ADB Calls for Strong Investment in the Youth

Tuesday marked the start of the 2022 Commonwealth Business Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, with a resounding appeal for action to be taken to promote intra-Commonwealth commerce, safeguard the environment, and invest in youth for a just and shared future.

Dr Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank, was one of several distinguished speakers on a panel during the gathering.

The event is the first and biggest in-person gathering for governments and companies throughout the Commonwealth since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it serves as a prelude to the official beginning of this year’s Commonwealth Heads of State and Government Meeting (CHOGM).

This year’s business forum, which was jointly hosted by the Rwandan government and the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, focused on a global reset, dealing with the effects of the pandemic, and the Commonwealth’s role in helping to rebuild the world economy. It also addressed the CHOGM 2022 theme, “Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming.”

In a panel discussion at the conference’s opening plenary, Rwandan President Paul Kagame stated that the time had come for Commonwealth nations to coordinate and put their shared ideals into practice in order to rebuild a common future with a focus on youth.