INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE EMERGENCE OFAFRICA: THE HEAD OF STATECHAIRS A HIGH LEVEL PANELWITH HIS COUNTERPART MACKY SALL

“The Developmentalist StateandEmergence”was the main theme of the first Plenary Session at the opening of theInternational Conferenceonthe EmergenceofAfrica, on 18 March, at Sofitel Abidjan Hotel Ivoire. Defining the Developmentalist State, the moderator of the panel, Mamadou Lamine LOUM, formerPrime MinisterofSenegal, said that“It is a State characterized by a commitment to reduce poverty, the establishment of a peaceful and stable environment, of political security, the creation of a State grounded on the rule of law, which mobilizes all the resources, a State where there isgood governance,and a State that creates wealth”.

On this panel chaired by Thabo MBEKI,the former President of South Africa, Ethiopia, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shared their experiences in terms of progress achieved.

As a country shaken by a cycle ofarmed conflicts until 1995, Ethiopiahas endeavored to establish stability, invest in skillsin the long term, reduce poverty by up to 10.3%, enter a phase of growth of 5.5% from 1995 to 2010 and aim for two-digit growth in 2015. According to thepanelist, Dr. Abraham TEKESTE, Ethiopian Minister of Finance andEconomic Development, his countrycapitalizes on an annual income of 120 dollars per capita.

Ethiopiawent from having one public university to a total of 33 public and private universities currently and now has a primary school enrolment rate of85%, with the life expectancy of its population at 60 years of age today as against 40 a few years ago.

As for the experience of Togo, Mr. Semondji Djossou MAWASSI, Minister of Planning, DevelopmentandLand Use, noted that his country carried outa comprehensive reform program, especially the organizational audit of the administration, the capacity buildingof itshuman resourcesand investments in Education and Health. Togo went from an average growth rate of -5% since 2006 to 1.2%.

For his part, Patrick ACHI,the MinisterofEconomic Infrastructures of Côte d’Ivoire,said that the progress of his country was the result of reforms implemented in the sectors of Agriculture, Services, Airports, Portsand Roads infrastructures Education, in the establishment of good governanceand in the confidence of donors.He indicated that Côte d’Ivoire has gone from a growth rate of -4.7?fore 2011 to 8% in 2014, and expects a double-digit growth rate in 2015.

On behalf of the OECD, Mr. Jan RIELÄNDER, Head of the Multidimensional Evaluation Unit of the OECD countries, insisted on the development of sectorial policies, a crucial question to be dealt with as a priority in the international value chains, and work on taxes, in order to generate important bases of revenues. Because, he added, emergence must rely on all sectors, for its outcomes to be felt at the social level.