ASCIR at the AUDA-NEPAD Africa Policy Bridge Tank Inception Conference on Africa’s Futures
The Afro-Sino Centre of International Relations (ASCIR) sent a six-member delegation to AUDA-NEPAD’s Africa Policy Bridge Tank 2024 Inception Conference which took place at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The 3-day conference convened leading African think tanks to engage stakeholders on Africa’s development trajectory and potential, the second 10-year implementation plan of Agenda 2063, and to foster collaboration to align knowledge production with policy implementation on the continent.
ASCIR’s delegation led a workshop on ‘Digital Education/Transformation: Shaping Africa’s Post-Covid Economic Futures.’ The workshop explored an integrated framework on multilayered digital education/transformation in Africa, designed by the Centre to contribute to shaping Africa’s post-pandemic economic futures. The workshop focused on the complex interconnections between Africa’s digital environment, digital education/capacity of Africa’s youth, and the continent’s digital economic transformation especially in Africa’s post-Covid economic recovery efforts.
Key takeaways from the workshop are the invaluable role of technology in enhancing cross-border payment systems like the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPPS) in relation to the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) for Africa’s economic development, the need for ethics in digital skills development, and support for evidence-based research to inform policy in Africa.
ASCIR is grateful for the opportunity and platform to host and share insights and actionable points from our proposal to support and advance the digital transformation of the continent. It was also a privilege to learn from and interact with other esteemed research institutions and think tanks as well as partners and stakeholders. The Centre remains committed to championing the Africa we Want as outlined in the AU Agenda 2063 for the socio-economic transformation of the continent.