 First of all, I just want to say how very pleased I am to be here at the Institute and to commend you for all of the work that's been done over the years, but I think particularly in recent times there's been very much of a focus on global issues and that's again very important and very welcome because I suppose we live in a world where there have been enormous changes in recent years and I think it's vitely important that we do engage as a community. In Ireland with these changes and with the complexity of the changes because sometimes maybe we see things rather simplistically, but I know that the Institute has a very strong reputation for bringing excellent speakers here to inform the Irish public and I think it's vital for our not just for our economy but for our society and for our sense of ourselves as a people that we do engage in the global world in the changes that are happening. That we engage in a meaningful way and that we understand the complexities of what is happening in an enormously changing world. I know you just said that you were what for I think that our guest speaker was for when our chairperson was working in Africa. I'm not quite sure what age I was at that time and I'm not going to venture a guest. Yes, but certainly even in the last 10 years there have been such enormous changes globally that it's quite difficult to keep up but I think particularly for those of us who are in decision making positions it's very important that we are informed and that we inform ourselves. So I'm particularly pleased that I'm introducing the series which is being run in conjunction with Irish Aid and also particularly today's distinguished guest speaker Professor in Cuba and we did have an opportunity to have some discussion over lunch and our discussion was mainly focused on the African continent and on the changes that are happening and I know that Dr in Cuba is going to elaborate on those areas later on but I'm particularly pleased that I'm having the opportunity to introduce such a distinguished speaker. The department, I represent the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade now in its new life since the last election. We've had a long established relationship with the Institute but today is a new departure in this particular series and the focus of the Institute as I said has been increasing on global and geographical issues generally around the world but particularly on areas like for example themes of economic interdependence, energy security, the digital future, climate change which is an enormous issue. And I think we've all become very conscious of the extraordinary power of social media and how it has played its part in a rapidly changing world but I think the particular focus on Africa is both timely and also is appropriate at this time. I suppose there are a number of reasons and I think first of all we are questioning maybe a lot of fundamental assumptions that we lived with for a long time and we're beginning to re-evaluate those and we're particularly beginning to understand I suppose that development theories need to be re-examined as well as theories around economics and how the world is changing. And in the department, in our department there are a couple of specific actions that we're taking. One is that we're reviewing the white paper and I'd like to just say that Nora Onnes here who's the chair of the expert advisory group and that advisory group will be taking a leading role in terms of the review of the white paper. And we're inviting contributions and views from the general public but also from particularly interested organisations. So many people will have heard me say this already, many people in the room who have an interest in this area but we would very much welcome views, opinions on whether we need to change direction. Our focus will stay particularly on hunger and on the poorest of the poor but we do want to ensure that what we're doing is as focused as it can be, that it spends money as well as it can and that it brings results. So we are in that process at the moment of review and we hope to complete the review by July of next year. So again we would welcome any contributions that people have or any views in that area because the white paper was published in 2006 but as I've said already the world has changed quite a lot since then. As I say we have an excellent reputation for our aid programme but we want to make sure that everything that we're doing is in accordance with the best possible standards and the best possible outcomes. The other area that I wanted to briefly refer to is the fact that we have published a new Africa strategy and that was launched by the Taunishta at the Africa Ireland Economic Forum in September in the Smarford Business School. And basically what we're doing is we're recognising the transformation that is taking place in Africa and we are committed to building on the strong bonds that we already have with Africa. I mean we all know the, I suppose the long tradition of missionary work for example and the African continent, the long history of the interaction with Irish aid and our development programme. But what we want to do is pull the threads of our relationship with Africa together. So it's about development, it's about trade, it's about our political relationships. And again I know that Dr Encobo has an interest in that whole area of strategy and he'll be talking about strategy from his perspective. But we are very committed to building on what we have already I suppose our relationship with that we already have with Africa. And for many years the conventional wisdom I suppose has been that Africa was doomed to inequality, grinding on redevelopment and in some cases autocracy. But one thing that has happened in a very remarkable way is that this has changed and the perception of Africa has changed along with the actual changes that have happened. So for example we've seen the dramatic upheavals of the Arab Spring in Tunisia and Egypt and Libya. And we've also seen democracy and respect for the rule of law and human rights take root in less dramatic ways in many countries of sub-Saharan Africa. And you know if you visit countries in sub-Saharan Africa now people who may have been there several years ago and go back now. There are strong stories to tell of real development and I think sometimes we tend to have a rather simplistic view on this side of the world about what's happening in Africa. Africa is increasingly seen as a continent rich in young people, mineral wealth and economic potential. And again I've referred a number of times to the McKinsey report Lions on the Move. We had a speaker at the launch of the Africa forum from McKinsey and he pointed out basically the growth for example of cities where you've got more and more cities now in Africa of over a million population. So it's a continent that's changing rapidly. While it is a diverse continent with 54 different countries and is a very complex picture, nevertheless you have a growing economic wealth. Big countries for example like South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt have averaged growth rates consistently above 5% since the year 2000. And some countries including Angola and Sierra Leone have been growing at more than 10% in recent years. And Sierra Leone I think in particular is a country that has rapidly developed in very recent years. But we also recognise that poverty and hunger will continue to be huge problems both in their own right and as obstacles to sustainable and inclusive growth in many parts of Africa. And conflict obviously is another area that plays a huge role and we only have to look at the Horn of Africa to see that. The government and my department will continue to focus international attention on these problems and Irish Aids priority focus will continue to be on poverty and on the systemic global hunger crisis and especially its manifestations in sub-Saharan Africa as so graphically illustrated recently in the crisis and the Horn of Africa. Our long term aim however is to end dependency on aid to build a new relationship with Africa based on politics, democracy and trade. And it's right that we do so and indeed it is in our own interest as well. Ireland is one of the most open economies in the world. Our future lies in our capacity to trade, to sell goods and services in the global economy. To do so we must expand our horizons beyond our traditional export markets. And this is very much the context of the Africa strategy which is entitled Ireland and Africa, our partnership with the changing continent. And I have a copy here but if anybody is looking for a copy it's available on our website. And indeed the document updates our analysis of trends and developments across Africa and the way in which Africa relates to the wider world. It deals with our political relations, it recognises the remarkable economic growth in many African countries but it also highlights that the pace and extent of development is not uniform. That some countries and communities are benefiting less than others and that many people are being left behind. It recognises that there is significant potential in the future for strengthened economic links between Ireland and Africa. And indeed next week this weekend I'm going to South Africa to lead a trade mission with Enterprise Ireland with a number of Irish companies. And again we have been discussing the potential of South Africa as a basis for a growing trading relationship with the rest of the continent. Particularly in the areas of infrastructure, telecommunications, clean energy etc. Ladies and gentlemen a strong team of the strategy is that we should have greater engagement between Irish policy makers, academics and business people and African counterparts. The strategy notes the important role of the Africa Development Bank represented here and how much we can benefit from that institution's expertise and knowledge. And therefore it's a great pleasure for me to welcome Professor and Cwbe chief economist and vice president of the Africa Development Bank here today to deliver the inaugural lecture in the Development Matters series. He's going to speak on the very relevant and topical theme of African economic policy and the role of private business. And I particularly look forward to hearing Professor and Cwbe's views on the challenges for African policy makers to ensure that overall economic growth reduces poverty and hunger and supports inclusive development. And I certainly look forward to hearing Professor and Cwbe's contribution but also I think in an ongoing engagement with the bank and in an ongoing engagement with the rapidly changing continent of Africa. So ladies and gentlemen it's a great pleasure for me to introduce Dr and Cwbe. Thank you very much.