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African Development Bank and West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management to convene “Economic Integration and Financial Deepening” seminar.

The African Development Institute of the African Development Bank and the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM) will host a seminar themed “Economic Integration and Financial Deepening” in Nigeria’s commercial hub Lagos, from 18th to 21stMarch 2019.

The seminar aims to broaden participants’ understanding of regional integration and financial deepening and its potential benefits for inclusive growth, job creation, poverty reduction and financial inclusiveness in Africa. Participants will also learn methods to manage and mitigate the social, cultural, economic and political challenges of cooperation and the role of Africa’s Regional Economic Communities.

The seminar will offer a wide range of topics drawing on theory, empirical data, and case studies from several regions of the world, covering topics such as  economic and monetary integration; trade; political economy; costs and benefits of the integration process; regional institutions and development banks; the role of the “informal sector” in regional integration  and convergence; infrastructure and Africa’s regional economic integration.

The seminar is targeting participants from regional and economic blocs, financial institutions such as the Macroeconomic and Financial Management Institute of Eastern and Southern Africa (MEFMI), the West Africa Monetary Institute, Accra, Ghana; the Intergovernmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) and NEXIM Bank, Abuja.

A joint African Development Bank – WAIFEM Communique is expected at the conclusion of the seminar, outlining proposals, lessons learned, and the way forward in the integration and financial deepening process for African countries. These recommendations will inform future interventions by the Bank, WAIFEM and other regional and multilateral stakeholders on the integration agenda.

The seminar and its proposed outcomes align with the Bank’s Integrate Africa High 5 priority. 

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