Akinwunmi Adesina, former President of the African Development Bank, is leading a bold effort to redefine Africa’s economic future. With the launch of the Global Africa Investment Summit (GAIS), he is charting a clear path for the continent to move from aid dependence to investment-driven growth. The summit is designed to bring together African governments, global CEOs, and institutional investors, creating a platform where deals can be brokered and large-scale investments can flow into strategic sectors.
Despite hosting 12 of the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies, Africa has struggled to attract sufficient global capital. Fragmented markets, underdeveloped public assets, and an overreliance on foreign aid have limited the continent’s growth potential. GAIS seeks to address these challenges by unlocking Africa’s vast sovereign and private assets and presenting them in ways that appeal to global investors.
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“Africa must unlock its vast sovereign assets to generate wealth,” Adesina said in a statement ahead of the summit, which is scheduled to take place in Angola later this year. “The Global Africa Investment Summit, as a market maker, is the globally trusted platform to unlock mega deals and assets by connecting Africa to global capital.”
Africa’s demographic trends make the investment case particularly compelling. The continent is home to nearly 1.3 billion people, with the world’s youngest population, and its population is projected to double by 2030. Its growing middle class and expanding consumer markets, forecast to reach $2.5 trillion by 2030 from $1.4 trillion in 2015, present enormous opportunities for foreign direct investment in sectors ranging from technology and manufacturing to agriculture and energy.
GAIS is also spotlighting strategic sectors with high growth potential. Critical minerals, metals, rare earths, renewable energy, digital infrastructure, and agribusiness are among the industries primed for investment. By facilitating structured connections between African governments and investors, the summit aims to create conditions for scalable, long-term projects that can transform economies and drive sustainable development.
The initiative has already attracted strong support from global and African leaders, including Ghanaian President John Mahama, Kenyan President William Ruto, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Mozambican President Daniel Chapo, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, and African business leaders such as Aliko Dangote and Robert Gumede. Their backing underscores a growing consensus that Africa’s future lies in investment-led growth rather than aid reliance.
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As geopolitical tensions and protectionist policies limit capital flows elsewhere, GAIS represents a timely opportunity for the world’s investors to tap into Africa’s untapped potential. By connecting global capital with African markets in a structured and transparent way, the summit aims to accelerate economic transformation and position the continent as a major player on the global investment stage.
