Business Council For Africa, 59-60 Russell Square, London (2026)

18/06/2026

Africa is standing at a very clear inflection point in health tech innovation.

The demand is undeniable. Health systems across the continent are under pressure from population growth, urbanisation, and rising expectations for better access and quality of care. At the same time, gaps in infrastructure make traditional healthcare delivery difficult to scale efficiently.

What makes this moment different is the combination of three forces working together. First is demand, which is persistent and growing. Second is a young population that is highly adaptable, digitally fluent, and increasingly willing to build solutions rather than wait for them. Third is mobile infrastructure, which has already proven capable of transforming entire sectors, most notably through mobile money and digital payments.

When you bring these factors together, health tech becomes one of the most natural areas for innovation. Solutions like telemedicine, digital diagnostics, health data platforms, and AI supported care systems are not just possible, they are necessary.

To fully unlock this opportunity, investment and policy must align with innovation. That means supporting startups, improving digital health regulation, and building systems that allow public and private actors to collaborate effectively.

If Africa gets this right, it does not just adopt global health tech trends. It helps define them.

17/06/2026

Building strong local capital markets is essential for reducing Africa’s dependence on foreign investment and creating a more self sustaining ecosystem for startups and SMEs.

At present, many early stage businesses rely heavily on external funding sources, which can introduce volatility and limit long term control over local innovation. Developing deeper domestic capital markets helps shift this balance by keeping more financial value within the continent.

A key step is strengthening institutional participation. Pension funds, insurance companies, and sovereign wealth funds can play a much larger role in financing local enterprises if appropriate risk frameworks and investment vehicles are in place. This creates a stable base of long term capital.

Equally important is expanding access to diverse financing instruments. Venture capital funds, private equity, credit guarantees, and well regulated crowdfunding platforms can all help bridge the funding gap for SMEs and startups.

Market infrastructure also matters. Strong regulatory systems, transparent reporting standards, and efficient capital market platforms build investor confidence and improve liquidity. Without these foundations, capital formation remains limited.

Ultimately, building local capital markets is not just about funding businesses. It is about creating a financial ecosystem that supports innovation, retains value within the economy, and reduces vulnerability to external shocks.

When African capital begins to fund African ideas at scale, the entire innovation landscape becomes more resilient and sustainable.

16/06/2026

Blended finance has become one of the most important tools for unlocking large scale infrastructure development across Africa, especially when the goal is to balance rural inclusion with urban expansion.

At its core, blended finance combines public funding, development finance, and private capital to reduce investment risk and make projects more attractive to investors. This structure is particularly valuable in markets where infrastructure needs are high but perceived risk is also high.

For rural areas, blended finance can support investment in essential infrastructure such as rural roads, off grid energy systems, water supply networks, and digital connectivity. These investments improve access, reduce inequality, and integrate rural communities into broader economic systems.

In urban centres, the same approach can support scalable infrastructure such as transport systems, affordable housing, energy grids, and smart city technologies that can keep pace with rapid population growth.

The real strength of blended finance is its ability to connect these two priorities within a single investment logic. By using concessional capital to de risk projects, it becomes possible to attract private investment into areas that would otherwise be overlooked, ensuring that development is not concentrated only in high return urban markets.

When applied effectively, blended finance becomes more than a funding mechanism. It becomes a coordination tool that aligns governments, development partners, and private investors around shared development goals.

This is how Africa can build infrastructure systems that are inclusive, scalable, and economically sustainable across both rural and urban landscapes.

15/06/2026

African entrepreneurs who have scaled without external funding offer important lessons on discipline, resilience, and sustainable growth.

Operating without external capital often forces founders to build with constraint, and that constraint becomes a source of strength. It encourages a sharper focus on profitability, efficient resource allocation, and careful decision making around growth.

One key lesson is the importance of revenue driven models from the start. Instead of relying on projected growth or investor capital, bootstrapped businesses must prioritise real customer demand. This often leads to stronger product market fit and more sustainable operations.

Another lesson is adaptability. Entrepreneurs who build without external funding tend to iterate quickly, respond to market feedback in real time, and pivot when necessary. This creates businesses that are more resilient to economic shifts and uncertainty.

There is also a strong emphasis on ownership and control. Without external investors, founders retain full decision making power, allowing them to build companies that are closely aligned with local realities and long term vision.

While external funding can accelerate growth, bootstrapped innovation demonstrates that strong businesses can be built from within, often with greater efficiency and long term stability.

12/06/2026

If every African university had a dedicated centre for entrepreneurship and innovation connected directly to real business ecosystems, the impact on the continent’s economic landscape would be significant and long lasting.

Universities would shift from being primarily academic institutions to becoming active engines of enterprise creation. Students would not only learn theory but also engage in building and testing real solutions to market challenges while still in school. This would bridge the long standing gap between education and employment.

The connection to real business ecosystems is what makes the difference. It ensures that ideas are validated in actual markets, supported by industry mentors, investors, and incubators. This reduces the disconnect between academic innovation and commercial viability, increasing the likelihood that student led ideas evolve into scalable businesses.

Such a system would also strengthen Africa’s innovation pipeline. More startups would emerge from universities, particularly in sectors like fintech, agriculture, health, climate solutions, and digital services. These ventures would be better aligned with local needs while also having the potential to scale regionally and globally.

Over time, this approach would shift the role of universities from producing job seekers to producing job creators. It would also deepen collaboration between academia, industry, and government, creating stronger innovation ecosystems across the continent.

In practical terms, it means turning campuses into launchpads for economic transformation rather than just centres of learning.

11/06/2026

Digital skilling should be viewed as critical infrastructure because it directly determines how effectively individuals, businesses, and institutions can participate in the modern economy.

In today’s knowledge driven world, access to physical infrastructure alone is not enough. The ability to use digital tools, understand data, and engage with technology platforms has become essential for productivity across nearly every sector, from finance and agriculture to healthcare, education, and trade.

Without strong digital skills, entire segments of the population risk being excluded from economic opportunities. With them, economies become more inclusive, innovative, and competitive.

Treating digital skilling as infrastructure means moving beyond short term training initiatives to long term, system wide investment. This includes integrating digital literacy into education systems, expanding access to affordable connectivity, and supporting continuous upskilling for workers as technology evolves.

It also requires collaboration between governments, private sector players, and training institutions to ensure skills development aligns with real market needs.

In Africa’s knowledge economy, capability is not optional. It is a core driver of competitiveness. Countries that invest early in digital skills will be better positioned to attract investment, grow innovation ecosystems, and compete globally.

10/06/2026

Public private collaboration has the potential to significantly reshape logistics systems across Africa, particularly when aligned with the goal of increasing local value addition and reducing export inefficiencies.

At present, many logistics networks on the continent are optimised for the export of raw materials rather than processed goods. This limits industrial growth and reduces the amount of value captured locally. Addressing this requires more than infrastructure investment alone. It requires coordinated action between governments and private sector actors.

Governments play a key role in providing policy direction, regulatory clarity, and foundational infrastructure such as ports, rail systems, and road networks. The private sector contributes efficiency, innovation, capital, and operational expertise. When both work in alignment, logistics systems become more integrated and responsive to industrial needs.

Improving logistics in this context is not just about speed or cost reduction. It is about enabling value addition within local economies. Efficient transport and trade systems make it easier for manufacturers and processors to operate competitively, encouraging more domestic production rather than raw export dependency.

Digital logistics systems, harmonised cross border processes, and improved supply chain coordination also play a critical role. These tools increase transparency, reduce delays, and make regional trade more viable for businesses of different sizes.

When public and private sectors collaborate effectively, logistics becomes more than a support function. It becomes a strategic enabler of industrialisation, regional value chains, and long term economic transformation across Africa.

09/06/2026

Integrating African SMEs into large corporate supply chains is essential for building stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive economies across the continent.

SMEs already form the backbone of most African economies, yet many remain excluded from formal procurement systems dominated by large corporations. This limits their ability to scale, access stable revenue streams, and contribute fully to industrial growth.

When SMEs are intentionally included in corporate supply chains, the impact is significant. Large companies benefit from more flexible, locally grounded suppliers, while SMEs gain access to consistent demand, improved standards, and opportunities to grow their capabilities. This creates a healthier and more dynamic business ecosystem.

Inclusive procurement practices are key to making this work. This includes transparent supplier selection processes, simplified onboarding systems, fair contract terms, and timely payments. It also involves capacity building to help smaller businesses meet required standards and compete effectively.

Beyond individual business growth, the broader economic effect is even more important. Strong SME integration strengthens local value chains, reduces import dependency, supports job creation, and keeps more economic value within domestic markets.

If Africa is serious about ecosystem growth, then supply chains must be designed not just for efficiency, but for inclusion. This is where long term competitiveness and sustainable development begin.

08/06/2026

National economic planning often happens far from the realities of the people building businesses and creating jobs.

But what if entrepreneurs were directly involved in shaping these plans from the start?

Co-creating policy with entrepreneurs would ground economic strategy in real market experience. It would ensure that policies reflect actual constraints such as access to finance, infrastructure gaps, regulatory friction, and talent shortages.

This proximity matters. Entrepreneurs understand what slows down growth and what unlocks it. When their insights are embedded into national planning, policies become more practical, more responsive, and more likely to deliver results.

It also strengthens accountability. When those closest to economic activity are part of the design process, there is better alignment between government intentions and business realities.

Ultimately, economic plans built with entrepreneurs are more than policy documents. They become working frameworks for growth that reflect how economies actually function.

05/06/2026

Africa has a real opportunity to shape the global direction of artificial intelligence by focusing on responsibility, inclusivity, and human centred design.

Rather than competing only on scale or speed of adoption, the continent can lead by prioritising how AI systems serve people in real contexts. This means designing solutions that reflect local realities such as language diversity, informal economies, infrastructure gaps, and varying levels of digital access.

A human centred approach to AI ensures that technology is not detached from the communities it impacts. In practice, this includes building systems that support healthcare delivery, improve access to education, strengthen agriculture, and expand financial inclusion in ways that are practical and accessible.

Responsibility is also a critical dimension. Issues such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, transparency, and accountability need to be addressed early in the development process. Africa has the opportunity to contribute to global standards by embedding ethical considerations into innovation from the ground up rather than as an afterthought.

Inclusive AI development also requires collaboration between governments, startups, researchers, and local communities. This ensures that innovation is not concentrated in isolated hubs but distributed in a way that reflects the diversity of the continent.

If Africa continues on this path, it will not only adopt artificial intelligence but also help define what responsible AI looks like globally.

Business Council For Africa

18/06/2026

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