The Macroeconomic and Financial Management Institute of Eastern and Southern Africa (MEFMI) will be holding its annual Combined Forum at the Washington Plaza Hotel in Washington DC, United States of America on Monday 7 October 2013.  The event will be officially opened by Honourable Maria Kiwanuka, who is the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development in Uganda.

The MEFMI Combined Forum Series is an annual executive event specifically targeting Ministers and Permanent Secretaries of the ministries of Finance and Planning as well as Central Bank Governors in the 13 MEFMI countries.  The event has been held since inception of MEFMI in 1994. MEFMI is a regionally owned Institute currently with 13 member countries: Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Through the unique MEFMI Forum, the policy makers from the MEFMI region converge at one location to share information and ideas in order to keep themselves abreast of pertinent regional and global macroeconomic challenges and opportunities. They also utilize the event as a networking platform, where they exchange ideas and experiences among themselves – a process that is facilitated by world class experts availed by MEFMI and its cooperating partners.  The theme for this year is “The Role of Governments in Spurring African Economic Take-off”.

The 2013 event is expected to be attended by 70 officials and some observers from MEFMI’s networking and cooperating partners. Also attending the event for the first time are officials for the newly enlisted sponsors of the event – Ernst & Young (EY) and Investec Asset Management.  Both companies have sponsored some very important segments of the Combined Forum.

Presentations will be delivered by six experts that have been identified and sponsored by EY and Investec. There will also be a panel discussion comprising representatives from four MEFMI member states entitled Experiences with the Investment Imperatives.

The following are the topics that will be presented:

• Working with the Private Sector in Job Creation and Sustainable Growth.

Presenter:  Mr. Rohan Malik Partner Emerging Market Leader for Global Government & Public Sector, Ernst & Young, India.

• Meeting Africa’s Infrastructure Challenge: Breaking the PPP Logjam.

Presenter:  Mr Bill Banks, Global Infrastructure Leader, Ernst & Young, Oceania.

• Balancing African Revenue and Investment Objectives: A Time for Reflection

Presenter:  Mr Keith Engels, Tax Policy Leader for Africa, Ernst & Young, South Africa.

• Alternative Investment Options for the Central Bank Reserves

Presenter:  Investec Asset Management

• The Public Investment Imperatives Needed to Spur Economic Growth.

Presenter:   Mr André Roux, Co-Head Of Emerging Markets Fixed Income- Investec Asset Management, South Africa.

• Implementation of the Investment Imperatives to Ensure Lasting Growth

Presenter:   Matt Andrews, Associate Professor of Public Policy- Harvard Kennedy School, John F. Kennedy School of Government, – USA.

Most of the recommendations from previous Combined Forums have translated into the continued development of good policies that drive economic growth and also play a critical role in reducing the levels of poverty in the MEFMI region.

MEFMI activities put special focus on Macroeconomic Management, Financial Sector Management and Sovereign Debt Management.  In addition, there is a Fellows Development Programme that grooms experts/specialists for the region. 

The MEFMI Secretariat is based in Harare Zimbabwe and is headed by Dr Ellias Ngalande.