2019 Africa CEO Forum opens in Kigali, Efforts to integrate Africa into a single market

The much-awaited 2019 Africa CEO Forum kicks off on Monday, March 25 in Rwanda's capital city, Kigali. More than 1,500 delegates from across Africa and beyond are currently present in Kigali for the continental private sector meeting.

The 2019 Africa CEO Forum, which will run for two days (March 25 and 26), has decided to unite its 1500 participants around a transformation agenda. Several important issues will be discussed in this Forum – What priorities should be identified to boost the level of intra-African trade and investment, what must a united Africa do to better protect its interests and industries, How the creation of a pan-African financial services industry is possible, how the mobilization of private sector around cross-border infrastructure and logistical projects possible, etc.

Africa CEO Forum this time has attracted business leaders, investors, shareholders including heads of states and ministers to discuss the major topics and address additional key challenges for Africa's private sector.

This year marks the seventh edition of this continental forum. It will focus on the Continental Free Trade Area that is believed to integrate Africa into a single market. "We are here to ensure that the CFTA becomes a reality," President of Africa CEO Forum, Amir Ben Yahmed said in the opening speech, as reported by CTGN.

The Forum has marked the presences of Democratic Republic of the Congo's President, Felix Tshisekedi; President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé; President of Ethiopia, Sahle-work Zewde, Prime Minister of Ivory Coast, Amadou Gon Coulibaly to name a few including Rwanda's President, Paul Kagame.

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