Africa CEO Forum opens in Rwanda with call to defend Africa's strategic interests
Kigali, May 14
African leaders, business executives, and global investors gathered in the Rwandan capital of Kigali on Thursday for the opening of the Africa CEO Forum 2026.
The two-day forum, organised by Jeune Afrique Media Group and co-hosted by the International Finance Corporation, is being held under the theme "Scale or Fail: Why Africa Must Embrace Shared Ownership".
In his address at the opening ceremony, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said Africa must take greater responsibility for protecting and advancing its own interests despite possessing enormous strategic advantages, Xinhua news agency reported.
"These powers, you see, that come here lecturing people on democracy and human rights, are doing it with one arm and with the other they are just taking away everything that people own," he said, Africa CEO Forum shared on X.
Ivory Coast Prime Minister Robert Beugre Mambe also participated in the programme on Thursday.
Africa CEO Forum President Amir Ben Yahmed stressed that Africa can only achieve meaningful scale if governments, businesses and investors embrace a culture of shared ownership and trust.
Rwanda Development Board Chief Executive Officer Jean-Guy Afrika said that Africa's demographic growth and expanding markets present enormous opportunities, but warned that the continent must convert that potential into scalable economic transformation.
The annual forum is regarded as the largest international gathering of the African private sector, bringing together high-level discussions, debates and business meetings focused on the role of private enterprise in driving the continent's development.
The 2026 edition, which has attracted more than 2,000 participants from over 75 countries across Africa and beyond, is calling on public and private sector leaders to commit capital, share risk and build transnational African ownership structures capable of securing the continent's long-term prosperity.
— IANS
Reader Comments
"Scale or Fail" - such a powerful mantra! India went through a similar phase in the 1990s when we opened up our economy but kept strategic control. Africa has immense demographic dividends but needs to build local champions. The Rwanda Development Board guy is right: potential means nothing without execution. 🇮🇳🤝🇷🇼
Interesting timing for this forum. With global supply chains shifting away from China, Africa could be the next manufacturing hub. But Kagame's warning about exploitation is crucial - we've seen what happens when foreign capital comes in without local ownership. Just look at how our own textile industry was gutted by unfair trade deals. Africa must learn from our mistakes.
One thing I appreciate about this forum is the focus on private sector. For too long, development in Africa has been donor-driven. Indian companies like Mahindra and Tata are already investing there - shared ownership makes business sense. But I'd love to see more women-led businesses from Africa at the table next time. 😊
While I agree with the sentiment, we must be cautious. Shared ownership sounds great on paper, but who decides how it's structured? Look at what happened with India's land reform policies or our own public sector banks. The devil is in the implementation. That said, Kagame's straight talk about Western hypocrisy is refreshing - he's one leader who walks the talk.
As someone who works in cross-border trade, I can tell you: the biggest barrier for African businesses isn't capital - it's trust and legal frameworks. India has the
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.