News
AFIDEP’s Executive Director, Dr Eliya Zulu, is in Bangkok, Thailand, for the Africa Voices @ World Bank/IMF Spring Annual Meeting. This high-level policy dialogue convening on the sidelines of the 2026 Annual Meetings brings together African policymakers, financial institutions, think tanks, business leaders, media and representatives of the African Union.
The event is co-convened by the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), the Nkafu Policy Institute, the Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP) and the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA).
High-Level Policy Dialogues
Session Title: Industrialisation, Value Chains and Job Creation – Positioning Africa and Asia in a Reconfigured Global Industrial Landscape
Date: Wednesday, 14 October 2026
Time: 09:50–10:55 AM
Venue: Bangkok, Thailand
The session will explore how Africa and Asia can leverage changing global value chains, industrial policies, and cross-regional partnerships to promote industrial transformation, strengthen productive capacities, and create quality jobs at scale.
Session Title: Africa Transforming Africa: From Ambition to Action
Date: Wednesday, 14 October 2026
Time: 15:15–16:20 PM
Venue: Bangkok, Thailand
The dialogue asks a central question: what will it really take for Africa to drive and finance its own transformation? AFIDEP’s participation brings an African evidence-to-policy perspective to this conversation.
Session : High-Level Breakfast Conversation
Topic: Financing Development in a Changing Global Economy
Date: Thursday, 15 October 2026
Time: 07:00–09:30 AM
Venue: Bangkok, Thailand
This conversation brings together a select group of senior policy actors, development partners, private sector leaders and researchers. They will examine how shifts in the global economic and financial landscape are reshaping development financing options for emerging and developing economies, with particular attention to Africa.
Why this matters for AFIDEP
For AFIDEP, the dialogue is a chance to bring our voice to the conversation and make the case that Africa’s transformation must be grounded in African evidence. Strong economic plans depend on connecting governments, regional bodies and financial institutions with the organisations producing research and policy solutions. This is central to AFIDEP’s mandate of bridging the gaps between research, policy and practice.
Africa @ the 2026 Spring Meetings is a high-level gathering held in Washington, D.C., on the sidelines of the Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It brings together African policymakers, economists, business leaders, researchers and development partners for strategic dialogue on the continent’s most pressing economic challenges and its significant potential for growth and transformation.