West Africa Economists meeting in Liberia on sustainable development
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
As West Africa Economic experts meet in Liberia, Deputy Finance Minister for Budget, Madam Tenneh Brunson is encouraging economists in the region to rethink and develop actionable and transformative steps aimed at reducing and other forms of backwardness in the region.
The Liberian Deputy Finance Minister was speaking at the start of a two-day meeting of economic experts from West Africa at a local hotel in Margibi County, outside the Liberian capital, Monrovia on Monday, May 6, 2019.
The purpose of the meeting is to inform and direct measures for the re-information of the evaluation capacities of public policies in West Africa.
The meeting, which ends today (Tuesday) is organized by the UN Economic Commission for Africa is aimed at discussing sustainable development and the Africa We Want Agenda 2063.
Deputy Finance Minister Brunson said economists in the West African region must be reminded that posterity, the generation yet unborn will hold presence ones responsible for decisions they make here today.
She admonished them to take actions that will bring in a paradigms shift in their development styles, a development that will benefit this generation and not compromise the survivability of the generation yet unborn.
“We have gather here to discuss recent developments likely to impact economic and social development in West African countries with the view of identifying and addressing the challenges in order to prepare the guidelines for accelerating sustainable development goal through the transformation opf the economies of the sub region,” the Liberian Deputy Finance Minister Brunson said.
For his part, the Director of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in West Africa, Mr. Bakary Dosso said West African countries need to make major reforms to their Macroeconomics and tackle infrastructure deficits in order improve the business climate to meet the challenges.
Mr. Dosso pointed out that the success in the region lies in the ability of the national leadership to execute on time to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the different agendas.
“The 2063 continental agenda, in addition to these global aspirations reflected in the sustainable development goal , is a call for action to implement the road map for an integrated , prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force on the international scene,” Mr. Dosso said
The meeting is being held under the theme: ”National Capacities and Mechanisms for Assessing Progress in the Implementation of the 2030 and 2063 agendas; State of play, Challenges and Prospects in West Africa.”
It is bringing together economists and representatives from all member-states of ECOWAS, the Mano River Union, the African Development Bank, the African Union and international nongovernmental organizations.
ECOWAS comprises 15 West African countries.