Africa’s Top Economists Head to Abidjan as New Chief Economists Network Takes Shape

Abidjan will host the 2026 African Economic Conference from 7 to 9 December, bringing together policymakers, researchers and development institutions at a time when African economies are confronting debt pressure, climate risk, industrialisation demands and the need for stronger home-grown policy evidence.

The African Development Bank says the conference will be jointly organised with the United Nations Development Programme and the OECD Development Centre. The 2026 edition is also expected to launch the African Chief Economists Network, a platform intended to connect chief economists from African development finance institutions and governments. African Development Bank

Why this matters

The launch of the network is more than a conference announcement. It points to a larger question for Africa’s development agenda: who produces the economic evidence that shapes policy choices?

For years, African governments have relied heavily on external research, donor diagnostics and multilateral policy frameworks. Those sources remain important, but the continent also needs stronger institutional capacity to produce its own evidence, forecast its own risks and debate its own policy options.

A network of chief economists could help fill that gap if it becomes more than an event platform. It could support comparative research, peer review, policy notes, regional economic monitoring and practical guidance for governments facing similar challenges across debt management, infrastructure finance, industrial policy and trade integration.

A policy platform for a difficult decade

The timing is important. African countries are being asked to invest in infrastructure, climate adaptation, industrialisation, jobs and regional trade while fiscal space remains constrained. Policy choices are becoming more complex, and the cost of weak analysis is rising.

For development finance institutions, stronger economic research can improve lending decisions and project design. For governments, it can help identify reforms that are politically feasible and economically grounded. For regional bodies, it can strengthen continental positions on debt, climate finance, trade and industrialisation.

The African Economic Conference has long served as a platform for research and policy debate. The Chief Economists Network could give that work a more permanent institutional channel. If it succeeds, it could help shift Africa’s economic conversation from diagnosis to coordinated policy learning.

Sources

• African Development Bank: Abidjan to host Africa’s top economic leaders at the 2026 African Economic Conference