The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and Morocco have signed a host country agreement for the organisation of the ECA’s 58th session and the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (COM 2026).
The agreement was signed by ECA Executive Secretary Claver Gatete and Morocco’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadia Fettah Alaoui, and sets out areas of cooperation between Morocco and the United Nations Secretariat in planning and hosting the conference, ECA’s principal policy-making forum.
The conference is one of Africa’s most influential economic policy platforms, bringing together finance ministers, central bank governors and development partners to shape the continent’s response to growth, transformation and global economic challenges.
COM 2026 will take place in Tangier, northern Morocco, from March 28 to April 3 under the theme: “Growth through innovation: harnessing data and frontier technologies for the economic transformation of Africa.”
Gatete thanked Morocco for its leadership and commitment to advancing Africa’s economic agenda.
“We thank Morocco for its leadership and trust. By hosting COM 2026 in Tangier, Morocco is helping elevate Africa’s collective economic voice and demonstrating how national leadership can drive regional solutions with global impact,” Gatete said.
He added that holding the conference in Tangier positions Africa’s economic message at the crossroads of regions, institutions and markets, strengthening the continent’s voice in global economic governance.
“Now is the time to deliver an impactful conference that goes beyond political commitment and leads to concrete action for Africa’s economic and social transformation,” Gatete said.
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This year’s discussions will place special emphasis on how African countries can leverage innovation, data and frontier technologies — including artificial intelligence — to drive economic transformation and job creation.
The conference will also propose practical steps for African member states to assert digital sovereignty, including the development of digital public infrastructure and data centres.
Participants are expected to include ministers, policy experts and government officials, pan-African financial institutions, youth representatives, African academic and research institutions, development partners, intergovernmental organisations, media and other key stakeholders.
Gatete is currently on a working visit to North Africa. From January 21 to February 3, he is visiting Algeria, Mauritania and Morocco to engage government officials on national development priorities, support needs and opportunities for deeper cooperation, including South-South collaboration.
