Kujenga Africa: Forging Global Alliances
AGENDA
09:00 – 9:45am – Breakfast and Registration
10:00 – 10:15am – Welcome and Opening Remarks
10:15 – 10:35am – Talk: Why Diversity Matters
10:35 – 11:00am – Keynote: Igniting Africa’s Entrepreneurial Spirit
Africa is home to some of the world’s leading business minds. It is a continent brimming with ingenuity, resourcefulness, and untapped human potential. However, many aspiring entrepreneurs across the continent still face significant obstacles in areas like access to capital, business skills training, enabling policies and infrastructure. Overcoming these hurdles and igniting Africa’s entrepreneurial spirit is crucial for accelerating sustainable development and economic growth that benefits all Africans. Further ignition of the continent’s entrepreneurial spirit is important to foster development, job creation and inclusive economic growth.
By engaging with key players and catalyzing action, this session aims to unleash the potential of Africa’s entrepreneurial dynamism as an engine for innovation and equitable prosperity.
11:00 – 11:15am – Break
11:15 – 11:45am – Keynote: Mobilizing Capital for Development
11:45 – 12:45pm – Panel: Financing Africa’s Growth
Africa’s economic growth over the past decade has outpaced global averages, but significant investment gaps remain when it comes to financing innovation and vital infrastructure. From digital startups seeking early-stage capital to major cross-border infrastructure projects, a shortage of financing remains a key impediment to unlocking Africa’s full potential. This session convenes financial leaders to discuss catalyzing investment through deepening capital markets and financial inclusion, public- private partnerships for infrastructure financing and leveraging development finance and diaspora investments. With a focus on catalytic models and multi-stakeholder collaboration, this session aims to generate actionable insights around scaling up financing for innovation and infrastructure as powerful drivers of Africa’s economic growth and development.
12:40 – 12:55pm – Break
12:55 – 1:30pm – Fireside Chat: Africa Together – Public/Private Partnerships
1:30 – 2:30pm – Lunch
2:30 – 3:00pm – Keynote: Leapfrogging through Technology
3:00 – 4:00pm – Panel: Driving Africa’s Technological Transformation
From fintech apps providing access to financial services, to AI-powered agritech boosting crop yields, to e-commerce platforms connecting African entrepreneurs to global markets – technological innovations are disrupting and transforming sectors across the African continent. Africa is home to a vibrant tech ecosystem, with hubs like Lagos, Nairobi, and Cape Town birthing cutting-edge startups. The proliferation of mobile technology has driven a digital renaissance, catalyzing new business models and service delivery platforms. At the same time, technologies like AI, blockchain, IOT, and data analytics present vast untapped opportunities.
This session explores how to fully unleash the potential of frontier technologies as a catalyst for development, economic growth, and solving Africa’s urgent challenges through cross-border collaboration and strategic partnerships.
4:00 – 4:15pm – Break
4:15 – 4:45pm – Cultural Performance
4:45 – 5:30pm – Panel: Creative Industries – Taking the Global Stage
From films captivating audiences to vibrant African fashion gracing runways worldwide, Africa’s cultural and creative industries are driving innovation, shaping narratives, and emerging as economic engines for growth and employment across the continent. With exportable creativity in disciplines like music, art, film, design and more, Africa’s cultural goods trade has immense untapped potential. The creative economy already accounts for millions of jobs, representing an opportunity to promote entrepreneurship while amplifying African voices and identity on the global stage. Yet, significant obstacles around financing, intellectual property protection, market access, and enabling ecosystems have hindered the creative sector’s ability to scale and fully monetize its talent and cultural assets.
This session convenes Industry experts to examine strategies for unleashing the power of Africa’s cultural economy.
5:30 – 7:00pm – Networking and drinks