The Ministerial sessions of the 52nd Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (COM2019) of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) closed, Tuesday, March 26th 2019 in Marrakech.
Held from March 20th to 26th under the theme "Fiscal Policy, Trade and the Private Sector in the Digital Era: A Strategy for Africa", the COM2019 was an opportunity for African Ministers and experts to review a number of topics, including improved budget management, especially revenue collection, adaptation with digitalisation, use of new technologies and tax policies to implement the Free Trade Area African continent (ZLECA) within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Africa Development Agenda, Agenda 2063, and the role of the private sector in the digital era.
During the closing of this event, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Mr. Mohamed Benchaaboun, welcomed the work of the committee of experts during the first three days of COM2019. He stressed that discussions were characterized by intensity and diversity, which enabled a rich Ministerial statement. "Morocco is willing to collaborate with ECA and all participating countries and share and exchange experiences on the areas of cooperation and development of common interest," he stated.
On the other hand, the ECA Executive Secretary, Mrs. Vera Songwe, who welcomed the quality of the speeches and discussions at the conference, stressed the major role of joint action for a fast-paced progress in order to achieve the expected results in a more significant way. We focused during all these discussions, she continued, "to raise the question of how the State could benefit from the digital era at a required pace,". She called for promoting African youth creativity and innovation to generate value-added in Africa.
During the second and last day of the Ministerial Sessions of COM2019, a press point was held by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, President of the Bureau of the Committee of Experts of the Conference, Mr. Zouhair Chorfi, and ECA Deputy Executive Secretary, Mrs. Giovanie Biha. This event was characterized by the review of the recommendations and the adoption of the resolutions and the ministerial statement in which the ministers provided their comments, findings, recommendations and commitments.