Thursday, November 4th
10:45 - 12:15
*Note: Please meet in the green room 30min prior to the session start time to meet your fellow speakers and be mic’d up
About the Africa Investment Forum:
Africa Investment Forum 2022 is the continent’s largest transactional investment marketplace. It brings together deal sponsors, deal brokers and deal makers from around the world. This year’s Market Days event will be the first face-to-face gathering since 2019.
Launched in 2018 by the African Development Bank, AIF provides investors with access to a deal platform, offering bankable and de-risked projects with strong support from Africa’s leading development finance institutions. It is this transactional focus that distinguishes AIF from other African business summits. In addition to the public plenaries and the panel sessions, there will be private boardrooms that focus on specific deals at the Market Days.
Session Description: Controlled Chaos: Protecting Africa's Interests in a Global Geopolitical Storm
The triple threats of the pandemic, the climate crisis, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have ushered in a new era of global uncertainty and forced profound geopolitical realignments that are already impacting Africa’s relations with the international community. Western powers’ drive to diversify supply chains heralds new opportunities for Africa to redefine its role in the global economy as the continent pursues its ambitious plans for regional integration. However, without meaningful long-term investments and greater international collaboration, there is a risk that this new more central place in the global economy could be short-lived, while the impacts of the climate crisis risk could undermine stability in the region with knock-on effects globally. What political and economic headwinds should investors and businesses be paying attention to in Africa? How can pan-African institutions elevate the continent’s voice on the global stage?
Session Goals:
- Discuss the implications of rising global geopolitical tensions on Africa, including, but not limited to, US-China trade ties, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, increased resource nationalism, etc and the opportunities and challenges they present
- Discuss investment opportunities that are emerging in food, fuel, fertilizer and battery supply chains
- Discuss the changing global institutional shifts and how African nations can best advance their interests
Session Format:
This is a 90-minute session, consisting of a moderated panel discussion and time reserved at the end for Audience Q&A. The panel will be one lively conversation with a moderator who knows the topic instead of a set of sequential monologues. Answers and interventions should be short and example-rich, with everyone speaking in sentences rather than paragraphs. Long introductions will not be made for panelists as full bios and background information is available to the audience.
Moderator:
- Alan Kasujja, Presenter BBC World Service
Panelists:
- Ken Shibusawa, CEO of Shibusawa and Company
- Laurence do Rego, Chairwoman of the Guarantee Committee
- Stephane Charbit, Managing Director, Rothschild, Sovereign Advisory
Questions for Discussion:
- How are you seeing your businesses shift in response to major macroeconomic events and trends?
- Are you looking at new investment opportunities? In which sectors?
- How can African nations best advance their interests in global fora? How should the global architecture (UN, World Bank, etc) be remade to match the challenges of this era?
- How can African DFIs buy down risk for global investors looking at African opportunities in an age of global uncertainty?