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# [AFRICA] African Economic Conference 2026: Abidjan Launches ACE Network and Sets Continental Agenda
- URL: https://businessoi.media/en/afrique-conference-economique-africaine-2026-abidjan-lance-lace-network-et-fixe-lagenda-continental-en/
- Published: 2026-07-19T02:56:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-19T02:56:22.000Z
- Description: The 20th African Economic Conference (AfDB, UNDP, OECD) concluded in Abidjan on July 12 on resilience in a multipolar world. Key outcome: the launch of the ACE Network, a hub of African chief economists. African growth projected at 4.4% for 2026.
- Author: Emmanuel TAOCHY
- Tags: Afrique, Économie, Investissement, Revue matinale, #en

**The 20th African Economic Conference brought together in Abidjan, from 10 to 12 July 2026, at the AfDB headquarters, economists and policy-makers from the continent. Central theme: 'Strengthening Africa's Geopolitical Action and Trade Resilience in a Multipolar World.'**

## Multipolarity: The Number One Strategic Challenge

Jointly organised by the **African Development Bank (AfDB)**, the **United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)** and the **OECD**, the conference highlighted the fragility of African economies in the face of global geopolitical shifts: supply chain fragmentation, trade wars, great-power competition. Africa must find its own path through global disorder.

Participants emphasised the need to remove barriers to intra-African trade, still limited to approximately **15% of the continent's total trade** — compared to over 60% in Europe. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) remains the primary lever for reversing this trend.

## The ACE Network: Analytical Sovereignty in Motion

The headline announcement of this edition is the launch of the **African chief Economists Network (ACE Network)** — a network of chief economists from African institutions. Objective: for Africa to no longer merely be analysed by external institutions, but to produce and disseminate its own economic expertise in global decision-making forums. A quiet but profound shift in the continent's economic governance.

According to the AfDB's *African Economic Perspectives 2026*, the continent is projected to record **growth of 4.4%** this year, driven by East and West Africa, despite global geopolitical headwinds.

## Actionable Priorities for Decision-Makers

The conference identified several action areas: investing in entrepreneurship for youth and women, strengthening regional value chains in agri-food and critical minerals, and accelerating digital transformation in logistics and financial services.

## Why It Matters

The Abidjan agenda — multipolarity, intra-African trade, analytical sovereignty — is precisely what every Indian Ocean business seeking to expand onto the continent must understand and integrate into its strategy. Africa is no longer looking for donors. It is looking for equal partners — and it is now equipping itself with the intellectual tools to act accordingly.