African business leaders and policy experts, with support from the International Employers Organization (IOE), are calling on global investors, particularly sovereign wealth funds and development financiers, to urgently refocus Africa’s core growth priorities.
They warn that without decisive changes to capital flows, the continent risks missing out on important opportunities to accelerate industrialization, expand infrastructure and strengthen economic resilience.
This was during the just concluded 2025 B20 Annual Summit in South Africa.
Central to the summit’s outcome was the continent’s persistent infrastructure and industrialization gap, with participants stressing that Africa still faces an annual funding gap of between $70 billion (Sh9 trillion) and $110 billion (Sh14.3 trillion).
They are therefore urging investors to replicate and expand successful public-private partnerships (PPPs).
The summit’s final communiqué states: “Scaling up what works. Lowering the cost of capital. Making development finance work as a system for increasing trust.”
Participants said strengthening institutions like the AfDB, while deepening collaboration with global players such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC), is central to unlocking mixed capital and reducing borrowing costs.
food system
Food security also featured prominently, with the summit noting that Africa’s agricultural challenges are not a lack of strategy but weak implementation across markets and borders.
“African food systems face implementation challenges, not strategy gaps.”
Experts thus emphasized the need for customized financing models, improved cross-border trade rules, and digitally enabled value chains to move farmers from subsistence to commercial productivity.
They added that expanding electronic payments, electronic invoicing and farmers’ digital identities will improve traceability, reduce losses, expand market access and turn policy goals into measurable impact.
B20 discussions further emphasized the need to build a climate-smart economy that can transform Africa’s natural resources into diverse low-carbon industries.
Leaders have suggested that integrating energy, water, agriculture and nature-based sectors into a combined bioeconomy could create millions of jobs while strengthening resilience.
Digital transformation and skills development were also identified as essential pillars of competitiveness.
The delegation called on governments to accelerate implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) digital trade protocols, including electronic signatures and digital customs, to reduce friction in regional trade.
They further stress that expanding affordable digital access, strengthening talent pipelines and adapting education systems to emerging technologies will determine whether Africa’s population boom can be translated into productive digital dividends.
When it comes to critical minerals, employers warn that Africa risks missing out on opportunities in global value chains if it continues to export raw materials without adding value domestically.
They are therefore calling for regional coordination through AfCFTA and SADC to harmonize rules, speed up permitting and develop profitable cross-border industrial projects.
“Africa’s mineral resources must be transformed into diverse value-added industries that drive sustainable growth.”
Nevertheless, the summit called for a transparent financing platform to focus private investment in mineral processing zones, industrial corridors and clean energy projects.
