The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) could raise income by billions, powering the African middle class to transform the African economy.

Accra, Addis Ababa, New York, and Vienna, 8 to 12, May 2023 – Driven by a growing middle class, African economies are poised to transform and shift toward import substitution, fuelled by domestic demand and increased production.

Entering its second week, the Africa Dialogue Series 2023 focuses on the role of the African middle class in transforming economies across the continent under the sub-theme “Growing Middle Class and Continental Import Substitution: Connecting the Dots to Unlock Made in Africa.” This middle class holds the key to unlocking the potential of increasing production in Africa, buoyed by the AfCFTA to usher in an era of transformation and growth fuelled by an increase in domestic demand and a shift towards import substitution.

The week is organized into several activities, including an international webinar with technical experts, an interaction with young people and the screening of video documentaries and interviews.

Two key events on the agenda

  1. Live-streamed via YouTube, the webinar takes place on 10 May at 3:00 p.m. Vienna time. It features the participation of the Zimbabwean Minister of Industry and Commerce, Her Excellency Ms. Sekai Nzenza, and the Commissioner for Common Market, Economic, Commerce, and Financial Affairs of the Economic Community of the Central African States (ECCAS), His Excellency Mr. François Kanimba. The UN Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina Mohammed, will set the stage, followed by remarks from Ms. Cristina Duarte, UN Special Adviser on Africa. Her Excellency Ambassador Fatima Kyari Mohammed, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the UN, will deliver the closing message. Senior officials from the AfCFTA Secretariat and UNIDO will also participate.
  2. On 11 May at 9:00 a.m. New York time, during a “Youth Voices” exchange on Twitter Spaces, young leaders and entrepreneurs from Africa, including Ms. Chido Mpemba, the African Union Youth Envoy, will contribute their ideas and share concrete recommendations from a youth perspective on policies that could unlock “Made in Africa,” leveraging the strength of Africa’s growing middle class.

Anchoring materials

Worth noting that, the week starts with the screening of documentary videos from UNIDO, highlighting UN initiatives to strengthen and diversify Africa’s economies.

An interview with Her Excellency Ambassador Josefa Sacko, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union Commission, will be featured on the second day. This interview is part of “Let’s Talk Africa,” a series of video conversations/interviews organized by the UN Special Adviser on Africa.

A new policy brief titled “Growing Middle Class and Continental Import Substitution: Connecting the Dots to Unlock Made in Africa” anchors the exchanges throughout the week, highlighting how African countries are on the verge of unprecedented economic growth and prosperity driven by their middle classes. Providing concrete recommendations, the policy brief argues that “Strengthening the distributional impact of the AfCFTA is indispensable for the continuous growth of Africa's middle class. This will provide support for achieving the transformational outcomes envisaged in the implementation of AfCFTA.”

Perspectives from the first week

During the first week, the Africa Dialogue Series 2023 focused on the sub-theme "Boosting Trade Facilitation and Rethinking the Foundations of Africa’s Export Diversification" with the AfCFTA Secretariat, the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) collaborating to bring key activities and materials to underpin the exchanges throughout the week.

From the perspectives of the organizing partners, the first week held the following key messages/recommendations:

Organizing Entities

The Africa Dialogue Series 2023 is organized by the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) and the African Union Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations (AUPOM) in partnership with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

Key Links:

Sub-theme

International Webinar

Youth

Voices

Growing Middle Class and Continental Import Substitution: Connecting the Dots to Unlock Made in Africa

Digital Service Trade: Great Potential but Regulatory Frameworks Are Urgent

Social Media:

Hashtags: #ADS2023, #AfricaDialogueSeries, #AfCFTA
UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa

African Union Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations

African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat

Common Fund for Commodities

UN Conference on Trade and Development

UN Economic Commission for Africa

UN Industrial Development Organization

Media Contacts

United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa