The World Economic Forum on Africa opened on Wednesday with a message calling on African countries to build capacity for the future.

The three-day meeting attracted about 1,000 political and business leaders from more than 40 countries, including South African President Thabo Mbeki and Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade.

According to the forum, Africa's growth is the strongest in decades and it is expected to achieve a 6.2 percent economic growth in 2007.

The challenge for Africa is to capitalize on unprecedented opportunity to sustain and accelerate this growth.

Specialists believe that capital is not the sole constraint, deeper, broader capacity is the essential enabler to deliver infrastructure, effective public services and an enabling environment for investment.

Wade told the forum that Africa has confidence in its development, noting that Africa is not sick, poor and corrupted continent.

Wade reiterated the G8 had not kept all its aid promises to Africa, saying the continent was instead benefiting from long-term, low-interest loans from countries like China and India.

He stressed the importance of development, saying: "You cannot develop a continent without energy. Africa needs to take part in the oil business."

South African President Thabo Mbeki said that previous plans for Africa's turnaround by institutions like the IMF and World Bank failed because it came from outside the continent.

Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, also made a short address, saying: "The world now needs Africa as much as Africa needs the world. This is a true partnership."

Li Ruogu, president of China's Export-Import Bank, said at a press conference in the meeting that trade between China and Africa was growing at about 30 percent per annum, reaching 55 million dollars last year.

He said: "But if we want to really generate trade, we have to generate development. Without development, there is no basis for trade."

Source: Xinhua