By Yemisi Suleiman

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), through its Sub regional Office for West Africa, recently announced her invitation to sector champions in various industries to be a part of Regional Business Forum structured around high-level meetings, consultations with Business Champions, the youth and women in the West African business ecosystems.

The 3-day Forum will be held in Lagos, from September 21st – 23rd, at The Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, using a hybrid format i.e. physical and virtual, due to COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Regional Business Forum will be held in collaboration with strategic partners from across the region and Continent, bringing together women and youth from across the 15 West African countries, business leaders, the private sector, and SMEs.

The forum is set to encompass various activities such as panel discussions, exhibitions, mentoring sessions, presentations and many more.

The West Africa Business Forum is the first edition in a series of stakeholders’ engagements by the Economic Commission for Africa with top business leaders, and sector champions in Africa.
The theme of the first ever forum is “Empowering Women and Youths to Spur Africa’s Transformation Agenda”.

The theme of the first ever forum is “Empowering Women and Youths to Spur Africa’s Transformation Agenda”.

With Africa being the youngest continent and a projection of Africans constituting a whooping quarter of the world’s labour force by 2050 due to high fertility and declining child mortality rates, it has become imperative to pivot the continent’s demographic dynamics for sustainable development.
Special guests of honour are Mrs Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed Nigeria’s honourable minister of finance and Dr Vera Songwe, Under Secretary General and ECA Executive Secretary.

The forum is an initiative of the sub regional Office for West Africa of ECA in partnership with Compass Global Business Services, working with a host of Coalition Partners, such as the International Trade Centre, International Labour Office, ECOWAS, Organization of Trade Unions of West Africa, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Neca’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women, Association of
Nigerian Women Business Network (ANWBN), WIMBIZ, Junior Chamber International- Nigeria, Cameroon, a host of Youth Organizations, and Women Networks across the Region.