First Francophonie Economic Forum: Laying the groundwork for economic development with a Francophone Economic Union

Initiated by Senegalese President  S.E. Macky Sall and organised by APIX and Richard Attias & Associates, the first Francophonie Economic Forum will bring together over 1000 political and economic decision-makers from five continents at the Dakar International Conference Centre (DICC) in Senegal on the heels of the 15th Summit of Heads of State of the Francophonie.

The forum aims to promote trade and interconnections in territories in the Francophonie. It will bring together economic players in the Francophonie and, in turn, transform this linguistic solidarity into economic opportunities and joint development prospects.

The objective is to create a true common vision for the Francophonie by 2024, notably with the creation of an Economic Institute of the Francophonie.

The program of this first Francophonie Economic Forum will focus on two principal themes: how to activate the tremendous potential of the Francophone economic community, and how to put Africa at the centre of this emergence.

The subjects to be addressed by participants include:

•          Opening of borders between Francophone countries

•          Establishment of a legal framework to promote trade within the Francophonie

•          Deployment of concrete tools to support entrepreneurship and promote innovation, platforms for inclusive economic wealth creation

•          Development of Public-Private Partnerships in Francophone Africa to support infrastructure development

•          Implementation of investment programs in Senegal, the host country of this first Forum, and more broadly in Francophone territories

Some of the many political and economic leaders who have already answered the Senegalese authorities’ call to take part in discussions on a Francophone Economic Zone:

•          S.E. Macky Sall, President of Senegal

•          Alain Juppé, Mayor of Bordeaux and President of the Urban Community of Bordeaux; former Prime Minister of France

•          Jean-Jacques Bouya, Minister to the Presidency of the Republic in charge of Land Use Planning and of the General Delegation for Major Projects, Republic of the Congo

•          Thierry Breton, CEO, Atos and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Bull; former Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry, France

•          Brahim Benjelloun-Touimi, Board Member and Deputy Managing Director, BMCE Bank, Morocco

•          Amadou Ba, Minister of the Economy, Finance and Planning, Senegal

•          Joaquim Chissano, Former President of the Republic of Mozambique

•          Makhtar Diop, Vice President for the Africa Region, World Bank, United States

•          Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie, Canada

•          Stéphane Volant, Company Secretary, SNCF, France. (APO)