WEF: Delegates from 70 countries ready for Abuja

Delegates from about 70 countries are expected in Abuja for the meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa which opens tomorrow, Director, Head of Africa, Elgie Kenza, has said.

Speaking yesterday at the pre-event briefing in Abuja, Kenza said about 1, 000 delegates, mostly from Africa, have registered for the event.
She said out of the 70 countries, about 40 are from Africa with participation confirmation from 13 heads of states.
For the first time, the event will take place in Abuja, Nigeria, under the theme: “Forging Inclusive Growth, Creating Jobs.”
The participants were drawn from business, government, civil society and academia for the meeting scheduled for 7 to 9 May.
In addition to President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria and representatives from his government, other leaders that have confirmed their participation are:

Mohamed Larbi Ould Khelifa, President, Peoples National Assembly, Algeria; Thomas Yayi Boni, President of Benin; Li Keqiang, Premier of the Peoples Republic of China; Daniel Kablan Duncan, Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire.
Others are John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana; Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya; Kolo Christophe Laurent Roger, Prime Minister of Madagascar; Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda; Macky Sall, President of Senegal; Jakaya M. Kikwete, President of Tanzania; and Faure Gnassingbé, President of Togo.
Kanza said: “By bringing together leaders from politics, business and civil society, we hope the meeting will offer an environment where such decisions can be catalysed, and where commitment and creativity can be drawn on to build a future fit for all Africans.”
Also, speaking yesterday, Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi-Okonjo Iweala, stated government’s commitment to ensuring adequate security during and beyond the event.
She said the government has put adequate security measures in place to protect the lives and property of the participants.
The minister said everyone in WEF was deeply concerned about the abducted Chibok girls and efforts are being made by the government to get them back.
According to her, tomorrow, a new initiative to be known as Safe Security Initiative, will be launched by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Gordon Brown and Nduka Obaigbena for the schools in the North-east region.
She said a lot of investments are expected to come during and after the WEF. In addition to the two-day WEF event, a number of meetings will be held in Abuja during the course of the week.
The Co-Chairs of the meeting are: Dominic Barton, Global Managing Director, McKinsey & Company, USA; Jean-François van Boxmeer, Chairman of the Executive Board and Chief Executive Officer, HEINEKEN, Netherlands; Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Group, Nigeria; Bineta Diop, Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security, African Union, and President, Femmes Africa Solidarité, Switzerland; Jabu A. Mabuza, Chairman, Telkom Group, South Africa; Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, India; and John Rice, Vice-Chairman, GE, Hong Kong SAR.