KAMPALA, May 24, 2026 — The African Development Bank [AfDB] has announced it will convene the inaugural Integrate Africa Forum during its 2026 Annual Meetings in Congo Brazzaville, in a high-profile push to accelerate continental trade and industrial transformation under the theme “Made in Africa, Trade in Africa.”
The one-day forum will be held this Thursday in the Republic of the Congo, bringing together policymakers, financiers, and development leaders to strengthen alignment between the African Continental Free Trade Area [AfCFTA] agenda, regional value chain development, and institutional coordination across a rapidly shifting global economic landscape.
Organisers say the initiative is intended to move African economies beyond market liberalisation toward production-led integration.
The forum will focus on how trade can be leveraged not only to open borders but to deepen industrial capacity, strengthen supply chains, and expand intra-African manufacturing.
It will also highlight financing mechanisms and cooperation models designed to support AfCFTA’s long-term industrial ambitions, including improved regional markets, shared infrastructure, and more integrated financial systems.
Officials say the gathering is intended to reinforce the African Union’s Agenda 2063 vision of a more integrated and self-sustaining continent, with trade serving as a central driver of competitiveness and resilience in global markets.
The forum will feature a series of high-level engagements, including a keynote address by aFdb President Dr. Sidi Ould Tah titled “From Market Integration to Industrial Transformation: Mobilizing Capital for Africa’s Production Future.”
A high-level plenary session on Africa’s position in a multipolar world will bring together senior figures including Francisca Tatchouop Belobe, Clever Gatete, Elias Magosi, Ousmane Diagana, and Abdul Kamara.
Additional sessions will include a fireside chat with business leader Ibukun Awosika, a HERAfCFTA deep-dive spotlighting women entrepreneurs from Chad, Egypt, Kenya, UNDP, and the Republic of the Congo, and a financing panel featuring representatives from major development finance institutions including TDB, DBSA, ATIDI, the World Bank, and AfDB.
The agenda also includes an announcement supporting the New African Financial Architecture for Development [NAFAD] by Mohamed Kader, alongside a multi-stakeholder roundtable on trade corridors involving COMESA, Africa50, the Republic of the Congo, and AfDB leadership.
A TED-style presentation by Professor John Woods of Howard Law School will explore the theme “Made in Africa to the World,” while the forum will also mark the launch of the second edition of Integrate Africa Magazine, focused on trade and industrialization.
The event will close with remarks from Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, who will outline the Bank’s strategic direction under the theme “Mobilising Africa’s Production Future.”
AfDB officials describe the forum as a cornerstone initiative aimed at translating Africa’s trade integration ambitions into tangible industrial outcomes, positioning the continent to compete more effectively in the global economy.
https://thecooperator.news/afdb-commits-us-80mln-to-drcs-first-census-in-over-40-years/
Buy your copy of theCooperator magazine from one of our countrywide vending points or an e-copy on emag.thecooperator.news
