Can African countries find their place among the leading nations of the world? Over 2,500 business leaders and policymakers are gathering in Kigali for the Africa CEO Forum on May 16 and 17, to help shape the future of the continent. Follow the opening ceremony live.
This year’s Africa CEO Forum (ACF), which brings together more than 2,500 business leaders and policymakers, has begun in Kigali and will run from 16-17 May.
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame is hosting the event for the second time in Kigali. The forum, which engages leaders shaping the future of Africa – from both public and private sectors – is organised by Jeune Afrique Media Group (publisher of this newspaper), in partnership with the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group.
Alternative stream link here [translation].
African policymakers are present. Kenyan President William Ruto, Mozambican President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, and Djiboutian President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh have also answered the call this year. Ivorian Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé and Guinean Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah will also be here for two days of intense debates.
Dangote, Traoré, Addou, Pouyanné…
The business roster is also impressive. CEOs of some of the continent’s most powerful and influential companies will be present, including Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote, Burkina Faso’s Delphine Traoré, CEO of SanlamAllianz and named ‘CEO of the Year’ in 2023; Kenya’s Paul Russo, CEO of KCB Group PLC; Rwanda’s Yvonne Makolo, CEO of Rwandair; Kate Kallot, founder of Amini and a rising star in African artificial intelligence; and Morocco’s Abdelhamid Addou, CEO of Royal Air Maroc.
Several leaders of multinational companies operating in Africa will also participate in the debates, including Patrick Pouyanné, CEO of TotalEnergies.
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They will all discuss a crucial question: how can Africa secure its place among the leading powers of the future? There are many paths, challenges, and obstacles to overcome. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), despite setbacks and slow integration, could be one of them if it moves beyond a mere market aggregation to form a genuine pan-African alliance for economic and social development. This is a significant challenge, given that regional and sub-regional organisations are each facing deep crises.
“When preparing for this edition, we had a private sector that was worried about three issues,” says Amir Ben Yahmed, the CEO of Jeune Afrique Media Group. “Our unity, when 30% of our countries embroiled in some kind of covert or open confrontation. Our attractiveness. Five years after it came into being, a crucial transformative project like the AFCFTA is showing little signs of progress. And a continuing deterioration of our macroeconomic situation with, for the 1st time in 25 years, an increase of poverty on the continent.”
AI, Development, and Climate Change
While policymakers work to resolve conflicts and disagreements, the private sector has a central role to play. Does Africa have the resources, both material and human, to handle the revolutionary changes that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will bring to almost every sector? How can the continent achieve real industrialisation to fully benefit from its rich soil and mineral resources? What role should development banks play to help emerging African champions in these endeavours?
Most importantly, how can Africa ensure a fair ecological transition?
The continent is bearing the brunt of climate change impacts while needing to develop to provide decent living conditions for its people. These are pressing questions that will undoubtedly spark debate, with answers more crucial than ever.
Source: https://www.theafricareport.com/348453/live-the-africa-ceo-forum-2024-opens-in-kigali/