Programme

08:30    Registration & Networking

09:30    Opening Remarks

• Chantelé Carrington, Chief Executive Officer, Invest Africa

09:35    Introductory Remarks

• Samaila Zubairu, President & Chief Executive Officer, Africa Finance Corporation

09:45    Keynote Address: UK Government Official

10:00 Keynote Address: H.E. Dr. William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya

10:15    Debate: How Can Africa Turn Natural Capital into Global Competitiveness?

As the global economy races toward a green and digital future, Africa’s vast stores of natural capital - its critical minerals, fertile land, renewable energy, and biodiversity - are more strategically important than ever. Yet despite this abundance, much of the continent’s value continues to be exported in raw form, with limited local processing, low fiscal returns, and minimal job creation.

This opening session sets the tone for The Africa Debate by asking a fundamental question: how can Africa move beyond extraction and become a global hub for value-added, sustainable production?

Speakers will examine what it will take - from domestic investment and regional integration to stronger institutions and international partnerships - for Africa to scale up value addition, deepen its industrial base, and drive inclusive, climate-resilient growth. They will also explore how rethinking natural capital - not simply as a stock of raw assets, but as a dynamic driver of economic transformation - can redefine Africa’s role in global value chains.

• Abebe Aemro Selassie, Director of the African Department, International Monetary Fund

• Lungisa Fuzile, Chief Executive, Africa Regions and Offshore, Standard Bank Group

• Saïd Ibrahimi, CEO, Casablanca Finance City Authority

• Tsitsi Masiyiwa, Chair and Co-Founder, Higherlife Foundation and Delta Philanthropies

• Wale Tinubu, CEO, Oando Plc

• Sameh Shenouda, Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer, Africa Finance Corporation (moderator)

10:45    Keynote Address: Navigating Risk in a Fragmented World

In a world marked by geopolitical volatility, rising protectionism, and competing global priorities, how should investors assess and manage risk across African markets? This session will explore how to navigate a more fragmented global landscape - where supply chains are shifting, capital is more selective, and political risk is increasingly complex. Drawing on decades of on-the-ground experience, the speaker will unpack what risk really looks like in 2025 - and where the opportunities still lie.

• Martin Devenish MBE Board Director & Global Head of Corporate Intelligence

11:00 Break

11:15 Spotlight: Unlocking Regional Value Chains for Africa’s Industrial Future

In an era marked by supply chain realignments, green industrial policy, and nearshoring, Africa’s global competitiveness will be defined not by what it extracts, but by what it transforms. As global investors seek resilient, low-carbon value chains, the continent’s opportunity lies in integrating its natural assets - land, minerals, energy, talent - into regional production systems that can drive scale, efficiency, and inclusive growth.

This session will explore how to operationalise AfCFTA’s industrial vision: how governments, development financiers, and private sector partners can unlock value across strategic sectors - from agro-processing and pharmaceuticals to logistics and energy - and shift African economies from trade corridors to value corridors.

• H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe, Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia; Board Chair, TradeMark Africa

• H.E. Jumoke Omoniyi Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Federal Republic of Nigeria

• H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat

• The Rt Hon. the Lord Collins of Highbury, Minister for Africa, United Kingdom

• The Rt Hon. Mark Simmonds, Chairman, Invest Africa Advisory Board (moderator)

12:00    Debate: Blended Finance – The Catalyst for Africa’s Industrial Future?

Africa’s natural capital is immense - spanning critical minerals, fertile agricultural land, renewable energy potential, and rich biodiversity. Yet converting this wealth into industrial opportunity at scale will require far more than ambition. The capital needs are vast, the risks real, and the return timelines often long.

Blended finance - the strategic use of public and concessional funds to mobilise private investment — is increasingly seen as a vital tool to bridge these gaps. But can it deliver at scale, and in time?

This session will explore how new financial structures are helping de-risk investment and accelerate the development of infrastructure, agri-processing, and value-added manufacturing across the continent. Panellists will share concrete examples of where blended finance is working, examine the evolving role of DFIs, sovereign wealth funds, and pensions, and debate how to ensure these models are transparent, scalable, and aligned with Africa’s long-term growth ambitions.

• Chris Chijiutomi, Managing Director and Head of Africa, British International Investment

• Genevieve Sangudi, Partner, Alterra Capital

• Kariuki Ngari, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered, Kenya & Africa

• Nick Moss, Head of Nature-Based Solutions, Nuveen Natural Capital

• Rene Awambeng, Founder & Managing Partner, Premier Invest

• Olukorede Adenowo, Chief Executive Officer, FirstBank UK (moderator)

13:00 Spotlight: Can South Africa’s G20 & B20 Leadership Rewire Global Trade Around Africa’s Natural Capital?

As South Africa assumes the G20 presidency in 2025—the first ever by a Sub-Saharan African country—it inherits a rare opportunity to shift the global trade and investment agenda toward African priorities. At a time when supply chains are realigning, climate and AI are reshaping production, and resource security is back at the top of geopolitical agendas, the continent’s natural capital is no longer a peripheral issue — it is central to the future of global growth.

This fireside chat explores how South Africa can leverage both the G20 and B20 platforms to embed African priorities — from beneficiation and agro-industrialisation to green infrastructure and digital governance — into a reimagined global trade system. How can African governments and businesses shape the next generation of rules, investment flows, and partnerships?

13:30    Lunch

14:15    Spotlight: The Soft Infrastructure Behind Africa’s Transformation and Mission 300

What does it take to unlock corridor-scale infrastructure across Africa—not simply as a physical undertaking, but as the backbone of inclusive and sustainable economic transformation? This session convenes the architects of Mission 300 and key institutional partners to explore how compact-style planning, blended finance, and coordinated co-investment can deliver integrated infrastructure across critical sectors, from ports and power to digital networks and agri-logistics. Yet infrastructure alone is not enough. The discussion will also delve into the “soft” systems—financial, institutional, and data-driven—that are essential to making infrastructure bankable, scalable, and capable of driving real, long-term opportunity across the continent.

• Andrew Herscowitz, Chief Executive Officer, Mission 300 Accelerator, RF Catalytic Capital

• Ethiopis Tafara, Regional Vice President for Africa, International Finance Corporation

• Solomon Quaynor, Vice-President Private Sector, Infrastructure & Industrialization, African Development Bank Group

• Alexis Akwagyiram, Managing Editor, Semafor Africa (moderator)

15:00    Debate: Building Infrastructure that Serves Africa’s Natural Capital

As Africa looks to convert its vast natural capital—from minerals and arable land to clean energy—into long-term prosperity, the question is no longer what to invest in, but how. Is the continent’s infrastructure ecosystem ready to support the scale, complexity, and cross-sectoral demand this opportunity demands?

This session explores the design, financing, and delivery of infrastructure that serves Africa’s real economy—enabling resource corridors, supporting agricultural transformation, and connecting value-added production to regional and global markets. It will examine how to move beyond fragmented, single-use assets toward shared, sustainable infrastructure that underpins inclusive industrial growth.

• Banji Fehintola, Executive Director, Financial Services, Africa Finance Corporation

• Cheick Camara, VP and Managing Director, ServiceNow Africa

• José Carlos Barroso Pereira Pinto Nogueira, Chief Financial Officer, Mota-Engil

• Cheryl Buss, Chief Executive Officer, Absa International & Absa Securities UK (moderator)

15:45    DRC in Focus: Can Africa’s Resource Giant Lead a Green Industrial Future?

With vast reserves of cobalt, copper, timber, water, and arable land, the DRC holds many of the raw ingredients for a greener global economy. But can Africa’s most resource-rich nation move beyond extraction to lead on green industrialisation and value-added production? This session brings together Congolese and international investors, banks, and operators to explore what it will take—politically, commercially, and institutionally—to unlock the DRC’s full economic potential.                                      

• Marie-Chantal Kaninda, President, Glencore DRC

• Monique Gieskes, Chief Executive Officer, Plantations et Huileries du Congo

• Paul Hinks, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Symbion Power

• Wale Adeosun, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Kuramo Capital Management

16:15    Break

16:30    Keynote: Natural Capital in a Digital Age – Lagos and the Future of Smart Growth

• H.E. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor, Lagos State

16:45    Debate: Digitising Africa’s Resource Economy – Can Technology Unlock Full Value from Natural Capital?

Africa’s natural capital — from critical minerals and fertile land to vast clean energy potential and biodiversity — remains a cornerstone of the continent’s economic promise. Yet much of its value is lost to inefficiencies and fragmented value chains. In a digital age, the real question is not whether technology can help, but how it can be deployed to unlock greater, measurable returns — for governments, investors, and communities alike.

This high-level panel explores how digital tools — from blockchain and AI to cloud platforms, mobile money and traceability systems — are beginning to transform Africa’s resource-intensive sectors, particularly agriculture, energy, and mining. Panellists will discuss how digital infrastructure is enabling more transparent, resilient, and efficient value chains, improving price discovery, logistics, and access to both regional and global markets.

Crucially, the session will also explore what it takes to scale these solutions: the enabling role of policy and regulation; the investment frameworks needed to support innovation; and how players from big tech, fintech, and banking are building the connective tissue of Africa’s digital economy.

• Dalu Ajene, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria

• Kojo Boakye, Vice President for Public Policy for Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey, Meta

• Runa Alam, Co-Founder and CEO, Development Partners International

• Tosin Eniolorunda, Co-Founder and Group CEO, Moniepoint Inc

• Jennifer Zabasajja, Chief Africa Correspondent and Anchor, Bloomberg (moderator)

17:15    Fireside Chat: Rethinking Africa’s Institutions for the Next Era

As Africa’s youthful population accelerates and new technologies reshape global markets, how can the continent’s institutions evolve to harness this momentum and unlock a new era of inclusive growth?

This flagship fireside session opens with a special tribute to Professor Benedict Oramah, marking his transformative leadership at Afreximbank and decades of service to Africa’s development and integration. In conversation with Strive Masiyiwa, the discussion will explore how African institutions can support the next generation of entrepreneurs, foster innovation ecosystems, and mobilise regional capital to drive long-term prosperity.

From building future-ready infrastructure and financing vehicles, to empowering the continent’s growing base of digitally savvy, enterprising youth, the session will reflect on lessons in leadership while looking ahead to the opportunities that will define Africa’s economic future.

• Gabriel Edgal, Chairman & Group CEO, Oakwood Green Africa (introduction & award presentation)

• Prof. Benedict Oramah, President & Chairman of the Board of Directors, African Export-Import Bank

• Strive Masiyiwa, Founder & Executive Chairman, Econet Group

• Karen Taylor, Chair, Invest Africa (moderator)

18:00    Closing Remarks

18:00    Reception