During September 25 to 27, Vice President Dr. Qu Jian attended the Third Investing in Africa Forum and gave a presentation themed on “Promoting Africa Leapfrogging through Innovation” at Parallel Session: Special IATTA Roundtable. Dr. Qu Jian noted that to achieve leapfrogging development, African countries should pay attention to the life-cycle management of special economic zones by legislation, industrial planning, spatial planning, investment feasibility studies, operation schemes and financing schemes before the construction.

The Third Investing in Africa Forum was co-organized by Republic of Senegal, Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China, China Development Bank and World Bank Group. Under the overarching theme of Leapfrogging through Innovation, six key topics will be discussed: (i) Energy; (ii) Agriculture and Agribusiness; (iii) Information and Communication Technologies; (iv) Education; (v) Finance; and (vi) Governance and Sustainability. The forum will also mark the official debut of the “Investing in Africa Think Tank Alliance” (IATTA), a platform to synergize the intellectual capabilities of research centers and the capital strengths of development finance institutions to promote sustainable and inclusive development in Africa.