Economic diversification and industrialization in Africa in the context of the SDGs discussed in Astana

Astana, November 14 2017 – Held under the aegis of the Government of Kazakhstan and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) four days long symposium “Economic diversification and Industrialization in Africa in the Context of the SDGs" on South-South development exchange opened in Astana. The gathering aims is to serve as a platform to review and exchange the best lessons and experiences to help African countries better design and implement their structural transformation policies in line with SDGs goals.

Representatives of 43 African governments, members of academia think tanks and other development institutions participate.

Delegates will visit a special economic zone in Kazakhstan to see enterprises implementing structural transformation in the Central Asian country.

In his welcoming remarks Yerzhan Ashikbayev, Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister, mentionedcontribution of our country to the development of Africa and the prospects for cooperation between Kazakhstan and the African states. He stressed that the symposium is a good platform to share experience in mining, agriculture, corporate planning, transportation and IT.