2025 Programme

08:00 Registration & Networking

Master of Ceremonies – Mucha Nyandoro

09:00 Welcome

Chantelé Carrington, Chief Executive Officer, Invest Africa

09:05 Keynote Address

H.E. Dr Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, United Arab Emirates
Introduced by: Rola Abu Manneh, Chief Executive Officer, UAE, Middle East & Pakistan, Standard Chartered

09:20 Opening Remarks

George Olaka, Chief Financial Officer, ARISE IIP

09:30 Debate: Beyond Deals – Is the UAE Africa’s Strategic Industrial Partner?

From ports and power plants to logistics corridors and manufacturing hubs, the UAE has rapidly become one of Africa’s most prominent long-term investors. The question now is how this role is evolving: what does it take for investment to move from transactional to truly transformational? This debate will explore the contours of a genuine industrial partnership — co-development and joint ventures that create jobs, build skills, and strengthen ecosystems. Panellists will examine opportunities around sustainability, knowledge transfer, and African agency, and consider whether the UAE’s model can set new global benchmarks for inclusive, resilient industrialisation.

Rola Abu Manneh, Chief Executive Officer, UAE, Middle East & Pakistan, Standard Chartered
Mohammad AlDhaheri, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Resources Investment
Nikhil Gandhi, Executive Director & Chief Marketing Officer, ARISE IIP
Asad Hajiyev, Senior Executive Officer, Portfolio Manager, Gemcorp Capital
Adesuwa Ladoja, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Lagos Free Zone
Admassu Tadesse, Group President & Managing Director, Trade and Development Bank (moderator)

10:15 Spotlight on Angola

H.E. José de Lima Massano, Minister of State for Economic Coordination, Republic of Angola

10:30 Debate: Redefining Returns – The New Logic of Capital in the UAE–Africa Corridor

As capital becomes more strategic, thematic and regionally aligned, the Gulf–Africa investment corridor is emerging as a testbed for new models of deployment. Sovereign wealth funds are forming direct partnerships with African governments; Gulf family offices are moving from philanthropy to impact investing; and global and regional DFIs are co-financing with Gulf institutions at unprecedented scale. But behind this momentum lies a deeper question: what does "value" mean in 2025?

This session will explore the new rules of capital deployment in Africa, examining how sustainability, climate risk, geopolitical non-alignment, and supply chain resilience are reshaping how – and why – capital moves. Speakers will interrogate blended finance frameworks, energy-transition-linked credit, co-investment platforms, and sovereign-to-sovereign strategies.

Goolam Ballim, Chief Economist and Head of Research, Standard Bank
Aurélien Mali, Lead Sovereign Analyst for Africa, Moody's
Arif Munir Khan, Senior Executive Officer, Crown Agents Global Markets
Alaa Murabit, Managing Partner, Sustainable Growth, 500 Global
Dr. Brook Taye, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Investment Holdings
Rene Awambeng, Founder and Managing Partner, Premier Invest (moderator)

11:15 Break

11:45 Mapping the Terrain – Opportunities in the UAE–Africa Corridor

As the UAE–Africa investment corridor deepens, so too does the complexity of the landscape in which it operates. In this session, the speaker will offer a sharp, forward-looking analysis of the political and economic risks shaping the region — from shifting regulatory frameworks to the broader implications of great power competition, trade fragmentation, and climate volatility. With an eye on both structural challenges and emerging opportunities, they will provide a strategic briefing on what investors and policymakers need to watch — and how to navigate what’s next.

Ian Massey, Head of Corporate Intelligence, EMEA, S-RM

12:00 Spotlight: AFC and Infinity Power Partnership

This session will unpack how partnerships like AFC and Infinity Power are financing large-scale renewables, structuring blended capital, and de-risking projects to deliver sustainable energy at scale—driving Africa’s transition from ambition to execution.

Yezdan Akcacakir, Director and Head of Power, Africa Finance Corporation
Mohamed Ismail Mansour, Co-Founder and Chairman, Infinity Power
Renuka Methil, Managing Editor, Forbes Africa (moderator)

12:30 Keynote Address: H.E. Basílio Zefanias Muhate, Minister of Economy, Republic of Mozambique

12:45 Debate: Building Africa’s Energy & Infrastructure Future

Africa’s future energy economy cannot be built in isolation. Solar, wind, gas-to-power, and green hydrogen projects all depend on the connective tissue of infrastructure — from transmission lines and pipelines to ports, railways, and digital backbones. This debate will explore how Africa and the Gulf can partner to deliver both the megawatts and the motorways: the energy and infrastructure foundations required for long-term growth. With insights from government, sovereign investors, DFIs, and developers, the session will spotlight how UAE capital and African priorities are converging to unlock new investment frontiers — from Mozambique’s LNG to pan-African logistics corridors.

Mohammed Usman Abdul-Razaq, Senior Vice President, Head of Capital Mobilisation & Partnerships, Africa Finance Corporation
Sabine Dall’Omo, Chief Executive Officer, Sub-Saharan Africa, Siemens
Peter Secker, Chief Executive Officer, Canyon Resources, an A2MP company
Tejinder Singh, Managing Director, Regional Head, Global Subsidiaries, Africa & Strategic Enablement, Standard Chartered
Bassem Tadros, Director of International Asset Management, XRG
Nacim Bounouara, Partner, DLA Piper (moderator)

13:30 Lunch

14:30 Africa on its Own Terms: The Africa Risk-Reward Index

Tom Griffin, Partner, Control Risks

14:45 Ports, Policy, and Possibility: Berbera and the New Gateway to East Africa

The Horn of Africa is becoming a frontier for strategic investment. This fireside conversation brings together Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, and H.E. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdilahi, President of the Republic of Somaliland to explore the vision behind the Berbera Special Economic Zone and its growing geopolitical and commercial relevance. From infrastructure and logistics to regulatory certainty and sovereign risk, this session will unpack what it takes to drive long-term FDI into overlooked but high-potential markets — and why Berbera may be the next critical link in Africa’s trade and industrial future.

H.E. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, President of the Republic of Somaliland
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, DP World
Mohammed Sergie, Editor, Semafor Gulf (moderator)

15:15 H.E. João Jorge Matlombe, Minister of Transport & Logistics, Republic of Mozambique in conversation with Sanjeev Gupta, Advisory Board Member, Invest Africa

15:45 Break

16:00 Fireside Chat: Capital with Purpose – Defining the Next Era of UAE–Africa Investment

As the centre of economic gravity shifts south and east, UAE and broader Gulf–Africa investment is entering a more strategic and diversified era. Our upcoming fireside chat, “Capital with Purpose – Defining the Next Era of UAE–Africa Investment”, will explore how Gulf and African partners can lead together in shaping a new phase of globalisation built on resilience, innovation, and mutual value creation. The conversation will focus on what capital has been deployed to date, what projects are in the pipeline, and how purpose-driven finance can accelerate Africa’s growth across sectors such as agribusiness, fintech, digital infrastructure, and industrial development.

H.E. Raja Al Mazrouei, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Credit Insurance
Amadou Hott, Chair of Africa Advisory Board, Vision Invest
Omar Saif, Vice President, Global Climate Finance Centre (moderator)

16:30 Debate: Seeds of Opportunity – Agribusiness as a Strategic Asset

Agriculture has long been viewed through a development lens. But in 2025, food security has become a core issue of economic security, climate strategy, and geopolitics — and increasingly, a magnet for Gulf investment. As global food systems are disrupted by climate volatility, supply chain shocks, and shifting trade flows, the UAE is stepping into a more assertive role: not just as an importer, but as a partner in African agricultural transformation.

This session will explore how Emirati investors and African governments are working together to reshape the continent’s food economy — from greenhouses and irrigation infrastructure to agri-processing hubs, logistics corridors, and agri-tech platforms. It will examine where the most promising commercial models are emerging, what innovations are proving scalable, and how to ensure these partnerships deliver shared value — from food security in the Gulf to jobs and resilience in Africa.

Cheryl Buss, Chief Executive Officer, Absa International
Hassan Moufid Halawy, Chief Executive Officer, Elite Agro Projects
Saurabh Mehra, Managing Director - Grains & Oil Seeds Processing, Olam Agri
Kamal Pallan, Partner, Chief Operational Officer & Chief Compliance Officer, Kuramo Capital Management
Ahmed Saeed Al Suwaidi, Group Corporate Affairs Officer, Aldahra
Alice Ruhweza, President, AGRA (moderator)

17:15 Keynote Address