By Jerry Omondi
1,500 Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Heads of State, ministers and business leaders are expected in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, from June 13-14 for the 2022 Africa CEO Forum, the largest international meeting of the African private sector.
The two-day forum will involve conferences, debates and high-level meetings dedicated to highlighting the driving role of the private sector in the continent’s development.
More than 70 countries are expected to be represented at the event, which will be happening in-person for the first time since 2019.
2022 marks 10 years since the first edition of the Africa CEO Forum, and this year’s event comes at a time when the world is recovering and rebuilding from COVID-19. It is expected to focus on proposing new routes for Africa’s growth.
Among those expected to participate in the Abidjan forum are; Côte d’Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara, Senegal President Macky Sall, Mauritania President Mohamed Cheikh El Ghazouani, Niger President Mohamed Bazoum and Nigeria Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
At the annual meeting, sessions dubbed ‘Invest In’ allow CEOs and investors to meet with high-level African government officials to gain deeper insight into their countries’ economic development strategies. These sessions provide exposure to a variety of key sectors, business environments, and public and private investment opportunities.
Ahead of the forum, the President and Founder of the AFRICA CEO Forum, Amir Ben Yahmed, urged the continent to rethink its growth model in the constantly changing world.
“The world has entered a complex and probably long-lasting period of economic and political tensions that require our continent to question its growth model. In such a context, we must imperatively place sovereignty at the heart of our projects and propose new paths for African prosperity: green growth, industrial transformation, the digital economy, and the publicprivate dialogue,” Ben Yahmed said.
