African Development Bank Annual Meetings 2008

The 2008 Annual Meeting Seminars (AMS) are crafted around the theme: “Fostering shared Growth: Urbanization, Inequalities and Poverty in Africa". They are set around the challenges posed by rapid growth of the urban population in Africa, and divided into four specific topics to be examined in more detail during the Seminars, and emphasize the importance of economic growth as a development strategy.

Growth can and should be shared by all people, whether rural or urban based. Urbanization should not be viewed as a threat but seen as providing an opportunity to foster economic growth and to achieve national development. The theme emphasizes the interdependence of and strong linkages between urban and rural areas as a key factor for development. Understanding these complex economic and social linkages and strengthening their positive impacts will help to “foster shared growth”.

The Seminars are organized into a Ministerial Round Table, which will be followed by High Level Seminars. The Ministerial Round Table is intended to articulate the prevailing urbanisation challenges and the prospects of turning these into opportunities for sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction in both urban and rural areas. The discussions at the Ministerial Round Table will be guided by a general Concept Note on ‘Fostering shared Growth: Urbanization, Inequalities and Poverty in Africa’, which will highlight and briefly introduce the key sub-themes. These High-Level Seminars are intended to delve further into each sub-themes each of which is informed by 4 concept notes on the following four sub-themes:

* High Level Seminar 1: Cities as growth poles: Implications for Rural Development.
* High Level Seminar 2: Financing Urban Development.
* High Level Seminar 3: Decentralization and Urban Governance.
* High Level Seminar 4: Upgrading Informal Settlements in African Cities.

The concept notes provide general guidance to the discussion, highlight key issues under each theme and conclude with critical questions for consideration by the panelists. They are deliberately intended to be brief exposés, which set the tone for the Seminar discussions, without limiting it to issues raised in the notes. The expectation is that the Seminar will benefit from the wealth of experience and lessons to be shared by participants, drawn largely from their work in dealing with these issues and challenges in their countries.

In addition to the Ministerial Round table and the High Level Seminars, a seminar on "Experiences in Rural Finance Development in China and Africa" will exchange experiences of rural finance reform and financial innovation between China and the African countries and discuss the role of finance in rural economic development. The seminar will hold on 12 May 2008 at the "Centro Internacional de Conferências Joaquim Chissano (CCJC)", from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm.

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