The 19th World Economic Forum on Africa will be kicked off in the South African coastal city of Cape Town from Wednesday to Friday under the theme of "Implications of the Global Economic Crisis for Africa".

The following is a brief introduction about the Forum:

Established in 1971 by Swiss business professor Klaus Schwab, the platform used to be the European Management Forum, which in 1987 changed its name to the World Economic Forum.

It is an independent international organization incorporated as a Swiss not-for-profit foundation, With the motto " entrepreneurship in the global public interest", it attaches importance to the sound relations between economic progress and social development.

The forum is headquartered in Cologny, a small town on the outskirts of Geneva, Switzerland and under the supervision of the Swiss Federal Government.

"Committed to improving the state of the world", it has strived to be a foremost organization which builds and energizes leading global communities; the creative force shaping global, the regional and industry strategies; the catalyst of choice for its communities when undertaking global initiatives to improve the state the world, according to the bloc's official website.

The World Economic Forum is best known for its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland which attracts the participation of top business leaders, political leaders and selected intellectuals to ponder over and seek solutions to the pressing issues in the world.

The platform mainly has three main governing bodies: the Foundation Board, the International Business Council and the Managing Board. Among them the Board shoulders the overall responsibility for establishing the long term direction and objectives of the Forum.