Sharm El Sheikh, 08 December 2018
President Kagame today attended the Africa 2018 Forum, an international gathering hosted by President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Held in Sharm El Sheikh, the forum focuses on developing intra-African investments towards creating the world’s largest trading bloc of 1.2 billion people.
This year’s edition takes place from 8-9 December 2018 under the theme “Bold Leadership and Collective Commitment: Advancing Intra-African Investments” and is organized by the Government of Egypt through its Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation, and COMESA Regional Investment Agency (RIA).
The President took part in the Youth Entrepreneurs Day Presidential Intergenerational Dialogue where he delivered remarks alongside President Al Sisi of Egypt and five young African entrepreneurs.
“The young people we are talking about, men and women, are the population that is today 1.2 billion Africans, and in the near future, by 2050, it will be double that. We need to first of all view it not as a threat. When you talk about 2.5 billion people on our continent in 2050, it is not a threat. It is an opportunity, an advantage, a strength,” President Kagame said.
The Head of State added that; “We need to make the right investments in our young people who have the advantage of age and strength, and the skills that come with that. But they need facilitation for us to be where we want to be. That requires both organization and everyone’s input, given the skills they have acquired or other experiences.”
The two-day Forum convenes more than 1,000 leaders in business and policy from around the world.
With Egypt taking over the chairmanship of the African Union in 2019, the Forum helps shape Africa’s agenda in 2019 and precedes the Intra-African trade fair that will take place in Cairo between the 11-17 December 2018.
Africa 2018 is a unique business-to-business and government-to-business platform, bringing together policymakers, financiers, leading industrialists, and young entrepreneurs.