TICAD8 Official Side Event: African Development Bank to host policy dialogue on sustainable debt management

What: High-Level Policy Dialogue on Sustainable Debt Management in Africa

Who: Senior government officials, creditors, economists and debt experts from international financial institutions and multilateral development banks,

When: Tuesday, 23 August 2022, 08:00-11:30 (Abidjan), 09:00-12:30 (Tunis) 17:00-20:30 (Tokyo)

Where: Virtual

The African Development Bank will host a virtual policy dialogue on sustainable debt management in Africa, on Tuesday 23 August 2022. This will be a side event to the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 8).

The lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, compounded by the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, have caused disruptions in global economic activity and trade. Africa has not been spared. The continent faces a difficult balancing act: shielding vulnerable people and economic sectors from the impact of the war, on the one hand, and containing debt vulnerabilities, on the other.

Sovereign debt remains a threat to Africa’s economic recovery, despite recent debt-relief initiatives and interventions, including from the African Development Bank, IMF and the World Bank. Although Africa’s debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to have stabilized in 2021 and 2022 due to growth recovery and debt-relief measures, it will remain above pre-pandemic levels.

This policy dialogue event will unpack current and future debt architecture, including how to better capitalize on international initiatives such as the G20 Common Framework for debt treatment beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI).

To register, please click here.

High Level Policy Dialogue on Sustainable Debt Management in Africa PROGRAM
Opening Session
09:00-09:10 (GMT +1, Tunis Time)	Welcoming and Introductions *Moderator:* Solomon MUGERA, Director of Communications, African Development Bank
09:10-09:30	Opening Statements Video message- Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Video message- Mr. Masato Kanda, Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs, Ministry of Finance of Japan,
09:30-09:50	Keynote Speeches Professor Kevin Urama, Acting Chief Economist/ Vice President, African Development Bank Mr. Guillaume Chabert, Deputy Director: Strategy, Policy, and Review (SPR) Department, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Panel Session 1: The imperatives of reducing debt vulnerabilities, and sharing of experiences around the G20 Common Framework
09:50-10:50	*Moderator: Victoria CHISALA, Acting Director, Strategy and Operational Policies Department, African Development Bank* Panelists: Mr. Tahir Hamid Nguilin, Minister of Finance, Chad Mr. Mukuli Chikuba, Acting Secretary to the Treasury, Ministry of Finance, Zambia Dr. Brook Taye, Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Finance, Ethiopia Mr. William ROOS, Co-Chairman of the Paris Club, Assistant Secretary for Multilateral, Development and Trade Affairs, the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty Professor Kevin Urama, Acting Chief Economist/ Vice President, African Development Bank Mr. Guillaume Chabert, Deputy Director: Strategy, Policy, and Review (SPR) Department, International Monetary Fund
10:50-11:00	Break
Panel Session 2: Ensuring an effective approach to improving debt sustainability- looking to the future of Africa’s debt
11:00-12:00	*Moderator: Desire VENCATACHELLUM, Director of Resource Mobilization and Partnerships, AfDB* Panelists: Mr. Rigobert Roger Andely, Minister of Finance Budget and Public Portfolio, Republic of Congo Mr. Babacar CISSE, Director of Public Debt, Ministry of Finance, Senegal Mr. Toby Iles, Head of Middle East and Africa Sovereign Ratings, Fitch Ratings Mr. Edward Marlow, Managing Director, Deutsche Bank Mr. Jason Braganza, Executive Director of AFRODAD Mr. Gregory Smith, Fund Manager and Author of book “Where Credit is Due.”
12:00-12:15	Closing remarks: Mr. Takaaki Nomoto, Executive Director of the African Development Bank