Jean Narcisse Djaha, PhD
On behalf of the Planning Committee, I am excited to warmly welcome you to the beautiful Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire for the Official Launch of the African Council on Foreign Relations. Far more than a town, Abidjan is a dynamic area of over three million people. Abidjan is a central actor in many sectors and industries, including agriculture, automotive, pharmaceuticals, insurance, retail, logistics, hospitality, and so on. The year 2024 is very special to the African Council on Foreign Relations. This year marks the Official Launch of the African Council on Foreign Relations, and the conference provides us with a unique opportunity to celebrate and build on the work that African leaders have done for a very long time.
The conference theme: ” Cooperate in a Fragmented Business World” has been chosen carefully to mark such a milestone for our institution. We are privileged to be co-chairs of this important conference. Over the last past years, ACFR project leaders have made tremendous contributions in advancing several sectors and disciplines across Africa and the world resulting in creating greater impacts.
At this event, let us celebrate what we, as a professional community, have achieved. Additionally, our vision is to create even greater value to all corners of the African continent. This conference will be one for us to share our thoughts and exchange ideas on how to chart our journey forward to reach new heights.
We have an exciting program at this conference that will allow participants to reflect upon and celebrate our past achievements, renew friendships and extend our networks, and jointly explore current and future development directions.
We hope that you will have a productive and fun‐filled time at this very special conference. To put a conference of this magnitude together is not a small task. To that end, we want to thank everyone for providing wisdom and guidance; our teams for his tireless efforts to organize all sessions and tracks; our supporters for their many contributions.
Let me conclude by emphasizing my hope that, in this important forum, we must remain focused on our overriding objectives. We need to bgin and end this forum in the spirit constructive and open dialoge, not only with participants presented here but all development stakeholders across Africa.
It is in this great spirit of making a significant contribution and difference in the lives of African countries that I wish you a successful and constructive forum in Cote D’Ivoire, my homeland.
God bless you all!
Thank you!