Addis Ababa, 30 September 2026 (ECA) – Mobilizing African capital, reducing borrowing costs and turning the continent’s natural resources into industries and jobs were among the priorities advanced by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81).
Led by Executive Secretary Claver Gatete, ECA participated in a wide range of high-level meetings and engagements with African Heads of State, senior government officials, financial institutions, business leaders and UN partners in New York from 20 to 25 September, covering investment, industrialization, regional integration and development financing.
At a high-level roundtable organized by the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), Mr. Gatete joined Kenyan President William Ruto, African industrialist Aliko Dangote, government ministers, bank executives and other political and business leaders to examine barriers to investment and industrialization across Africa.
Held under the theme The Africa We Build: Regulation, Risk, Reward, the session addressed the high cost of capital, regulatory constraints and infrastructure gaps, as well as the need to channel more domestic savings into productive investments. Mr. Gatete highlighted free movement of goods, infrastructure investment and sustained government engagement as essential to mobilizing domestic capital.
Citing reforms that have facilitated cross-border trade between Kenya and Uganda, he underscored how reducing trade barriers can benefit businesses and regional value chains.
Africa’s critical minerals sector was another area of engagement, with ECA joining a roundtable organized with the Milken Institute to discuss opportunities for unlocking investment.
“For decades, we’ve talked about Africa’s vast resource endowment and its potential. We need to move beyond that and build industries around it,” Mr. Gatete said.
He emphasized the importance of processing minerals on the continent, supported by investment in energy, railways, roads and ports to develop regional value chains. ECA and the Milken Institute also explored opportunities to connect African investment priorities with international investors, particularly in critical minerals, manufacturing and infrastructure.
At the launch of the Global Grids Accelerator, Mr. Gatete highlighted the potential of regional power pools to enable countries to trade surplus electricity, lower costs and expand access to reliable power, supporting industrialization and regional trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
In bilateral engagements with member States, Mr. Gatete met Botswana’s President Duma Boko to discuss fiscal and debt management, trade under the AfCFTA and digital transformation. Their discussions covered Botswana’s SmartBots initiative, opportunities for technology-driven youth employment and greater value addition in the minerals sector.
The ECA Executive Secretary also met with the Central African Republic’s Economy Minister Marc Mandaba to discuss ECA’s support for the country’s development planning, fiscal policy and debt management. The minister commended ECA’s credibility and its role as a trusted African think tank.
At a high-level event on implementing the Pact for the Future in Africa, chaired by Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and attended by other African Heads of State, ministers and senior UN officials, Mr. Gatete emphasized the importance of translating global commitments into concrete results for Africa.
For the Pact for the Future to deliver for Africa, he said, countries must link its commitments to Agenda 2063 and national priorities, finance investable programmes and address structural barriers, including debt, the high cost of capital and Africa’s representation in global institutions.
On health financing, Mr. Gatete highlighted ECA’s work to strengthen sustainable, country-led financing systems and create conditions for domestic and external investment in healthcare during discussions with the World Health Organization and development partners.
Ahead of the 7 October launch of the Africa Credit Rating Agency in Mauritius, ECA participated in a joint meeting with the African Development Bank, the African Peer Review Mechanism, the United Nations Development Programme and the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa to discuss coordinated support for African countries on sovereign credit ratings.
Mobilizing investment for Africa’s development was the focus of discussions at a high-level gathering of the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI), where Mr. Gatete joined UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, senior government officials, business executives and financial leaders.
Other engagements with UN and African Union leadership addressed cooperation on implementing Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals. ECA also participated in discussions on climate-resilient urban development, particularly efforts to mobilize financing for affordable housing and urban infrastructure.
Mr. Gatete also met Amb. Khalilur Rahman, congratulating him on his election as President of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly and briefing him on ECA’s work with member States and partners to advance inclusive and sustainable growth across Africa.
The ECA delegation also included Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng, Director of the Climate Change, Food Security and Natural Resources Division; Said Adejumobi, Director of the Strategic Planning, Oversight and Results Division; and Yuko Naab, Chief of the Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation Section.
Issued by:
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Economic Commission for Africa
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