A PRECURSOR OF THE BOMA 2022

From extreme left: Fiona Achieng, Rita N.A. Arthur, Jesse Akosa, Nana A.A. Afful and Mark Atitsogbui

Following the Boma of Africa, which took place today, July 8, 2022, a precursor to the festival was hosted at the Dominion Television studios. The show’s hosts were Fiona Achieng and Mark Attitsogbui, both of whom are staff at the television station.

A session with some of Ghana’s promising youth

The guests, Jesse Akosa, a business development officer and trained data and financial analyst, Rita Nana Adwoa Arthur, a writer, poet, and filmmaker, Nana Akua Asante Afful, an artisan and second runner-up at the 2017 Ghana’s Most Beautiful, shared their opinions on a variety of themes, including but not limited to the changes they observed in their respective industries ten years ago as compared to the changes they hope to see in the next ten years, as host, Fiona Achieng remarked, “Ghanaian food is a work of art,” in addition to what they celebrate about Africa.

The team from Dominion Television went out into Accra’s streets in anticipation of the great event, Boma of Africa 2022, to find out what people’s opinions were. As they discussed why they believed corruption should be tackled at the festival, they praised the Boma of Africa as a fantastic event.

Boma of Africa; The festival of Ideas

The Boma’s first section was devoted to the establishment of a continental digital trading corridor to assist in the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement through terminal emulator interoperability systems across traditions of the AU Member States, a digital ecosystem of connected e-government and private apps, and a single online business repository and a social credit system for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and startups, as the Hub was launched by the President of Niger and AfCFTA Champion, H.E. Mahamadou Issifou.

H.E. Mahamadou Issifou, President of Niger. Photo credit: onpolicy.org

Following a spoken word, Cynthia Gnassingbe-Essonam, Senior Advisor at the AfCFTA, gave the opening comments at the Boma of Africa, and Wamkele Mene gave the keynote address. More information on the AfCFTA’s role in integrating the African market was provided by H.E. Wamkele Mene, who also noted that the AfCFTA’s launch had advanced since the previous Boma with the help of the Afreximbank.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

  • Based on the number of participating nations, the AfCFTA is the largest free trade area in the world since the World Trade Organization was established.
  • Among its many goals is the creation of an internal market for products and services, which has the potential to raise intra-African trade by 52.3%.
  • It intends to bring together all 55 African Union member states, spanning a population of more than 1.3 billion people with a developing middle class and a total gross domestic product of $3.4 trillion.

In keeping with previous Boma tradition, part two of the gathering included several dignitaries, including Heads of State, continental businessmen, and world thinkers, who discussed important topics affecting Africa’s long-term plan for structural transformation.

The discussion topics covered creative solutions to Africa’s current financial and supply chain issues, youth and gender empowerment, and the potential for cross-border trade and new technology to be resilient in the face of pandemics and resurgent major power rivalries.

The event’s peak occurred during its third segment. With assistance from international partners like the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Kingdom, Australia, The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), The United States of America, the European Union, the Government of India, Singapore, and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Africa CDC launched a continental eHealth backbone that brought together African Union departments and agencies, as well as its African Vaccine Passport module.

As part of their promotional relationship, the African Union and AfroChampions were in charge of organizing The Boma of Africa. The AfCFTA Hub Network and the continent’s business community were also sponsors.

“Dominion TV partnered with AfroChampions to broadcast this exciting event live on Dominion TV; Africa’s Christian Lifestyle Network for Inspired and Empowered Living. We believe such content will inspire our audience towards living a more empowered life and positively impacting their communities” – Nosisa Doe, General Manager, Dominion TV Ghana

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