Found at: http://www.competitiveness.org/article/articleprint/846/-1/76/

Pan African Competitiveness Forum discussed at Addis Ababa Seminar

On April 25, competitiveness stakeholders in Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda convened with representatives from AU, UNIDO, USAID and JICA at a TCI organized forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The purpose was to, after having presented the achievements of a number of cluster-based competitiveness initiatives in Africa, discuss further development of the Pan Africa Competitiveness Forum (PACF) as an instrument for accelerated industrialization, value addition in production and increased trade competitiveness in Africa.

Initial steps towards Pan-African collaboration on competitiveness were taken at the 8th Global Annual Conference of TCI in Hong Kong in 2005. At the 9th Global Annual Conference of TCI in Lyon France in 2006 the idea of the “Pan-African Competitiveness Forum” was raised. It was understood that a such a platform for cluster initiative learning is needed, and that it makes sense that African countries collaborate and learn from each other since they "share many similar challenges and opportunities".

The Forum is constituted by leading cluster practitioners from participating African countries and representatives of The Competitiveness Institute, and the seminar on April 25 had the aim to follow up on the Lyon conclusions. It was agreed that PACF was to be provisionally established and that a first meeting of the PACF with the following proposed programme will be held in September 2007:

Part I:

• Further develop the mission, objective and activities of PACF
• Ensuring inclusiveness and expansion of PACF member base
• Information and awareness activities on PACF through-out Africa

Part II:

• Learning session on promotion of cluster initiatives
• Identification of good, transferable practice for cluster facilitation
• Development of e-based platform for cluster initiative learning
• Supporting national/regional forums for cluster initiative learning

Part III:

• Input to TCI Africa Symposium in Portland, Oregon, USA.

The participants also decided that the invitation for collaboration on cluster competitiveness within PACF should be extendend to all countries in Africa and that the PACF should be introduced and discussed where relevant at African Union Expert and Minister meetings.

The Seminar in Addis Ababa was followed up by a meeting on April 27, where the TCI Africa Team met with the African Union's Department for Industry and Trade and some first approaches for funding were made.

Since 2003, TCI has become increasingly involved in the enhancement of cluster-based development initiatives in Africa. The Pan-African collaboration is a valuable contribution in further developing national and regional cluster initiatives, it offers a unique opportunity for making a contribution to re-energizing private sector development activities on the African continent.

At the Portland conference there will be a special session focusing on innovation and cluster competitiveness in Africa.

For more information, download the PACF Communique.