Theme: African Competitiveness

 

Day 1: Understanding Foundations & Imperatives

 

08:00   Registration with Tea/Coffee

 

10:00   Opening Session

Welcome by Mr. Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister, Ethiopia (tbc)

Mrs. Elisabeth Tankeu, Commissioner Trade and Industry, African Union

Mr. Tomas Kjellqvist, Head of Division, Sida/SAREC

Mr. Juan Manual Esteban, President of The Competitiveness Institute

 

10:30  The Importance of Competitiveness to Africa

Prof. Burton Mwamila, Interim Chairman PACF Steering Committee

 

11:00  Africa in the Global Economy

Ms. Jeeva Perumalpillai-Essex, World Bank, Ethiopia

Dr. Aurelia Calabro, UNIDO Regional Office Representative, Ethiopia

Dr. Bob Breault, President, Breault Research Organization, USA

 

11:50  Questions & Answers

                

12:15  Lunch

 

13:15  African Innovation & Competitiveness

Mr. Tomas Kjellqvist, Head of Division, Sida/SAREC

- on enabling competitiveness and job creation

Mr. Mike Klesh, USAID Ethiopia, African Global Competitiveness Initiative (tbc)

- on promoting development through trade competitiveness

 

14:00  Experiences and Lessons Learned from Successful Cluster Initiatives in Africa

- Innovation Systems and Cluster Programme for Eastern Africa, by Prof. Burton Mwamila

- Towards Leather Together, by Mr. Teshome Kebede

- Western Cape Cluster Programme, by Mr. Nigel Gwynne-Evans

- Summarizing Experiences, Lessons and Achivements, by Mr. Thomas Winther

 

15:00  Health Break

 

15:15  Nuts and Bolts of Facilitating Cluster Based Competitiveness Initiatives: Parallel Sessions

- Country examples from Central Africa

- Country examples from East Africa

- Country examples from North Africa

- Country examples from Southern Africa

- Country examples from West Africa

 

16:30  What could be done on a Pan African Level to Support Local Initiatives?: Panel Session

Mr. Ifor Ffowcs-Williams, CEO Cluster Navigators, Ltd

- Introduction: the practicalities of cluster based competitiveness initiatives

Mr. David Fischer, Deputy Project Manager,

- Knowledge Sharing & Analysis - African Global Competitiveness Initiative (KSA-AGCI)

Dr. Kevin Chika Urama, Director ATPS

- African Technology Policy Studies Network

 

Some discussion points:

- Knowledge provision to local and regional competitiveness initiatives

- Learning networking skills

- Collaboration on competitiveness research and analysis

- Training activities 

- Web-based knowledge services

- The role of PACF

 

17:45  European-African collaboration to support cluster development

Senator Pierre Laffitte, President of Foundation Sophia Antipolis, France

 

18:15  Wrap up of Day 1

 

18:30  End of Day 1

 

19:30  Dinner at “Hebir Ethiopia Cultural Restaurant”

 

Day 2: Targeting & Shaping the Agenda

 

09:00  Report on Day 1 – Understanding Foundations & Imperatives

  

09:15  Rwanda’s New Competitiveness Agenda

Honorable Mr. Karega Vincent, Ministry of State in charge of Industry and Investment Promotion

 

09:45  Generating the Key Targets 3 Years Ahead: First Round of Workshop Sessions

- Brainstorm the individual three year targets

- Prioritize the most important targets

 

11:00  First Reporting & Reflecting Panel Session

- Short reports from the Workshop Sessions

- Reflections to the reports

- Questions & Answers

 

11:30  Health Break

 

12:00  Discovering the Key Challenges: Second Round of Workshop Sessions

- Select the most important three year targets

- Assign the most important three year challenge per target

 

13:30  Lunch

 

15:00  Second Reporting & Reflecting Panel Session

- Short reports from the Workshop Sessions

- Reflections to the reports

- Questions & Answers

 

15:30  Other on-going competitiveness initiatives: Panel Session

On productivity, labor and competitiveness

-  by Dr. Krishnalall Coonjan, Vice-President, Pan African Productivity Association

 

Free Trade and Africa’s Integration into Global Value Chains:

  - by Mr. Peter Ngategize, National Coordinator, Competitiveness and Investment Climate Strategy, Uganda

 

Value addition in production and services:

  - by Mr. Kevin Murphy, CEO JE Austin Associates

 

The African-European Climate Innovation Initiative

  - by Mr. Thomas Winther, Director, Innogate Inc Ghana  

 

DemoEnvironments

  - by Mrs. Nadja Berger, Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (NUTEK)

 

Pan African Innovation Competition

  - by Dr. Lars Eklund, Director, Scandinavian Competitiveness Group

 

Need Driven Innovation in Emerging Economies

  - by Mr. Stephan von Malortie, Senior Advisor to VINNOVA

 

16:30  Spelling out the Strategies for Competitiveness: Third Round of Workshop Sessions

- Agree and commit on a three year strategy (actions, projects, milestones) for how to meet the three year challenges concerned and thereby achieve three year targets concerned

 

18:00   Third Reporting & Reflecting Panel Session

- Short reports from the Workshop Sessions

- Reflections to the reports

- Questions & Answers

 

18:30   End of Day 2

 

19:30   Dinner at “Top View Restaurant”

 

Day 3: Key Action Commitments

 

09:00  Report on Day 2: The Emerging Agenda for African Competitiveness Development

 

09:30  From Dialogue to Action: Facilitated discussion.

 

10:00  Stating the Key Action Commitments. Final Round of Workshop Sessions

Agree on Action Plans for 6 months (including meetings, timelines, responsibilities etc.) for:

- the Pan African Competitiveness Forum, its Function, Sustainability

- other joint competitiveness initiatives, their Function and Sustainability

 

11:30  Lunch

 

13:00  Final Reporting & Reflecting Panel Session

- Short reports from the Workshop Sessions

- Reflections to the reports

- Questions & Answers

 

13:45  Constituting PACF

- Election of PACF Steering Committee and Chairman

- PACF organization and work mode.

 

14:30  Round Table – Reflections and Implication for Pan African Collaboration on Competitiveness

 - Deciding on 6 month initial PACF work programme that will crystallize 3 year objectives/activities/outputs

 

15:15  Closing Ceremony 

 

15:30  Cluster Tour – visit to the successful Ethiopian HSL cluster “Towards Leather Together”

 

18:00  End of Programme 

 

 

 

 

Registration