Africa needs bold economic reforms to ensure sustainable development - AEC
BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE Donald Kaberuka Participants at the closing session of the seventh African Economic Conference (AEC), held in Kigali, Rwanda on November 2, 2012, have urged African leaders to put in place bold economic reforms, aimed at sustaining growth and boosting human development. The participants agreed that good governance and fair competition will help Africa meet its sustainable development agenda, while carefully calibrated government support can help fulfill Africa’s economic potential, reducing political risks and bolstering financial accountability to open new markets. The four-day conference highlighted the need for policy-makers to create diversified economies capable of generating employment, implementing better social policies and inclusive growth. Also, one of the running threads of the conference was how to use natural resources to create economic benefits for ordinary citizens. Hosting the AEC for the first time, Rwandan President Pa