By Jerry Omondi
African presidents are expected join the world’s political and business elite in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting that starts today and is expected to run until May 26.
The 2022 meeting is the first in-person meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Happening under the theme of History at a Turning Point: Government Policies and Business Strategies, the meeting will have 200 sessions attended by more than 2,500 leaders and experts.
Some of the African leaders that have confirmed attendance include Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera, Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Namibia President Hage Geingob and Rwanda President Paul Kagame.
The Forum is expected to place focus on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Already, Russia has been excluded in this year’s meetings for its decision to conduct a military operation in Ukraine.
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address the summit via video link, and around a dozen officials from his country will attend in person.
“Russia’s aggression on the country will be seen in future history books as the breakdown of the post-World War II and post-Cold War order,” WEF founder Klaus Schwab said in a pre-summit briefing, adding that Davos will do what it can to support Ukraine and its recovery.
The 2022 forum will also have panels on a host of other issues, including climate change, rising energy prices, global supply chain problems, gender inequality, poverty, football and the metaverse.