TUNIS, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The fifth edition of Financing Investment and Trade in Africa (FITA 2022) forum opened on Wednesday in Tunisia, in a bid to promote inter-African trade and investment in the continent.

       Inaugurating the two-day forum, Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Bouden Romdhane said about 3,500 people from 45 countries, including African ministers and heads of international organizations and institutions, participate in the "exceptional" event, according to a government statement.

       The COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukrainian-Russian crisis, along with the resulting excessive rise in the prices of raw materials, foodstuffs and fuels, have weakened the economies of African countries, Bouden noted.

       To address the challenges, the prime minister called for "new and innovative concepts to raise the competitiveness of the African continent and advance its social and economic development, growth, investment and business practice."