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

13/08/2026

Africa is experiencing one of the fastest rates of urbanisation in the world, creating enormous opportunities for economic growth alongside significant challenges related to housing, transportation, energy, waste management, and climate resilience. As cities continue to expand, the decisions made today will determine whether they become engines of sustainable development or centres of growing inequality and environmental stress.

Placing sustainability at the heart of city planning would fundamentally change how African cities are designed and managed. Rather than responding to urban challenges after they emerge, governments and planners could build cities that are resilient, efficient, and designed for long-term prosperity from the outset.

A sustainability-first approach would integrate reliable public transport, affordable housing, renewable energy, green buildings, efficient waste management, water conservation, and accessible public spaces into urban development plans. These investments not only improve environmental outcomes but also enhance productivity, public health, and quality of life for growing urban populations.

12/08/2026

National economic plans are often developed through government institutions and policy consultations, but they do not always reflect the day-to-day realities of the people building businesses, creating jobs, and driving economic activity. This disconnect can result in well-intentioned policies that struggle to deliver meaningful outcomes.

What if entrepreneurs were involved from the very beginning of the policy-making process?

Entrepreneurs have first-hand experience navigating challenges such as access to finance, infrastructure gaps, regulatory complexity, talent shortages, and changing market conditions. Their insights provide practical knowledge that can help shape policies that are more responsive, realistic, and effective.

Co-creating economic plans with entrepreneurs would ensure that national strategies are grounded in real business experiences rather than assumptions. It would improve the design of policies that support innovation, strengthen SMEs, encourage investment, and remove barriers that slow business growth.

This collaborative approach would also strengthen trust between the public and private sectors. When entrepreneurs contribute to policy development, they become partners in implementation rather than simply recipients of regulation. This shared ownership increases accountability, improves ex*****on, and creates stronger alignment between national priorities and private sector capabilities.

11/08/2026

Impact measurement has become a defining feature of development programmes across Africa, but too often success is assessed by what is delivered rather than what is achieved. Counting activities and outputs is important, but it does not fully capture whether meaningful, lasting change has taken place.

Outputs such as the number of schools built, businesses funded, healthcare facilities equipped, or people trained provide useful indicators of progress. However, they do not answer the more important question: Did these interventions improve lives, strengthen institutions, and create sustainable development outcomes?

True impact is measured through outcomes. It is reflected in higher learning achievement rather than classroom construction alone, increased household incomes rather than the number of entrepreneurship workshops delivered, improved health outcomes rather than the volume of medical supplies distributed, and stronger businesses rather than simply the number of loans approved.

Beyond outcomes lies the need for systems change. Sustainable development is achieved when interventions strengthen the institutions, policies, markets, and governance structures that continue delivering value long after individual projects have ended. When systems become more effective, progress becomes more resilient, scalable, and self-sustaining.

10/08/2026

Africa is uniquely positioned to become a global leader in health tech innovation because it brings together three powerful advantages: rising healthcare demand, one of the world’s youngest populations, and rapidly expanding mobile connectivity.

Healthcare systems across the continent face increasing pressure from population growth, urbanisation, and the rising burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases. At the same time, many communities continue to experience shortages of healthcare professionals and limited access to quality medical services. These challenges create a strong demand for scalable, technology-driven solutions.

Africa’s youthful population presents another significant advantage. Young innovators, entrepreneurs, and technology professionals are already building digital solutions that address local healthcare challenges. Their understanding of local realities enables them to create products that are practical, affordable, and accessible for the communities they serve.

Mobile infrastructure further strengthens this opportunity. The widespread adoption of smartphones and mobile networks has already transformed sectors such as financial services. That same digital foundation can accelerate the delivery of telemedicine, electronic health records, remote diagnostics, AI-assisted clinical support, digital pharmacies, and mobile health applications, extending quality healthcare to underserved populations.

07/08/2026

Africa possesses over half of the world’s uncultivated arable land and a rapidly growing population, yet many countries continue to face food insecurity, high food import bills, and significant post-harvest losses. Transforming the continent’s food systems will require a fundamental shift in perspective, recognising agribusiness not simply as an agricultural sector but as a national strategic asset that drives economic growth, industrialisation, and resilience.

Achieving this transformation begins with strengthening the entire agricultural value chain. Investment must extend beyond primary production to include irrigation, mechanisation, storage facilities, cold chain logistics, food processing, packaging, transportation, and market access. By creating value at every stage, African economies can reduce waste, increase productivity, and retain more economic value within the continent.

Access to finance remains one of the biggest barriers to growth in agribusiness. Farmers, agribusinesses, and agricultural entrepreneurs need financial products that reflect the realities of the sector, including seasonal production cycles, climate risks, and long investment horizons. Expanding access to affordable credit, agricultural insurance, blended finance, and impact investment can unlock greater productivity and private sector participation.

Technology will also play a defining role in the future of Africa’s food systems. Precision agriculture, satellite monitoring, climate-smart farming techniques, digital marketplaces, artificial intelligence, and data-driven supply chain management can improve efficiency, increase yields, reduce losses, and strengthen resilience against climate change.

Supportive public policy is equally important. Governments can accelerate transformation by investing in rural infrastructure, strengthening agricultural research and extension services, improving land governance, facilitating regional trade, and creating regulatory environments that encourage innovation and long-term private investment.

06/08/2026

Financial literacy is often treated as a personal skill, but at a national level it functions as a key driver of economic competitiveness.

When citizens understand how to manage money, use credit responsibly, save, invest, and engage with financial systems, it strengthens the overall efficiency of the economy. People make better financial decisions, businesses become more stable, and households are better able to absorb economic shocks.

For African economies, this has direct implications. Higher levels of financial literacy increase participation in formal financial systems, improve access to capital for entrepreneurs, and support the growth of SMEs. It also builds trust in financial institutions, which is essential for deeper financial inclusion.

As digital financial services continue to expand across the continent, financial literacy becomes even more important. Without it, access alone is not enough to drive meaningful participation. With it, inclusion translates into real economic empowerment.

Embedding financial education into school systems, workplace training, and community programmes ensures that financial capability grows at scale across the population.

In this way, financially confident citizens are not just participants in the economy. They become active contributors to national productivity, resilience, and long term growth.

05/08/2026

Africa’s transition to a climate-resilient economy will require investment on a scale that public resources alone cannot provide. While the continent holds enormous potential in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, green infrastructure, and climate-smart technologies, many projects struggle to secure financing because investors perceive them as high risk.

De-risking green projects is therefore essential to unlocking the private capital needed to accelerate sustainable development. Financial innovation can help bridge this gap by reducing uncertainty and improving the commercial attractiveness of climate-related investments.

Blended finance is one of the most effective tools available. By combining public funding, concessional finance, development capital, and private investment, projects become more bankable and attractive to institutional investors. Credit guarantees, political risk insurance, first-loss capital, and green bonds can further reduce investment risks while encouraging long-term participation from the private sector.

A predictable policy environment is equally important. Clear climate policies, transparent procurement processes, stable regulatory frameworks, and consistent environmental standards provide investors with the confidence to commit capital over extended periods. Strong governance reduces uncertainty and improves the long-term viability of green investments.

04/08/2026

Africa’s long-term export competitiveness will depend not only on what it produces, but also on how efficiently and reliably those goods move across the continent and into global markets.

Despite significant progress in regional trade, many exporters continue to face high logistics costs, fragmented transport networks, port congestion, and infrastructure that is increasingly vulnerable to climate-related disruptions. These challenges reduce competitiveness, increase the cost of doing business, and limit Africa’s ability to capture greater value from international trade.

Investing in logistics corridors that are both climate-adaptive and economically strategic offers a pathway to addressing these challenges. Climate-resilient infrastructure, including roads, railways, ports, and inland logistics hubs, can withstand floods, droughts, extreme temperatures, and other environmental risks that threaten trade continuity.

At the same time, economically strategic corridors connect production centres with domestic, regional, and international markets, reducing transport times, lowering logistics costs, and improving supply chain efficiency. Digital technologies such as cargo tracking, smart customs systems, and integrated trade platforms can further enhance transparency and reduce delays across borders.

These investments do more than improve the movement of goods. They strengthen industrialisation by enabling manufacturers, processors, and exporters to operate more efficiently while encouraging greater value addition before products leave the continent.

As the African Continental Free Trade Area continues to deepen regional integration, resilient logistics infrastructure will become even more important. Efficient trade corridors will support stronger regional value chains, attract investment, and position African businesses to compete more effectively in global markets.

03/08/2026

Africa’s creative economy has already established itself as a powerful force in shaping global culture. From music, film, fashion, art, gaming, and digital content to literature and design, African creators are influencing international audiences and redefining cultural trends. The next challenge is ensuring that this creative influence translates into lasting economic value.

The continent is not lacking in talent. What remains insufficient is the level of investment needed to transform creative potential into globally competitive industries. Without adequate financing, infrastructure, intellectual property protection, and market access, many creative businesses struggle to scale despite growing international demand.

Investing in the creative economy can unlock significant economic opportunities. It has the potential to create millions of jobs, increase export earnings, stimulate tourism, encourage innovation, and generate new sources of revenue through intellectual property and digital platforms. As global demand for African stories, music, fashion, and entertainment continues to grow, the sector is well positioned to become a major contributor to economic diversification.

Unlocking this opportunity requires a stronger ecosystem. Governments can support growth through enabling policies, improved copyright protection, investment in creative infrastructure, and incentives that encourage private sector participation. At the same time, financial institutions, venture capital firms, media companies, and technology platforms can provide the funding, expertise, and market access that creative enterprises need to scale.

31/07/2026

Africa’s infrastructure financing gap remains one of the biggest barriers to inclusive economic growth. Meeting the continent’s infrastructure needs will require far more capital than governments can provide alone, making blended finance an essential tool for unlocking investment at scale.

Blended finance combines public funding, development finance, philanthropic capital, and private investment to reduce risk and improve the commercial viability of infrastructure projects. By sharing risk among multiple stakeholders, it encourages private investors to participate in projects that might otherwise be considered too uncertain or financially unattractive.

This approach has the potential to transform both rural and urban development. In rural communities, blended finance can support investments in roads, renewable energy, irrigation systems, healthcare facilities, schools, and digital connectivity, helping to close long-standing infrastructure gaps and expand economic opportunities.

In rapidly growing urban centres, it can finance transport networks, affordable housing, water and sanitation systems, power infrastructure, and smart city technologies that improve productivity and quality of life while supporting sustainable urban expansion.

The greatest strength of blended finance lies in its ability to align different sources of capital around shared development objectives. Governments can create enabling policy environments, development finance institutions can provide concessional funding and guarantees, while private investors contribute the long-term capital needed to scale projects.

Business Council For Africa

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