Africa Business Convention
Welcome to the New Africa Business Convention
Africa is entering one of the most consequential periods in its economic history.
Across the continent, governments are implementing far-reaching reforms, markets are becoming more integrated through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), technology is redefining industries, and new investment opportunities are emerging across infrastructure, manufacturing, agriculture, finance, energy, digital innovation and the creative economy. Yet, alongside these opportunities are new risks, shifting regulations, changing geopolitical realities and increasingly complex business environments.
Success in this new Africa will belong to those who are informed, connected and prepared.
That conviction has inspired the evolution of the Africa Business Convention.
Beginning in 2027, the Africa Business Convention is no longer simply an annual conference. It is now a year-round membership community dedicated to helping businesses, investors, policymakers and entrepreneurs understand Africa’s changing economic landscape, build meaningful relationships and capture opportunities across the continent.
Through our three membership categories—Budding (Individual & MSME), Vanguard, and Premium—members gain continuous access to strategic engagement, business intelligence, networking opportunities and practical insights designed to support growth throughout the year.
Our engagement now extends well beyond the Convention itself. Members benefit from regular newsletters, the Africa Brief, exclusive market intelligence, executive conversations, leadership forums, SME masterclasses, webinars, investment dialogues and curated networking opportunities that keep them connected to Africa’s most important business conversations.
At the heart of this transformation is our growing suite of knowledge products. Following the successful launch of the Africa Business Convention Report and the Africa Investment YearBook in 2026, we are proud to introduce the Africa Risk Report in 2027. Together, these publications provide timely analysis of Africa’s economic trends, investment opportunities, policy developments, emerging sectors and evolving risk landscape, equipping decision-makers with the intelligence required to navigate a rapidly changing continent with confidence.
The Africa Business Convention 2027, taking place from 2–3 March 2027, represents the annual gathering of this expanding ecosystem. It is where ideas become partnerships, conversations become investments, and networks become lasting collaborations. It brings together business leaders, investors, policymakers, development partners, entrepreneurs and innovators who share a common ambition—to accelerate Africa’s growth by mobilising capital, knowledge, partnerships and enterprise.
Whether you are exploring new markets, seeking investment opportunities, expanding your business, influencing policy or building strategic relationships, the Africa Business Convention offers a platform designed to support your ambitions—not just for two days, but throughout the year.
We invite you to become part of this growing community and help shape Africa’s next chapter of growth, innovation and shared prosperity.
Welcome to the new Africa Business Convention. Welcome to Africa’s year-round business community.
Our mission is clear: Our mission is clear: to help businesses capture the growing opportunities in Africa.
The Africa Business Convention (ABC) exists to accelerate Africa’s economic transformation by uniting policymakers, business leaders, and partners to champion enterprise, investment, and inclusive growth.
The Africa Business Convention (ABC) is the premier forum for meaningful engagement between policymakers, business leaders, and civil society, dedicated to unlocking opportunities and driving sustainable growth across Africa.
For too long, Africa has been described as a continent of potential. At ABC, we believe it is time to move from promise to progress—accelerating economic transformation, fostering innovation, and creating opportunities that uplift people and communities.
ABC brings together Africans and global partners to chart a shared journey—building a thriving continent defined by investment, enterprise, and inclusive prosperity. We believe that Africa’s economies will only grow when Africa’s businesses grow. By “African businesses,” we mean not only those owned by Africans, but all enterprises operating across the continent and committed to advancing Africa’s interests.
Since its establishment in 2021, ABC has developed a long-term framework anchored on six core pillars that shape dialogue, build communities, and inspire action.
Through these pillars, ABC serves as a catalyst for policy reform, business collaboration, and investment commitments that drive real change.
Founder and Convener, Africa Business Convention
Dr. Ogho Okiti is the Founder and Convener of Africa Business Convention. He is one of the continent’s leading voices on economic policy and business strategy, known for translating complex macroeconomic shifts into clear guidance for CEOs, policymakers, and investors across Africa.
Dr. Okiti’s career bridges public policy and the private sector. He served in the Presidency as Special Assistant to the Chief Economic Adviser to the President, where he coordinated the secretariat for Nigeria’s hosting of the World Economic Forum on Africa in 2014. He later served as President and CEO of Time Economics Ltd, an Abuja-based economic consulting firm, before becoming Managing Director of BusinessDay, Nigeria’s premier business daily, where he had earlier served as its first Chief Economist and Chair of the Editorial Board where he authored more than 200 articles, reports, and policy analyses on the economy, fiscal policy, jobs, and education. Most recently, Dr Okiti served as the Special Adviser to the Honorable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Okiti spent two years at the UK’s Office for National Statistics in London, working on improving measures of government output in social security and social services.
He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Manchester and a first degree from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria. Through his ThinkBusiness platform and regular commentary, he engages CEOs, government decision-makers, investors, and analysts on the shifts shaping business and economic policy across Nigeria and the continent.
Let Us Build Africa Together
Africa is a continent of paradoxes.
It is home to some of the world’s most valuable resources—oil, gas, gold, cobalt, lithium—yet it also hosts the largest concentration of people living in poverty, with weak infrastructure and low levels of human development. Africa has the youngest population in the world, with a median age of 19. But while millions of young people enter the labour force each year, too many face unemployment or underemployment, compounded by gaps in relevant skills.
Over the past two decades, rapid migration from rural to urban areas has reshaped the continent. Yet this movement has not been matched by growth in manufacturing, industrial output, or technical capacity. The result: cities like Lagos, Nairobi, Johannesburg, and Kinshasa are expanding quickly, emerging as hubs of innovation, fintech, and culture—yet they remain constrained by power shortages, traffic congestion, poor sanitation, and inadequate housing.
The contradictions are stark. Africa is leapfrogging in digital technology, yet hampered by outdated bureaucracies. It possesses 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, yet depends heavily on food imports. Some countries post some of the fastest GDP growth rates globally, while others are mired in conflict, inequality, and stagnation. A rising middle class coexists alongside widespread, grinding poverty.
Africa Business Convention provides clarity.
To build, we must first be clear about our goal: a continent of shared prosperity, where millions are lifted out of poverty through inclusive economic growth, guided by accountable leadership and powered by private sector–led investment, innovation, and job creation.
It is a process.
We know that development is not an overnight event. Around the world, every nation that has successfully lifted its people out of poverty has done so through a process—some faster, others slower, but all through deliberate effort. At the Africa Business Convention (ABC), we provide a platform to strengthen, monitor, and accelerate that process.
It will take partnerships.
Africa’s future will be built on partnerships. The framework for expanding intra-African trade is already in place. Governments must create the right policy environment; businesses and households must raise productivity; and the global community must commit to deeper cooperation.
And you—your leadership, your vision, your contribution—will be vital.
Let us build Africa together.
Innovation
Collaboration
Integrity
Inclusivity
Excellence
Sustainability
At the Africa Business Convention, we collaborate with partners who share our vision, believing in the power of strategic partnerships. We do this in the most excellent and innovative ways, guided by integrity, ensuring inclusivity so that no one is left behind. We are committed to sustaining these efforts over time to empower Africa’s leaders, businesses, and communities to thrive.