[originaltext] A two-day conference to promote trade and investment in Africa

A two-day conference to promote trade and investment in Africa will take place in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia in early March. One of the leading figures behind the event is a retired British Professor of international affairs, John Spence. VOA’ s Andre Denathena spoke with professor Spence and filed this report from London about the forthcoming conference.
   "The conference known as the ’Addis Forum’ aims to attract international attention to Africa’s economic potential and is an attempt to promote trade and investment in the vast continent of 52 countries. Conference organizers hope the two-day meeting will bring together African businessmen and their counterparts from Europe, North America and the Middle East to explore new investment possibilities in Africa.
   One of the main organizers of the conference is John Spence, a fellow at London’s Royal Institute for International Affairs. Mr. Spence says inevitably investments by overseas companies will have to be selective, given that some African countries are perceived as better risks than others. He says these countries include South Africa, Uganda, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Botswana. John Spence believes that after Latin America and the Far East, Africa will be the next region for major foreign investors. And he hopes his Addis Forum conference will be the first step in getting foreign companies seriously interested in Africa. Andre Denathena, VOA news, London."