The United Nations will this week launch the 'Global Africa Business Initiative' (GABI), an initiative to promote sustainable business growth and economic development on the African continent.

Organized by the United Nations Global Compact in partnership with the African Union, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Africa, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and the office of the UN Special Adviser for Africa, the launch will take place in New York on Sunday and Monday on the sidelines of the opening of the high-level week of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.

"GABI is about Africa's leaders redefining the global narrative and positioning key partnerships to deliver inclusive sustainable growth for people and the planet," Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, said, quoted in a statement.

"The next chapter for Africa begins by creating bridges to new opportunities, where Africans come to the global stage to tell their own stories and develop powerful economic engines - on their own terms," the diplomat added.

Under the title "Unstoppable Africa," the event will be focused on conversations about economic growth and investment opportunities, highlighting possibilities in all sectors.

"GABI will bring together African heads of state, UN leadership and philanthropists, as well as 'CEOs' [chief executive officers] and key private sector players to activate a powerful business ecosystem that promotes prosperity for all Africans and citizens of the world. The event is set to mark the beginning of a growing dialogue with and among African leaders on the continent's impact on global growth," the organization said in a statement quoted by Notícias ao Minuto.

Speakers expected at the event include António Guterres, UN Secretary General, Alassane Ouattara, President of Ivory Coast, Melinda Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, among many others.