Mo Ibrahim Foundation High-Level Annual Governance weekend takes off in Ethiopia

By Peterking Quaye – Held annually since 2010, the Ibrahim Forum aims to tackle specific issues that are of critical importance to Africa, and requires both committed leadership and governance. This year’s edition as usual will bring together a diverse range of high-level African stakeholders, as well as selected non-African partners. The forum is an open and frank discussion and this year’s event will start from the 8th-10th November 2013.

As Africa celebrates the 50th Anniversary of African unity this year, the focus of the 2013 Ibrahim Forum is on the major opportunities and challenges the continent faces over the next 50 years. Keynote addresses will be delivered by Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Ethiopia (Host country and Chairperson, African Union) Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (Chairperson, African Union Commission) The Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s 2013 governance weekend in Addis Ababa will focus around the Ibrahim Forum, entitled An African Conversation: Africa Ahead—The Next 50 Years, on Sunday 10th November. The Forum will be chaired by Komla Dumor, Presenter of BBC’s Focus on Africa.

The Forum will bring together a broad selection of eminent figures at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa to debate the major opportunities and challenges the continent faces over the next 50 years. To facilitate the debate, the panels will be organized around the four categories of the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) – Safety & Rule of Law, Participation & Human Rights, Sustainable Economic Opportunity and Human Development.

Mo Ibrahim

Mo Ibrahim

Ethiopia’s Prime Minster Hailemariam Desalegn will deliver a keynote address at the Forum’s Opening Session.The weekend’s events will also include a friendly football match, top musical performances and the 2013 Ibrahim Annual Leadership Ceremony.

Forum panelists will include:

David Adjaye, Founder and Principle, David Adjaye Associates

Amadou Mahtar Ba, Chief Executive Officer, African Media Initiative

Gunilla Carlsson, Former Minister for International Development Cooperation and Member of the UN High Level Panel on Post MDGs

Aliko Dangote, Founder, President and CEO, Dangote Group

Bineta Diop, Executive Director, Femmes Africa Solidarité

Jendayi Frazer, Distinguished Service Professor, Center for International Politics and Innovation, Carnegie Mellon University

Cheik Tidiane Gadio, President, Institut Panafricain de Stratégies

Donald Kaberuka, President, African Development Bank

Elsie Kanza, Director, Head of Africa, World Economic Forum

Moïse Katumbi, Governor of Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of Congo

Daniel Kaufmann, President, Revenue Watch Institute

Pascal Lamy, Former Director General, World Trade Organisation

Frannie Léautier, Executive Secretary, African Capacity Building Foundation

Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

Trevor Manuel, Minister in the Presidency: National Planning Commission, South Africa

Patrice Motsepe, Founder and Executive Chairman, African Rainbow Minerals Limited

Sipho Moyo, Africa Director, ONE

Jay Naidoo, Chairperson, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Coordinating Minister for the Economy/Minister of Finance, Nigeria

Robtel Pailey, Mo Ibrahim Foundation SOAS Scholar

Jean Ping, Former Chairperson, African Union Commission

Maria Ramos, Chief Executive, Absa Group and Barclays Africa

Mary Robinson, UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa

Salim Ahmed Salim, Former Secretary-General, Organisation of African Unity

Lamido Sanusi, Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria

Vera Songwe, Country Director, Senegal, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Mauritania, World Bank

Tidjane Thiam, Group Chief Executive, Prudential

Mamadou Toure, Founder, Africa 2.0

Lai Yahaya, Yale World Fellow

Shout-Africa.com is following the event and will bring you all the detail of the weekend event from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.