Leading African businessman
and philanthropist Tony O. Elumelu; Akin Adesina, President of the African
Development Bank; Graca Machel, former first lady of Mozambique and widow of
Nelson Mandela; Phillipe le Houerou, CEO of the International Finance
Corporation and Tarek Sultan Al Esso, CEO and Vice Chairman of the Board
Agility have been slated to co-chair the 26th World Economic Forum on
Africa that will be held from 11th-13th May, 2016 for the first
time ever in Kigali, Rwanda.
This year’s event themed “Connecting Africa’s
Resources through Digital Transformation” will
witness regional and global leaders in business, government and civil society convene in the East African country to discuss digital economy, key global and regional challenges, and agree on strategic actions to deliver shared prosperity across the continent.
witness regional and global leaders in business, government and civil society convene in the East African country to discuss digital economy, key global and regional challenges, and agree on strategic actions to deliver shared prosperity across the continent.
The president of the African Development bank
Akin Adesina is an Agricultural economist and immediate past president of the
African Association of Agricultural Economists. He will be on the chair alongside
a fellow Nigerian, Tony Elumelu, founder of the
Tony Elumelu Foundation and the Chairman of pan-African
investment conglomerates, Heirs Holdings, Transcorp Nigeria and the
multinational United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc. Elumelu is a
longstanding stakeholder in WEF, having participated at a high level for
several years at the fora in Davos, Switzerland and within
Africa.
At an interview on CNBC aired last Friday,
Mr. Elumelu unveiled his plans for his role as chairman of WEF Africa In Kigali
stating that he will draw from his wealth of experience as a serial
investor and renowned businessman with stakes in major sectors of Africa’s
economic landscape to speak on harnessing the continent’s potential for digital
transformation.
“Africa is bursting at the seams
with homegrown solutions and digital resources that can
power its transformation”, says Mr. Elumelu. “We need to critically
examine these solutions and galvanize support for
immediate implementation. I am happy that WEF Africa provides a
perfect opportunity for business leaders like myself to do this.”
The co chairs will sit on several panels at the
forum discussing issues ranging from Energy to transportation as they affect
the African economies.
Also attending the WEF Africa this year are
14 Heads of states from across the African continent.
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