Energy Security Policy Framework and its recommendations The Continental Framework on Electric Mobility in Africa The Strategy for Strengthening the Resilience of Africa's Aviation Industry Ministers also issued a series of requests to continental institutions, placing ECA at the center of several key follow-up actions: The AUC, ECA, AFREC, AUDA-NEPAD, and RECs to support member states in implementing the Continental Energy Security Policy Framework; The AfDB, in collaboration with AFRAA and ECA, to develop specific financial measures to support the aviation industry; AFCAC, working with ICAO, AUC, ECA, AFRAA, Africa CDC and other aviation stakeholders, to develop a harmonized framework for rapid response in the aviation sector; AFREC and the AUC, in collaboration with AFCONE, ECA, the Nuclear Energy Agency, and RECs, to develop a continental framework and action plan for nuclear energy deployment for enhanced energy access, security, and development; AFREC, in collaboration with the AUC, ECA and partners, to coordinate implementation of the Energy Transition Strategy and Action Plan (ETSAP) and support its domestication across member states for a just and inclusive transition; The AUC, AFREC, and ECA to support RECs in developing just energy transition frameworks aligned with the AU Common Position on energy access and transition ECA and the AUC, in collaboration with AUDA-NEPAD, AfDB, and the African Legal Support Facility, to establish and institutionalize a biannual PPP Forum for Africa for knowledge exchange, capacity building, and investment mobilization; AUDA-NEPAD, AUC, AfDB, ECA and relevant stakeholders to work with the African Social Security Association (ASSA) in developing the ASSA Infrastructure Fund for Africa, ensuring it is structured to effectively support key continental infrastructure and energy initiatives; All continental, regional and specialized institutions including AUC, AUDA-NEPAD, AFREC, ECA, AFCAC, AFCAO, AfDB and RECs, to accelerate mobilization of financial and technical resources for the implementation of continental transport, energy and infrastructure programmes. The outcomes of the 5th STC session mark a significant step in advancing Africa's infrastructure agenda and affirm ECA's role as a key technical and policy partner in shaping the continent's energy and transport future. Issued by: Communications Section Economic Commission for Africa PO Box 3001 Addis Ababa Ethiopia Tel: +251 11 551 5826 E-mail: eca-info@un.org

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  Turning data into growth: strengthening tourism measurement to unlock investment and economic diversification in São tomé and Principe

  par eskinder.tsegaye le June 5, 2026

  5 June, 2026Share this:facebooktwitteremailprintSão Tomé, 5 June 2026 – Tourism is widely recognized as one of São Tomé and Príncipe’s most promising pathways to economic diversification. Yet realizing its full potential requires more than attractive destinations and growing visitor numbers. It requires a clear understanding of the sector’s real contribution to the economy. How much wealth does tourism generate? How many jobs does it support? Which investments does it attract? And where are the greatest opportunities for future growth? Without reliable answers to these questions, it becomes difficult to design effective policies, target investments and fully harness tourism as a driver of development. It is against this backdrop that the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in partnership with the Government of São Tomé and Príncipe and the United Nations Resident Coordination Office, is organizing a capacity-building workshop from 8 to 11 June 2026 on the processing and analysis of data collected through the national survey of tourism establishments. The workshop represents an important step in helping national institutions transform raw data into reliable evidence that can support policymaking, investment planning and long-term sector development. Over four days, participants will work directly with data collected from tourism establishments, strengthening their practical skills in data processing, statistical analysis and interpretation. The objective is not only to improve technical capacities, but also to ensure that tourism data can be translated into meaningful insights capable of guiding decisions and shaping future development priorities. The initiative also contributes to the completion of São Tomé and Príncipe’s Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSA), the internationally recognized framework used to measure tourism’s contribution to economic activity, employment, investment and value creation. Once operational, the TSA will provide policymakers with a clearer picture of the sector’s economic footprint and its role in supporting national development. More broadly, the workshop forms part of a long-term effort to strengthen the country’s capacity to produce, analyze and use tourism economic data. The ambition is to build a sustainable national system capable of generating regular, internationally comparable data and supporting evidence-based decision-making over time. This work builds on ECA’s continued support to the Government of São Tomé and Príncipe in modernizing its tourism information system. Following assistance in designing the survey methodology and conducting data collection, ECA is now supporting the development of national expertise to analyse, interpret and make effective use of the information generated. "You cannot transform what you cannot measure. Understanding the real contribution of tourism to growth, jobs and investment is essential for designing effective policies and unlocking new opportunities for economic diversification. Better data lead to better decisions, and better decisions lay the foundation for sustainable and inclusive growth," said Jean Luc Mastaki, Director of ECA’s Subregional Office for Central Africa. Reliable statistics are more than a technical asset. They help identify investment opportunities, assess sector performance, improve public policy effectiveness and strengthen investor confidence. For São Tomé and Príncipe, the stakes extend far beyond statistical production. The ability to measure tourism more accurately is also the ability to better promote its strengths, attract new investments and position the sector as a key pillar of economic diversification and sustainable growth. “Tourism is far more than a source of revenue. When properly measured and understood, it becomes a powerful catalyst for job creation, investment attraction and structural transformation. Our objective is to help São Tomé and Príncipe build the statistical foundations needed to make informed decisions today and unlock new opportunities for tomorrow,” concluded Jean Luc Mastaki. [Portuguese version] Media Contact Zacharie Roger MBARGA Communication Officer United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Yaoundé, Cameroon Email: zacharie.mbargayene@un.org Issued by:Communications SectionEconomic Commission for AfricaPO Box 3001Addis AbabaEthiopiaTel: +251 11 551 5826E-mail: eca-info@un.org