More than 1000 Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), 75 Presidents, Ministers, a host of investors, and about 200 journalists from 73 countries will be heading to Kigali, Rwanda, for the 2024 edition of the African CEO Forum scheduled to start on Thursday.
The event themed, At the Table or On the Menu? A Critical Moment to Shape a New Future for Africa will last for two days starting from May 15.
According to a memo by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is co-hosting the event with Jeune Afrique, this year’s 11th edition of the landmark Africa CEO Forum marks more than a decade of unparalleled gatherings of Africa’s most influential leaders, innovators, and policymakers.
The forum is poised to tackle four transformative agenda leadership, digital transformation, continental integration, and financing.
The forum would take place through a mixture of panel discussions, workshops, and roundtables where participants will explore strategies to ensure that African businesses leverage Africa’s collective weight through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), get to the forefront of disruptive innovation and creatively tackle obstacles to financing African ambition.
Amir Ben Yahmed, President of the Africa CEO Forum, emphasized the importance of such gatherings and how they would shape partnerships and strategies that lift Africa’s economic status.
“We call on our community of leaders shaping the future of Africa to recognize the structural and enduring consequences of the actions they take at this critical time. The forum will be a crucible for innovative strategies and partnerships, propelling the continent into the opportunities of tomorrow.” Yahmed said.
Sérgio Pimenta, IFC’s Vice President for Africa and Co-host of the forum, stressed the role of the private sector and Africa’s policymakers in growing and boosting Africa’s GDP to significant heights by 2050.
“Turning Africa’s $3 trillion GDP into $30 trillion by 2050 will require an unbridled African private sector, enabled by the continent’s policymakers to forge partnerships that create markets, increase intra-African trade, and advance investment on the continent,” Sergio said.
The Africa CEO Forum is the continent’s foremost gathering, uniting Africa’s top executives, global investors, and government leaders annually.
In partnership with IFC, this year’s flagship event scheduled to be held in Rwanda will host more than 2,000 public and private sector decision-makers, including over 900 CEOs.
What to know
- The African CEO Forum was founded in 2012 and it is the leading platform for African CEOs, global investors with interest in Africa, heads of state, ministers, and representatives of the main financial institutions active on the continent. It is a forum for fleshing out ideas by the continent’s leading private sector operators in both the business and finance world.
- The Africa CEO Forum was created by Jeune Afrique Media Group and its Annual Summit is co-hosted by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group.
