Yaounde, Cameroon, 23 July 2026 (ECA) – How can the Congo Basin, the world's second-largest tropical rainforest, be transformed into a powerful driver of industrialization, value addition and regional economic integration? The meeting represents a critical milestone in the preparation of the regional study. Central African countries, together with regional organizations, have already adopted ambitious policy agendas to promote local timber processing, industrialization, regional integration and sustainable development. The pressing challenge now is to accelerate implementation by addressing the structural constraints that continue to limit productive investment, industrial upgrading and the emergence of competitive regional value chains. It is precisely within this context that ECA has launched the regional study.