Abidjan: President of Ivory Coast Alassane Ouattara has called for stronger intra-African trade and continued efforts to process raw materials locally. Ouattara made the call at the 12th edition of the Africa CEO Forum 2025 in Abidjan. “We must now work to strengthen intra-African trade by continuing our efforts to process our raw materials and by accelerating the implementation of the AfCFTA,” he said. He underscored the country’s strong macroeconomic performance driven by private-sector investment.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the forum also featured Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who highlighted his country’s pursuit of 1.7 billion dollars in investments to build digital infrastructure and create youth employment. The funding is aimed at supporting projects such as constructing data centres and deploying high-speed internet, with the goal of achieving 5G coverage across Senegal by 2030.
Forum organisers emphasized the importance of improving public policy and economic governance as essential steps to unlocking Africa’s full potential. The gathering attracted more than 2,800 leaders from the public and private sectors across over 90 countries.
DNE Africa, a partner of TV BRICS, reported that the 12th edition of the forum focused on forging a new partnership between African governments and businesses to fast-track the continent’s economic transformation. The central theme of the forum, ‘Can a New Deal Between State and Private Sector Deliver the Continent a Winning Hand?’ directed discussions around economic governance, industrial strategy, and the acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
