A high-level delegation led by Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, is set to present a new wave of trade-led and digitally driven development priorities at the Sixteenth Session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XVI), underway in Geneva from 20–23 October 2025.
The Minister is expected to use the Opening Plenary and ministerial-level engagements to outline a national agenda centred on inclusive industrialisation, technology integration and international trade as levers for sustainable economic transformation under the conference theme, “Shaping the Future: Driving Economic Transformation for Equitable, Inclusive and Sustainable Development.”
At the African Group Ministerial Meeting and a Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence, she will spotlight three flagship instruments designed to unlock capital, modernise trade infrastructure and broaden participation in value creation. These include: the FUND24 blended-finance model to crowd-in private investment, the CONNECT24 infrastructure programme focused on trade-critical logistics and digital connectivity, and the Women’s Development Bank, aimed at closing gender finance gaps and scaling women-led MSMEs into continental markets.
UNCTAD XVI, bringing together ministers, agency heads and multilateral partners, provides a platform to shape coalitions, attract aligned capital and influence global trade rules in ways that support Africa’s structural transformation.
The delegation is expected to emphasise AfCFTA implementation as a growth multiplier, the treatment of digital systems as productivity infrastructure, and the pursuit of equitable multilateralism as a condition for shared prosperity.
On the sidelines, officials are expected to engage development banks, sovereign investors and technical partners to advance pipeline initiatives under the blended-finance and infrastructure frameworks. Outcomes from UNCTAD XVI, which closes on 23 October, are anticipated to inform multilateral guidance on trade, industrial policy, digital transition and development finance for the coming cycle.
