Powering competitiveness in Africa

Africa CEO Forum 2017.

The Africa CEO Forum will hold its 6th edition on 26 and 27 March 2018 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. More than 1,200 key figures and decision-makers from industry, finance and politics will converge from 60 countries to attend the world's largest gathering of the African private sector.

The African private sector has developed strongly over the past two decades, most recently showing its capacity to resist a period of economic slowdown.

But the number and size of leading companies remains small when measured against other emerging regions. While economic recovery takes shape, the unprecedented technological disruption that is occurring all over the world can be a tool for African champions to grow ever faster, to increase their competitivity, and to challenge their counterparts at a global level.

Despite the risks they pose to industry in terms of job creation, this digital revolution also enables acceleration on a new scale in several fields: financial inclusion, logistics, access to health and education, agricultural competitivity and innovation among them. Providing the business climate continues to improve and investment to strengthen, this large-scale evolution will also result in a new generation of dynamic African companies.

Through 20 sessions organised by sector and region, case studies by top CEOs, success stories, strategic workshops, and themed task forces (on female leadership and young CEOs), the 2018 edition of the Africa CEO Forum sets out to open the perspective on a new era for the private sector, and to make the next 10 years of growth a decade of entrepreneurial transformation in Africa.

Check out our brand new TV Spot that will be broadcasted very soon on your screens �� �� @BrunoMettling @ToyinFSanni @NaguibSawiris @TonyeCole1 @AlikoDangote @BBCLerato @moodewji @IssadRebrab pic.twitter.com/gBwZf9tLxY

— Africa CEO Forum (@africaceoforum) January 26, 2018

Among the key speakers to lead the debate:

Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire; Philippe Le Houérou, CEO of the International Finance Corporation; Jim Ovia, founder and CEO of Zenith Bank; Tedros Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization; Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever; Claudio Descalzi, CEO of ENI; Naguib Sawiris, executive president of OTMT; Benedict Oramah, president of Afreximbank; Kuseni Dlamini, chairman of Massmart; Mohamed El Kettani, CEO of Attijariwafa Bank; Diego Aponte, CEO of MSC; Geoffrey Qhena, CEO of IDC; Zouhaïr Bennani, CEO of Label'Vie; Janine Kacou Diagou, managing director of the NSIA Group; Yolanda Cuba, CEO of Vodafone Ghana; Junior Ngulube, CEO of Sanlam; Issad Rebrab, chairman of the Board of Cévital; Abderrahmane Benhamadi, CEO of Condor; Alassane Doumbia, CEO of SIFCA; Bruno Mettling, deputy CEO in charge of Africa and the Middle East, Orange; Patrick Akorli, CEO of Ghana Oil Company; Austin Avuru, CEO of Seplat Petroleum; Joshua Oigara, CEO of Kenya Commercial Bank Group; Vuyani Jarana, CEO of South African Airways; Oluwatoyin Sanni, CEO of United Capital; and Tonye Cole, CEO of Sahara Group.

The Africa CEO Forum 2018 is organised by Jeune Afrique Media Group, the publisher of Jeune Afrique and The Africa Report, and by Rainbow Unlimited, a Swiss company specialised in event organisation and economic promotion. The 2018 edition is co-hosted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC, part of the World Bank Group).

Discover the program.