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.