Wednesday, November 3rd
13:30 - 14:45
*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: Africa’s Manufacturing Future
Growing the manufacturing sector is often considered a cardinal element to realising inclusive and sustained development. Among the multiple benefits of manufacturing are the industry’s aptitude to allow Africa to feed itself through agro-processing and to create employment for a vast number of low-skilled workers, which is essential for reducing poverty and improving overall well-being. What is the status of Africa's manufacturing sector relative to the rest of the world? What government policies and institutional improvements are necessary to ensure the continent's manufacturing base stays competitive and attracts investment - especially in higher value-added, export-led manufacturing that is key to economic growth and development? This session will provide a status update on Africa’s manufacturing sector and discuss the industry’s prospects for the year ahead.
Session Goals:
- Provide an overview of megatrends in Africa’s manufacturing sectors.
- Identify the sub-sectors that present the greatest opportunity for leverage and success in the international economy.
- Discuss ways in which Africa can simultaneously decarbonize its manufacturing sectors and drive forward economic growth and industrialization.
Session Format:
This is a 75-minute session, consisting of a moderated panel discussion with two panelists. 15 minutes will be 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:
- Viola Llewellyn, Founder, Ovamba
Panelists:
- Gagan Gupta, CEO, Arise
- Bireme Sock, Founder, Kwely
- Massogbè Touré, Founder and CEO, SITA Group
- Olukayode Pitan, MD of Bank of Industry of Nigeria
Questions for Discussion:
- What are some of the megatrends facing Africa’s manufacturing sectors?
- How do investments in infrastructure change the value proposition for investors in manufacturing?
- Which sub-sectors present the greatest opportunity for African countries to gain a foothold in global markets for African products?
- What is the role of African DFIs in supporting the growth of the manufacturing sector? Where are the financing gaps?
- Discuss the transition to a green manufacturing sector. Can Africa simultaneously decarbonize its manufacturing sectors and drive forward economic growth and industrialization?