Anticipation builds as African Conference on Debt and Development kicks off in Dakar
The conference will officially kick off at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday with a keynote address by Ebrima Sall, the Executive Director of Trust Africa.
Dakar, Senegal- Anticipation is building in Dakar, Senegal, as the 3rd Edition of the African Conference on Debt and Development (AfCoDD) gets underway on Wednesday, writes Winston Mwale.
The conference, which is being hosted by the Government of Senegal and the African Forum on Debt and Development (AFRODAD), will bring together delegates from across Africa and beyond to discuss the critical issues facing the continent, including the debt crisis, the need for sustainable development, and the role of civil society in promoting change.
In an interview with the AfricaBrief, Martha T. Kwataine, the Presidential Advisor on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Malawi, emphasized the important role played by non-state actors in the country's development.
"Non-state actors are partners in development, even where their role is primarily checks and balances," Kwataine said.
"My expectation is to see NGO leaders proposing solutions and recommendations that are sound, real, practical, with a human face, both to African governments as well as the creditors. It is not a time for the blame game nor pointing fingers at each other but finding solutions for our nations and our people."
The conference will officially kick off at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday with a keynote address by Ebrima Sall, the Executive Director of Trust Africa.
The opening session will also feature remarks from Daouda Sembene, the Executive Director of AfriCatalyst, and Barbara Khalima-Phiri, the Board Chair of AFRODAD.
The afternoon session will focus on the "4Rs of Africa as a Rule Maker" and their importance in achieving Agenda 2063.
Panelists will discuss the profound impact these principles could have on Africa's foreign policy and global standing.
"Many countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, are grappling with the burden of debt, and Malawi is no exception," said Andrew Kumbatira, Board Member of Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN).
"My expectation from this conference is to see if there are any other alternative and innovative ways of financing development without contracting more debt. How can we craft national policies that can assist countries to deal with the burden of debt, which is hindering development, especially in low-income countries such as Malawi?"
The 3rd Edition of the African Conference on Debt and Development is a critical opportunity for stakeholders from across the continent to come together and discuss how to address the debt crisis and promote sustainable development.
"I consider the platform as a solid learning and experience-sharing opportunity that can support my policy and advocacy work around public debt programming in Oxfam Southern Africa and beyond," says Mac Pherson Mdalla, Program and Policy Manager – Just Economies, Oxfam in Southern Africa.
"Building on the takeaways from the 2nd edition of the African Conference on Debt and Development, I will be interested to learn how the movement and momentum of responsive debt management have fared and how as CSOs we have taken up the challenge to ensure the liberation of our debt-ridden countries and fairness in dealing with the vice by creditors."
Dr. Gorden Moyo, the Director of the Public Policy and Research Institute of Zimbabwe (PPRIZ), is excited about the conference.
"I am looking forward to the meeting of the minds that will go beyond the diagnosis of the debt crisis and provide, instead, the prognosis with practical remedies to this pandemic in global Africa," said Dr. Moyo.
The stage is set for a productive and transformative event.