The meeting, expected to gather a record 900 participants from over 60 countries, will be held under the theme "From Vision to Action, Africa's Next Chapter," organizers said.

Under one of the three thematic pillars, "Shaping Africa's Role in the New Reality," the meeting will explore how Africa can take on a leadership role in the new reality and guard against newly emerging global and regional risks. Participants will look at how Africa can strengthen its representation and negotiation capacity on global platforms such as COP 17 and the G20.

Meanwhile, the meeting will look into Africa's industrial diversification, which is widely considered as an effective way to increase competitiveness. Discussions under the thematic pillar of "Fostering Africa's News Champions of Growth" will focus on what innovative and entrepreneurial lessons drive Africa's fastest- growing companies, and how can Africa's emerging economies build capacity in science, technology and innovation to move up the value chain.

Another topic expected to attract much attention is Africa's inclusive development. In recent years, African decision makers have been looking for ways to attain inclusive development by translating economic growth into better lives for the people.

Under the thematic pillar of "Building Partnership for Inclusive Development," participants will debate on how can inclusive growth be put at the heart of a sustainable development agenda for Africa, and how can government of African countries work together with the business sector to distribute more equitably the benefits from the wealth in natural resources, among others.

Participants are also expected to exchange views on issues including Africa's agriculture development, infrastructure construction, China-Africa cooperation, impact of political situation in North African and the Middle East on Africa's economic development, among others.