2018 World Export Development Forum week at a glance (en)

The 2018 World Export Development Forum in Lusaka, Zambia, is just around the corner.

Whether you’ll join us in person on 11-12 September or on Facebook Live, you can take advantage of the week’s events, with pre-events starting on 10 September.

Register at www.intracen.org/wedf.

From business-to-business meetings to a Youth UnConference, a global pitch competition to the SheTrades Zambia launch, here is a rundown of key events.

Monday, 10 September

Pre-events will be in full swing.

• Early bird special for B2B participants. Companies from 20 countries are already registered for business-to-business (B2B) meetings. New: Companies arriving Monday can meet with experts in e-commerce, business law, social media marketing, packaging and more. 
• Launch of SheTrades Zambia. ITC’s SheTrades Global initiative aims to connect three million women entrepreneurs to international markets by 2021. Join international experts and Zambian women in business, as they chart their country’s path to new markets. 
• Regional packaging for agribusiness. Companies face challenges such as equipment costs, supply sources, transport, branding, market information, finance and eco-friendly options. Seven sub-Saharan countries will join co-hosts from the multinational packaging company IMA Industria Macchine Automatiche S.p.A., the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and ITC to debate solutions. Hear their recommendations on Monday afternoon. 
• The Africa Bus. The University of Johannesburg’s Africa Bus arrives Monday with graduate students in trade, business, agriculture and journalism, and look forward to meeting WEDF participants.

Tuesday, 11 September

Plenaries focus on jobs of tomorrow and export opportunities in a border-free Africa.

• Jobs of tomorrow. Leaders share experiences in creating jobs following a change in government, as well as insights about technology, mentoring and skills building. 
• Youth UnConference. Break it down with Zambian musician Pompi and other young professionals. Co-sponsored by the African Union, the session brings the youth voice into the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. 
• Tearing down trade borders. Co-sponsored by TradeMark East Africa, business and government leaders respond to aspirations voiced during the Youth UnConference and share their thoughts on making free trade a reality in Africa.
• In Conversation. Guinea’s Tiguidanke Camara shares her inspiring story as a CEO with CGTN’s Ramah Nyang.

• Plenaries go deeper, addressing risk in agribusiness, green finance and investment. 
• Stay tuned for an exciting pitch competition among young social entrepreneurs from Africa. Winners will be announced at the closing session.

• Zambian company visits and tourism packages are available. 
• A post-event includes meetings among Chinese investors and Zambian officials and businesses.

• Join us on Facebook Live to watch plenaries, ask questions and check out our many interviews. We’ll be posting our Facebook Live schedule before WEDF begins.
• Meet with more WEDF partners, including the World Bank, Huawei, Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) Zambian Breweries, Vodafone, Hai, China Global Television Network and Global Trade Review.
• ITC will launch several publications throughout the conference, including the Business Guide to the African Continental Free Trade Agreement; Promoting SME Competitiveness in Africa – Data for De-Risking Investment; a guide on the WTO trade facilitation and technology agreements, as well as regional approaches to trade facilitation. 
• The SME Trade Academy team will be available to discuss free online learning opportunities, both with individuals and institutions. Courses are available in several languages.
• In addition to our B2B meeting area, visit the special youth corner. Do you want to discover Zambian companies from sectors other than agribusiness? Visit their exhibition stands outside the conference centre. 
• Don’t forget to sample Zambian coffees and teas on Wednesday morning!

• Take the WEDF youth and trade survey, available in English, French and Spanish.
• Send us a photo with your priorities to #ScaleUp trade, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. See examples on our Flickr #ScaleUp album. Download cards you can use, find hashtags and more on Trello.

During WEDF, visit our selfie wall and share your snapshots on Twitter using #WEDF18!

Finally, we encourage you to view and share our #WEDF18 video playlist. It includes videos of young entrepreneurs, business and government leaders who will be at WEDF, an overview of this year’s event and highlights from last year’s event.