Towards ACOEDI 2026 Talk Show Opens with Dialogue on Human Mobility, Trade and Africa's Economic Future

IfEDI Africa is ready to host Africa at ACOEDI 2026, taking place from 26–29 October 2026 at Emperors Palace Convention Centre, Johannesburg. In the weeks leading to the conference, IfEDI Africa will host the Towards ACOEDI 2026 Talk Show, a Wednesday evening dialogue series created to lay the foundation for the key issues that will shape the conference.

The opening session will take place on Wednesday, 5 August 2026 from 18:30–20:00 under the topic:

What Human Mobility Does Africa Need to Grow Intra-African Trade?

The Economics of Migration and Its Impact on AfCFTA and Agenda 2063

The session will explore one of Africa's most important development questions: if the continent wants to grow intra-African trade, how should people, skills, entrepreneurs, workers, professionals, ideas and experience move across borders?

Economic development and innovation depend on the movement and combination of factors of production, including labour, capital, land and entrepreneurship, together with the goods and services they produce. Africa has made progress in understanding the movement of goods, services, investment and enterprise. However, the movement of people remains more complex, uneven and often poorly governed. This creates both opportunities and risks for trade, skills development, business growth and continental integration.

The discussion will feature Dr Albert Jeleni, ACOEDI 2026 Organiser, as host, with guest speakers Prof. Gostina Malope, U.S Africa Trade Commission Country Director South Africa, and Dr Joshua Maponga III, CEO of Farmers Of Thought.

Prof. Malope is expected to bring insight into business, trade, economic opportunity and the value of continental networks, while Dr Maponga will contribute a broader reflection on mobility, mindset and the paradigm shifts required for Africans to see themselves as active builders of the continent's future.

The talk forms part of IfEDI Africa's broader work to professionalise economic development and innovation practice across the continent. Through ACOEDI 2026, IfEDI Africa aims to support stronger standards, evidence-based implementation and measurable development outcomes that can strengthen Africa's competitiveness and support the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

ACOEDI 2026 will also produce key knowledge outputs, including the African Economic Development and Innovation Atlas, an academic journal, and an industry and implementation magazine. These outputs are intended to benchmark where Africa stands, support co-prioritisation of development action, and make research and practical knowledge more useful for policymakers, industry and development institutions.

Members of the public, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, development practitioners, students and institutions are invited to join the opening dialogue and participate in shaping the road towards ACOEDI 2026.