This webinar is being held within the framework of the International Trade Center (ITC) project on Investment Facilitation for Development, in cooperation with members of the African Group at the World Trade Organization, UN Trade and Development and World Economic Forum.
Participation
The webinar is open to the public and is intended for:
- Policymakers responsible for the AfCFTA Protocol on Investment.
- Policymakers responsible for the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement.
- Representatives of African investment promotion agencies.
- Government officials.
It should also be of interest to policy makers elsewhere in the world.
Registration
Participation in the webinar is free of charge but online registration is mandatory.
Background
In the past decade, investment facilitation has emerged as a crucial approach for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), as it plays an important role in driving economic growth, technological advancement, job creation, and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in developing and least developed countries. This has led to significant developments at both regional and global levels:
- At the regional level, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Protocol on Investment was adopted on 19 February 2023. This Investment Protocol includes a comprehensive chapter on investment promotion and facilitation, aiming to create a more attractive investment climate across AfCFTA State Parties.
- At the global level, negotiations of the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement were finalized on 25 February 2024 at the eve of the 13th WTO Ministerial Meeting. This Agreement, in which over 126 WTO Members participated (of which 90 are developing countries, including 31 African countries[1]), seeks to help countries improve their investment climate and facilitate FDI flows, particularly to developing and least developed countries, with the overarching goal of fostering sustainable development.
Both agreements provide, for example, for the streamlining of investment administrative procedures, the establishment of focal points for investors, the strengthening of linkages between investors and domestic suppliers and the promotion of responsible business conduct and sustainable development.
Technical assistance support channeled through international agreements should be of special interest to countries in Africa and elsewhere, to help them implement their international commitments on investment facilitation.
Needs assessments on investment facilitation measures have already begun, supported by donor countries and aimed at identifying the technical assistance required to improve the investment climate in host countries, with a view towards helping countries attract more FDI to advance sustainable development. These assessments are of immediate relevance for African countries.
The key objective of the webinar is to discuss how to maximize the contribution of investment facilitation provisions in international agreements to the benefit of African countries.
Specifically, the webinar will inform about, and discuss, the key provisions and coverage of the two agreements. Special attention will be given to provisions that are meant to improve the investment climate, an objective shared by both agreements. The webinar will also highlight how technical assistance and capacity building support can be leveraged to assist African (and other) countries in improving their investment environments.
The webinar will be conducted in English and French, in an interactive manner, and allow for questions by participants.
[1] Currently, the following members of the African Union are participating: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
