2020 GPAD Forum Report
Many thanks to everyone who participated during the 2020 GPAD Forum in last November.
Please click below to read the full communique issued at the end of the event.
Picture Gallery
Here are highlights from the just concluded 2020 Global Partnership for African Development Forum
About The Event
G-PAD 2020: Why it is important
Africa has the world’s largest population of young people. By 2030, 20% of the global labour force and approximately 33% of the global youth labour force, are projected to come from Africa. Whereas about 12 million young Africans enter the labour market every year, only 3 million jobs are created in the formal sector. The informal sector provides 85.8% of the total African employment, which absorbs 95% of the youth. The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a hard blow on the African economy as it has done in other parts of the world. Reports show that this trend is set to worsen as in the first months of the crisis, the income of workers in Africa's informal sector dropped by 81%.
These numbers are bound to worsen as the effects of the pandemic soar. Lead Africa International is concerned that as these effects exacerbate, youth unemployment will increase and social unrests will manifest. This has been witnessed in the demand for decent employment by youth during the Arab Spring that dominated North Africa between 2010 and 2012. The Regional Risks for Doing Business 2019 report has also identified “unemployment or underemployment” as the top risk in Africa.
It is against this backdrop that Lead Africa International has organised its 2020 Global Partnership for African Development (G-PAD) forum with a principal focus on establishing and reinvigorating multilateral cooperation with Africa for growth and development. Particularly, this year’s G-PAD will build on the progress made at the 2019 G-PAD conference to foster synergy between Germany’s and the European Union (EU)’s partnership with Africa around investments aimed at job creatin on the continent.
Building on prior progress: Africa-EU-Germany
In recent years, Germany and the EU, have demonstrated commitment to deepening their relationship with Africa for economic growth. Through the harmonised Africa Policy adopted by Germany in 2019 and the new Africa-Europe proposal announced in March 2020 by the European Commission, a promising collaboration was burgeoning only to be curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has caused the EU and most of its Member States including Germany, to shift their priorities to domestic affairs. However, the pandemic will not last forever, but sustainable partnerships will, as they are a gateway to resolving a plethora of challenges on the two continents including, the European migration ‘crisis’, unemployment in Africa and the spill-over effects it has on both continents.
In July 2020, Germany took over the six-month presidency of the Council of the EU, committing to its strategy to encourage partnership between the EU and Africa, and to further its cooperation with African enterprises to establish African markets which will lead to job creation. Through the 2020 G-PAD conference, Lead Africa International aims to bring together stakeholders, from Africa, Germany and the EU at large to develop a comprehensive approach to policy and multilateral collaboration that will be of mutual benefit to all in accordance to its thematic core this year: Strengthening Ties and Building Bridges For Recovery And Growth.
Target participants:
- African entrepreneurs and business leaders
- African government officials and diplomats
- African development policy experts
- German and European government officials and diplomats
- German and European development policy experts
- Representative of African and European civil society organisations
- Representative of the African Diaspora community
- Academia, young professionals and students, as well as other interested individuals from around the world
Where
Online via ZOOM
When
Friday & Saturday
27 & 28 November
Event Speakers
Here are some of our speakers
Khaled Sherif
Vice-President, African Development Bank
Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba
Botswana’s Second Ambassador, Federal Republic of Germany
Albert Mudenda Muchanga
African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry
Philipp Keil
Managing Director, Baden-Württemberg Development Cooperation Foundation (SEZ)
Chioma Nwafor
Senior Financial Analyst and Economics, GCU UK
Marco Kpeglo LeRoc
Founder/Executive Director, Leadership Africa Summit.
Anita Omercevic-Gültekin
Project Manager, Forum der Kulturen Stuttgart e. V.
Timothy Birabi
Corporate Strategy Consultant, London, UK
Geert Laporte
Director of the European Think Tanks Group (ETTG)
Atsufumi Yokoi
VP for Global Engagement Strategy of Okayama University (Japan)
Frank Schittenhelm
Professor of Financial Mgt at NGU
Timi Olanrewaju
Founder/Executive Director, Lead Africa Int'l.
Event Schedule
Here is our event schedule
Strengthening Ties and Building Bridges for Recovery and Growth.
Focus on Recovery
Introduction
Faith Miyandazi,- Head of Communications, European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF).
Laura S. Kauer García, Human Right Researcher and MA candidate at the School of Advanced Studies (SAS), University of London
Opening Performances - African Vibes.
Welcome Address & Opening Remarks
Timi Olanrewaju,- Executive Director, Lead Africa International e.V.
Mr. Christoph Grammer,- Head of the Development Cooperation Center, State Ministry Baden-Württemberg
Mr. Philipp Keil, - Executive Director, SEZ - Foundation for Development Cooperation, Baden-Württemberg
Keynote Address I
VP Khaled Sheriff, - Vice President, Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, Africa Development Bank
Keynote Address II
Amb. Albert Mudenda Muchanga, - African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry
Discussants
Dr. Knox Chitiyo,- Associate Fellow, Africa Programme, Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London UK
Prof. John Struthers,- Director Centre for African Research on Enterprise and Economic Development (CAREED) School of Business and Enterprise University of West of Scotland
Moderator
Faith Miyandazi,- Head of Communications, European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF).
Q&A Session
Topic 1: Covid-19: How Digitization and Technology Disruption Will Help Economic Recovery in The Global South
Mr. Sunil Geness,- Director Global Government Affairs & CSR, Global Sustainability Lead: Africa, SAP Africa
Engr. Ifeanyi F. Ogochuckwu, - Chief Technology Strategist, Debbie Mishael Group, Board member EC- Council Global Advisory Board for CND: Digitization and Development: The African Perspective
Topic 2: Leadership Strategies towards Recovery: Africa in Focus
Mr. Marco Kpeglo LeRoc, - Creator/Director, Leadership Africa Summit, Nebraska, USA
Moderator
Laura S. Kauer García, - Human Right Researcher and MA candidate at the School of Advanced Studies (SAS), University of London
Q&A Session
Lead Academy Research Work: Presentation 1 and Discussion
Moderator
Mr. Anthony Obute, - PhD Candidate, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
Wrap Up
Focus on Growth
Introduction
Laura S. Kauer García, Human Right Researcher and MA candidate at the School of Advanced Studies (SAS), University of London
Opening Performances - African Vibes.
Keynote Address I
Her Excellency Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba, - Ambassador of the Republic of Botswana to German
Keynote Address II
Mr. Geert Laporte, - Deputy Director for European Center for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) and Director European Think Tank Group (ETTG)
Q&A Session
Topic 1: Migration & Development Policy (CaseStudy Forum der Kulturen Stuttgart e.V.)
Ms. Anita Omercevic, - Projektreferentin Migration und Entwicklungspolitik
Topic 2: The Friedrich Naumann Foundation
Inge Herbert, - Regional Director Sub-Saharan Africa, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom
Topic 3: Responsibility beyond Recovery
Dr. Timothy Birabi,- PhD in Economics from the University of Glasgow and is presently a Corporate Strategy Consultant in London, UK
Dr. Chioma Nwafor, - Department of Finance, Accounting and Risk, Glasgow Caledonia University, Scotland, UK
Moderator
Laura S. Kauer García, - Human Right Researcher and MA candidate at the School of Advanced Studies (SAS), University of London
Q&A Session
Topic 1: Global Engagement Strategy towards Growth: Africa In Focus
Prof. Atsufumi Yokoi, - Vice President, Okayama University, Tokyo Japan, and UNESCO Chairholder
Prof. Dr. Andreas Schittenhelm, - International Finance Management, College of Business and Environment
Topic 2: The Africa We Want: Diaspora’s Role in Growth
Mr. Marco Kpeglo LeRoc, - Creator/Director, Leadership Africa Summit, Nebraska, USA
Dr. Knox Chitiyo, - Associate Fellow, Africa Programme, Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London
Moderator
Laura S. Kauer García, - Human Right Researcher and MA candidate at the School of Advanced Studies (SAS), University of London
Q&A Session
Lead Academy Research Work: Presentation 2 and Discussion
Moderator
Mr. Anthony Obute, - PhD Candidate, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
Closing Keynote
Timi Olanrewaju, - Executive Director, Lead Africa International e.V
Gallery
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GPAD2020 Registration
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