•Capital flows are being reshaped to drive the economy as multilateralism is challenged
Leveraging corporate champions to project global influence, Forum grows in scale
It is at the heart of Africa’s strategic agenda.
•Themed “The Scale Imperative: Why Africa Must Embrace Shared Ownership,” the 2026 edition calls on leaders in the public and private sectors to deploy capital, share risk and build ownership of Africa across borders to ensure the continent’s long-term prosperity. The call to action is scale or fail.
Kigali, March 23, 2026 – The Africa CEO Forum has established itself as the continent’s leading platform for high-level public-private dialogue and dealmaking. With the restructuring of the global economy in full swing, the 2026 edition will be held in Kigali and address the question that will define Africa’s future: how to achieve the scale needed to compete, integrate and prosper in an increasingly fragmented world.
As global power relations evolve, Africa’s ability to rely on competitive, agile and internationally integrated business champions has become a critical imperative for businesses. In this changing global landscape, one lesson is clear. That means scale is no longer an option. It’s the first line of defense.
While the continent has shown remarkable resilience, increasing growth rates, improving sovereign ratings, and ensuring that Africa’s major financial institutions replenish their records, reaching the necessary scale will require more than just removing physical and regulatory barriers. It means embracing a new way of thinking based on a new vision of shared ownership.
Organized by Jeune Afrique Media Group and co-hosted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the African CEO Forum 2026 brings together Africa’s key public and private decision makers with the clear belief that scale can only be achieved through shared ownership of Africa.
The forum will explore three strategic levers for building continental scale.
•Shared equity: Unlocking cross-border equity investment to create transnational champions for Africa. Mobilize African institutional capital across markets to strengthen resilience and improve long-term returns.
•Shared infrastructure: Design complementary infrastructure to integrate Africa’s value chains. We promote innovative projects that meet national and local needs and create truly connected markets.
•A shared framework: Harmonize standards, rules and regulations to increase investor confidence and enable the free flow of capital, goods and services. Build future-proof digital rails for healthcare, education, agriculture, and cross-border payments.
Amir Ben Yahamed, Chairman of the Africa CEO Forum, said: “If Africa wants to compete in a world defined by size, it must move beyond economic chauvinism and embrace new models of co-investment of African capital. Shared ownership, cross-border partnerships and continental ambition will define Africa’s economic future and the next generation of African champions.”
Makhtar Diop, IFC Managing Director, said: “Africa has the capital and the opportunity to grow and create quality jobs. The key now is to leverage that capital at scale. That means building trust, sharing risk and investing across borders. The Africa CEO Forum brings together leaders to connect policy and private investment to help shape Africa’s next phase of growth.”
Ten years after AfCFTA negotiations began, the African CEO Forum community will reconvene in Kigali on May 14-15, 2026 to translate ambition into concrete commitments. Business leaders, investors, heads of state and ministers will be asked to commit capital, share risk and take ownership to ensure Africa has a stake in its future.
About the Africa CEO Forum
Founded in 2012, the Africa CEO Forum is the leading platform for CEOs of Africa’s largest companies and multinationals, investors, heads of state, ministers, and representatives of major financial institutions operating across the continent. Forums provide a high-level space for networking, sharing experiences, and analyzing trends shaping the business world. The annual summit aims to deliver concrete and innovative solutions to move the continent and its private sector forward. The Africa CEO Forum was created by Jeune Afrique Media Group and co-hosted with IFC, a member of the World Bank Group.
More information: https://www.theafricaceoforum.com/forum-2025/en/
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development agency focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We operate in more than 100 countries, leveraging our capital, expertise and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In FY2025, IFC committed a record $71.7 billion to private businesses and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging private sector solutions and mobilizing private capital to make the planet a better place to live and a world without poverty.
For more information, please visit www.ifc.org.
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press contact
ACF: Soukaina Harty – (email protected) / Thibault Cabrera – (email protected)
IFC: Edwin Etumbo Eselem – (email protected)
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