The event saw the participation of IMF and AU officials, representatives of public bodies of African countries responsible for implementing good governance and anti-corruption principles, policymakers, representatives of international organisations such as Transparency International, INTOSAI and others, as well as those of advocacy organisations, the private sector and academia.

The Conference was focused on the benefits of implementing the principles of good governance and improving anti-corruption measures to extend the opportunities for economic growth, including job creation, poverty reduction and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Agenda 2063: The Africa we want, defined by the AU. In particular, the event allowed for examining such issues as the macro-critical impacts of poor governance and corruption, African countries’ capacity development needs on governance and corruption issues and the opportunities offered by the IMF and other international organizations in this realm.

The Conference concluded with the renewed commitment of its participants to implement anti-corruption reforms and improve public administration. The organizers of the event, on their side, prepared:

• an AU strategy and the IMF framework on governance and corruption;
• a draft plan of action to promote governance in Africa, including during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic;
• a draft strategy to disseminate the findings of the event.

Additionally, an extensive study entitled Good Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa: Opportunities and Lessons released by the IMF last March was presented in the Conference. It addresses the practices of implementing the principles of good governance in African countries such as Botswana, Rwanda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola, the Seychelles and others, puts forward recommendations on how to further improve the regulation in this area also through the use of advanced technologies to enhance the effectiveness of the administration of public finances, public contracting and monitoring of the administration of natural resources.