ECA Press Release No. 134/2011
Addis Ababa, 08 November 2011 (ECA) - The year 2011 has been marked by a period of dramatic change, as well as agitation for political change in many parts of Africa, in particular in the North of the Continent.
With the departure from power of three of the region’s longest serving heads of State, debates have taken place with question regarding the timing and the nature of agents and tools responsible for these changes.
“Questions are being asked as to whether the rest of the continent is likely to follow the example of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, anytime soon,” according to Africa’s key development think-tank – the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa – (CoDA).
In response to these issues, former President of Botswana, Festus Mogae who is the Chair of CoDA will lead a discussion forum on the theme: “Two Decades of Democratic Transition in Africa” – From the National Conference of the 1990s to the Arab Spring of 2011: Results and Prospects on 12 November, 2011 in Tunis.
The forum will be structured around a panel discussion on the myriad experiences of democratic transitions in Africa since 1990 and will aim to assess what can be gleaned from the transitions in order to help the continent’s leaders and people upscale efforts to advance the democratic agenda.
The Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA) is an independent, international, African-owned forum that identifies and discusses issues of importance to Africa’s development within a global context. It is a think tank that advocates for the continent, brings together a range of stakeholders to promote dialogue and provides a platform for African voices to be heard. It is policy-oriented, and works in collaboration with other African and international organizations addressing issues of Africa’s security, peace, governance and development. CoDA is sponsored by, but is not a program of, the African Union Commission, the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank. It is governed by a Board of eminent African and non-African personalities and receives support from the private sector.
The CoDA Secretariat is housed at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
More: http:/www.uneca.org/coda
Contact: coda@uneca.org
Issued by:
ECA Information and Communication Service
P.O. Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: 251 11 5445098
Fax: +251-11-551 03 65
E-mail: ecainfo@uneca.org
Web: www.uneca.org
For highlights and more, follow us on: