KIGALI, Rwanda
The Africa CEO Forum 2026 opened on Thursday in Kigali, bringing together more than 2,800 public- and private-sector leaders from over 77 countries amid growing calls for deeper economic integration and scalable investment across the continent.
Held under the theme “Scale or Fail: Why Africa Must Embrace Shared Ownership,” the two-day summit is urging African governments, investors and corporations to move beyond fragmented national markets and build a more unified economic framework capable of producing globally competitive companies.
Organized by Jeune Afrique Media Group and co-hosted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the 13th edition of the forum comes at a time of shifting global capital flows, rising economic nationalism, and increasing pressure on multilateral systems. Against this backdrop, participants are emphasizing the need for Africa to achieve “critical mass” through coordinated investment, regulatory alignment and cross-border collaboration.
“Africa has a lot that is not yet being put to good use,” Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame said at the opening ceremony. “It is up to us — not people from anywhere else — to raise ourselves to the level we want to reach.”
At the heart of the discussions is the concept of “shared ownership,” which organizers describe as a new model for African capitalism based on pooling capital, integrating infrastructure and harmonizing regulatory systems across borders.
Amir Ben Yahmed, CEO of Jeune Afrique Media Group and President of the Africa CEO Forum, said the approach is key to unlocking scale. “Shared ownership is about helping African companies and infrastructure projects reach the right scale by going at it together, instead of trying to go at it alone,” he said.
Makhtar Diop, Managing Director of IFC, echoed the call for coordinated investment. “Africa has the capital and the opportunity to grow and create quality jobs. What matters now is putting that capital to work at scale,” he said, stressing the importance of trust, risk-sharing and cross-border investment.
The forum is structured around three key pillars: expanding cross-border equity investment and mobilizing African institutional capital; prioritizing regional infrastructure to integrate value chains and reduce costs; and harmonizing regulatory frameworks to ease the movement of capital, goods, services and talent.
Jean Guy Afrika, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board, underscored the urgency of collective action. “Scale will not be achieved by governments, businesses, or investors acting in isolation, but through shared responsibility, shared risk, and shared execution,” he said.
Several African heads of state are attending the summit, including Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria, William Ruto of Kenya, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema of Gabon, Daniel Chapo of Mozambique, Mohamed Cheikh Ould El Ghazouani of Mauritania, and Mamadi Doumbouya of Guinea.
They are joined by leading figures from finance and industry, including African Development Bank President Sidi Ould Tah, IFC Regional Vice President for Africa Ethiopis Tafara, Schneider Electric Chairman Jean-Pascal Tricoire, and executives from major firms such as BUA Group, DP World, and Bank of Kigali.
Founded in 2012, the Africa CEO Forum has grown into a key platform for dialogue between African policymakers and business leaders, with a focus on advancing private sector-led development and shaping the continent’s economic trajectory.
