Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana and Vice – Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party in the 2012 General Election will this week be in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire to participate in the Africa Regional Meeting on Development Effectiveness.

The meeting is aimed at finding a common African Position ahead of the First High Level Meeting of the Global Partnership to be held in Mexico later this year.

The Abidjan meeting follows region-specific consultations held over the past two years to shape the implementation of the African Common Position and Consensus on Development Effectiveness, as well as, the Busan commitments.

The Africa preparatory meeting in Abidjan this week will aim to ensure an active coalition to effectively advance the articulation of country and regional priorities to be presented at the upcoming First High Level Meeting (HLM) of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation due for Mexico in April 2014.

The meeting is being organized jointly by the African Union and New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Cote d’Ivoire and will be held between the 24th and 26th of February in the Ivorian City.

Dr. Bawumia has been invited to among others chair one of the six sessions during the Abidjan meeting.

Dr. Bawumia’s session will be under the theme – “Africa Looking Within - Mexico Thematic Areas: Tax and domestic resource mobilisation; Knowledge sharing, South-South and triangular co-operation; the private sector and effective development co-operation”.

The Abidjan consultative meeting will bring together various policy makers, Ministers of Finance from various African countries, heads of regional and international bodies, Civil Society groups and leaders of private sector and business groups.