“Making the Fourth Industrial Revolution Work for Africa” to inform High Level Policy Frameworks

UNIDO is pleased to announce that the UNIDO Director General Mr. LI Yong will participate at the High-level ministerial policy dialogue of the 53rd Session of the Economic Commission for Africa and the Conference of African Ministers of the Finance, Planning and Economic Development to held from 17 to 23 March 2021 on the theme "Africa’s sustainable industrialization and diversification in the digital era in the context of COVID−19”. Planned on 22 March 2021, the high-level ministerial policy dialogue will gather Ministers, high-level representatives from international organizations, private sector and civil society to explore and share views on issues around the theme of the Conference.

In the context of the Conference, UNIDO is also pleased to host a side event webinar entitled “Making the Fourth Industrial Revolution Work for Africa”, in association with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The session will commence at 07:30 CET on Saturday, 20 March 2021 and will feature opening remarks from the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies of South Africa, followed by a fireside chat moderated by UNIDO Managing Director Bernardo Calzadilla-Sarmiento. The side event will complement ongoing UNIDO cooperation streams with UNECA concerning a digital mapping of innovation stakeholders and initiatives on the African continent, which in turn will inform the implementation of the African Union’s centerpiece digitalization strategy, The Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020-2030).

Panel discussion “Public Private Partnerships to Foster Digital Development of Industry and Trade in Southern Africa”, to be broadcast on Saturday, 20 March, 12:00-13:30 CET, will be attended by Bernardo Calzadilla Sarmiento and UNIDO’s Policy Research and Statistics Department will present findings from the Industrial Development Report 2020 on Sunday, 21 March 2021.

Register for the side events here.

*Please note that the session “Making the Fourth Industrial Revolution Work for Africa” will commence at 09:30 EAT/07:30 CET (and not 11:30 EAT as currently stated on the registration page).

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