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Agenda on competitiveness in Africa

At the Annual Conference in Lyon 2006, cluster practitioners and other stakeholders from business, academia, government and development partners in 8 African countries took the first steps towards "The Pan-African Competitiveness Forum", a collaborative platform for exchange of experiences and mutual learning on cluster initiatives. With the mission to improve living standards and local competitiveness of regions across the world by further development of national and regional cluster initiatives, TCI is committed to work for the implementation of the following agenda during the period of 2007-09.

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.

Innovation when it comes to the production of African goods and services is one of the key issues, as is higher value added production, and not just more price competitive African businesses, in order to ensure sustained high growth rates and thereby long-term socio-economic development.

With the purpose to improve the methodologies for enhancing the competitiveness of clusters, raise the professional level of practitioners of cluster development and promote cluster-based competitiveness and development strategies, The Competitiveness Institute is aiming to realize the following agenda during 2007-09:

2007

Before the 10th Annual Conference of TCI in Portland, USA, October 2007, the first meeting of The Pan-African Competitiveness Forum will take place in order for the organizers to setup a special seminar on competitiveness in Africa back-to-back with the main conference. This first meeting will focus on

• Preparing the special Portland seminar on competitiveness in Africa.

• Further developing the mission, objective and activities of PACF. Expansion of member base beyond the participating 8 African countries. Creating awareness of PACF through-out Africa.

• Exchange of experiences and learning on “do’s and don’ts” when facilitating cluster initiatives. Identification of good, transferable practice

Since TCI wishes to develop the agenda on competitiveness in Africa in collaboration with the African Union (AU) – possibly under the NEPAD (New Partnerships for Africa's Development) programme - the venue chosen is Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in May/June 2007.

At the AU annual summit the last week of January 2007, the theme was “Science, Technology and Scientific Research and Climate change” with special focus on the role that science and technology (S&T) and innovation can play towards Africa's socio-economic development and integration into the global economy.

2008

The activities of 2008 depend much on the achievements of 2007, however, the PACF should further develop its activities and the 11th Annual TCI conference provide further momentum.

A larger international "Pan-African Conference on Competitiveness", hopefully with AU, NEPAD and/or other key development partners engaging in the co-organization together with TCI, with the aim to

• Build upon and add value to the achievements of on-going activities to promote competitiveness and innovation through cluster initiatives in Africa.

• Provide directions for future Pan-African activities that aim to support businesses in becoming better equipped to benefit from globalization.

• Work as leverage to ensure that the 12th Annual Conference of The Competitiveness Institute is held at an African venue in October 2009.

has been proposed by several stakeholders within TCI.

2009

After evaluating the results of the Pan-African Conference on Competitiveness discussions will begin on whether to make it an annual event or not.

Other than the aim of a 2009 with continuous collaboration on innovation and competitiveness, the key objective is that the 12th Annual Conference of TCI will be organized in Africa 2009. However, because of the magnitude of the conference it should take place in cooperation with co-organizers.