On Thursday, April 16, at 9:30 a.m. ET, the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center will host its Investing in Africa Forum at the Decatur House on the margins of the 2026 International Monetary Fund-World Bank Spring Meetings.
Africa is experiencing a period of historic economic growth, outpacing Asia for the first time in recent history, as the United States increasingly takes a “trade, not aid” approach toward the continent. The conversations held during the forum will aim to help define a pragmatic, forward-looking roadmap for sustainable investment and long-term economic cooperation with Africa, connecting geopolitics with real-world investment opportunities. International tensions provide an additional reason to increase commitments to Africa, where ongoing structural shifts will impact the coming decades.
This forum builds on the Council’s 2020 conference, Investing in Africa’s Future, during the first Trump administration in partnership with the US Development Finance Corporation. The forum will convene senior policymakers, business leaders, development finance institutions, and civil society leaders to discuss topics such as critical minerals, artificial intelligence and data centers, creative industries, and sports as vehicles for economic growth and engagement.
New policy: In-person attendees will be required to show photo ID upon arrival, and no on-site registration will be permitted.
Please complete the form below to register for this event. Due to limited seating capacity, in-person registration will be confirmed 24 hours before the event.
Speakers
Please stay tuned for additional speakers.
Agenda
9:30–9:35 a.m. | Welcome remarks
9:35–9:45 a.m. | Opening keynote
Featuring
Ben Black
Chief Executive Officer,
US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)
9:45–10:00 a.m. | Fireside chat
Featuring
Aliko Dangote
Founder, President and CEO,
Dangote Group
10:00–10:30 a.m. | Beyond extraction: Building value from Africa’s critical minerals
Speakers
Sandy Alexander
Chief Legal and External Affairs Officer,
KoBold Metals
Joshua Kroon
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles, Consumer Goods,
Materials, Critical Minerals & Metals, Industry & Analysis,
International Trade Administration, US Department of Commerce
Teddy Lwamba
Directeur Général,
SNEL
Mahmoud Mohieldin, PhD
Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development,
United Nations
Chris Showalter
Chief Executive Officer, Director,
Lifezone Metals
Moderated by
Aubrey Hruby
Senior Advisor, Africa Center,
Atlantic Council
10:30–10:40 a.m. | Keynote
Featuring
‘Bosun Tijani, PhD
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy,
Federal Republic of Nigeria
10:40–11:20 a.m. | AI, data centers, and connectivity: Africa’s infrastructure moment
Speakers
Johnson Agogbua
Founder & CEO,
Kasi
Nvalaye Kourouma
Chief Digital Officer,
Ecobank
Clayton Naidoo
Director Strategic Missions and Partnerships,
Google Cloud
Thierry Wandji, PhD
President and CEO,
Cybastion
Moderated by
William Yancey Brown
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global Energy Center,
Atlantic Council
11:20 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | From culture to capital: Creative industries and sports as growth engines
Featuring
Dante Disparte
CSO and Head of Global Policy & Operations,
Circle
Speakers
Mohamed Eissa
Global Head of Venture Capital & Direct Investments,
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Mehdi El Khatib
Managing Director,
Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) Global Hubs
Lauri Fitz-Pegado
President & Co-founder,
Beyond the Ballet Barre Inc.
Jeffrey Haley
CEO,
Nclusion, Inc
Lorna Maseko
Founder,
Ekhaya Hospitality & Productions
Moderated by
Jeannine B. Scott
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Africa Center,
Atlantic Council
12:00–12:10 p.m. | Keynote
Featuring
Samaila Zubairu
President & CEO,
Africa Finance Corporation
12:10–12:30 p.m. | Ministerial panel
Speakers
Nardos Bekele-Thomas
Chief Executive Officer,
AUDA-NEPAD
Vera Esperança dos Santos Daves de Sousa
Minister of Finance,
Republic of Angola
Doudou Fwamba Likunde
Minister of Finance,
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Moderated by
Dana L. Banks
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Africa Center,
Atlantic Council
Supported by
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The Africa Center works to promote dynamic geopolitical partnerships with African states and to redirect US and European policy priorities toward strengthening security and bolstering economic growth and prosperity on the continent.
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