The 15th International Economic Forum on Africa, “Africa Beyond 2015”, is set to take place on 9 September 2015 at the Deutsche Telekom in Berlin, Germany.

Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth is expected to strengthen to 4.5% in 2015 and 5% in 2016 after subdued expansion in 2013 (3.5%) and 2014 (3.9%). Alongside this solid growth outlook, the global and pan-African discussions provide the continent with an unprecedented opportunity to chart a more inclusive and sustainable growth agenda for the region. In the long-term, the stakes are high: transforming African economies, ending poverty, preserving the environment and ensuring well-being and prosperity.

The Africa Forum is the annual gathering where OECD and African policy makers, private sector representatives, academics and civil society leaders meet to debate the performance of African economies and the challenges ahead. Organised by the OECD Development Centre and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, in collaboration with German Federal Foreign Office and in partnership with the African Union Commission, the 2015 edition will focus on Africa’s development agenda beyond 2015. It will do so in light of the debates on Sustainable Development Goals and Financing for Development, the impact of the continent’s future demographic development on its economic transformation, and the policy responses to climate change.

The debates benefited from the conclusions of the African Economic Outlook 2015 report, jointly produced by the OECD Development Centre, African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Session 1: Beyond 2015 – Africa’s Development Agenda

The African Union Agenda 2063 ushers in the Strategic Framework for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development. Through a participative approach, it empowers all stakeholders to contribute to Africa’s economic and social transformation during the next five decades. Furthermore, Africa aims to play a more important role in the global development agenda with its Common African Position. In the long term, the stakes are high: transforming African economies, ending poverty, preserving the environment and ensuring well-being and prosperity. What will be the challenges and opportunities for the continent to realise the Agenda 2063?

Session 2: Climate change and agricultural transformation in Africa

How do African countries increase food production and eradicate hunger and malnutrition in the face of fast demographic growth, while at the same time reducing emissions and combating climate change? Solving that complex equation requires swift action to promote agricultural transformation and adapt to climate change. With both its challenges and opportunities, such transformation can lead to increased productivity as well as low-carbon, climate resilient socio-economic development.

Session 3: Can regional development help Africa tap its demographic dividend?

Structural transformation – the process by which new, more productive activities arise and resources move from traditional activities to these newer ones – is Africa’s overarching priority. By 2050, Africa will be home to an additional 1.3 billion people, and more than 47 million young people will be entering the labour market every year looking for jobs. Despite some progress over the last decade, current policies have proven ineffective at speeding up job creation in productive sectors. How can regional development strategies, focusing on Africa’s regional-specific assets, help the continent turn its demographic dividend into a driver of structural transformation?