Investment conference focus on development on Africa

The 6th Columbia International Investment Conference, entitled "The Resource Boom and FDI in Africa: new players, new opportunities, a new agenda for development", will take place at Columbia University, New York, from 26-27 October 2011.

The purpose of this conference is to hold a forward-looking discussion about policies and activities that can help transform the current resource boom in Africa (in mining and land/agriculture) into a development boom, ensuring sustainable and inclusive development.

The conference will bring together a wide range of stakeholders, including high-level government officials involved in policy making and implementation, corporate executives, investors, academics, and civil society. The discussion will be "Davos-style," without formal presentations, to foster a dynamic and productive discussion among all participants.

The programme

The programme for the conference will include:

a discussion of the implications of the new emerging market players and new features of FDI in Africa's natural resources;
two substantive panels that will focus on how FDI in natural resources can be leveraged for increased investments in critical infrastructure;
how to create desirable and impactful linkages with the national and regional economies; and
an action oriented panel will focus on policy implications for the various stakeholders, and what actions and policies are both desirable and possible to move toward implementation.

The conference is free to participants, but registration is required.

For the full programme and to register, go to Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment (VCC).