国际英语资讯:Africa 2018 Forum kicks off in Egypts Sharm el Sheikh amid high development, economic expec_时事

国际英语资讯:Africa 2018 Forum kicks off in Egypts Sharm el Sheikh amid high development, economic expec

Another session discussed the role of women in outlining policies of the African continent with the participation of Egypt's Immigration Minister Nabila Makram, Environment Minister Yasmeen

Fouad, Mali's Foreign Minister Kamissa Camara and COMESA Secretary-General Chileshe Kapwepwe.

As a unique business-to-business and government-to-business platform, bringing together policy makers, financiers, leading industrialists and young entrepreneurs, this year's Africa Forum will focus on developing intra-African investments and the efforts to create the world's largest trading bloc of 1.2 billion people.

The forum features keynote speeches, interactive panel discussions, expert presentations and B2B engagement opportunities.

"I am happy that the organizers and the government of Egypt chose to put youths and women at the center stage ... that is the whole program for today," Vanessa Moungar, director for Gender, Women and Civil Society at the African Development Bank, told Xinhua.

Moungar said the African continent cannot develop without fully empowering its women, adding that this requires giving them equal access to education, health services and economic opportunity so that they can fully participate in private sector growth and make choices for themselves.

For her part, Mona Zulficar, a renowned Egyptian lawyer, said African countries have a common market which brings down the borders for trade, projects, value chain, development and business.