Standard Bank to host over 600 delegates for brainstorming on Africa’s growth 

By Olatunde Dodondawa

In a bid to harness opportunities in a growing Africa, Standard Bank Group is bringing together international investors, policymakers and top African corporates.

The 11th Africa Investors’ Conference (AIC), held in collaboration with ICBC Standard Bank, is being held over 5 days from 21-25 June.

Standard Bank Group has partnered with Microsoft to power the conference’s virtual format, using the Teams platform to host over 3,000 meetings between African corporates and institutional investors over the five-day period. Attendees will hear a keynote address from Samer Abu-Ltaif, Corporate Vice President and President, Microsoft MEA, on why Africa’s speedy adoption of tech will help to drive growth on the continent.

Continuing on from the successful approach pioneered at last year’s conference, the virtual format enables a record number of individuals to participate. In 2020, a total of over 2,800 meetings which attracted over 40 corporates were facilitated. This year is set to be the biggest yet, with at least 25% more African corporates confirmed to attend.

Further enhanced by the attendance of some of Africa’s leading policymakers and speakers from prominent organisations in Africa and globally, the agenda-setting conference provides a virtual platform for equity investors such as AIG, Jefferies and JP Morgan to meet in select groups and identify investment opportunities with some of the continent’s most successful corporates, including Nampak, MTN, Anglo American Platform, Liberty Holdings and many more.

Key insights will be delivered during the conference’s flagship plenary sessions which will feature His Excellency, the Vice President of Ghana, Mahamudu Bawumia, Dr Vera Songwe, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Lesetja Kganyago, Governor, South African Reserve Bank and Standard Bank Group CEO Sim Tshabalala.

With the impact of the COVID-19 crisis in mind, this year’s conference is distinctly forward looking, and will track the opportunities on offer to investors and corporates under the themes of Africa’s People, Progress and Potential. Topics to be covered will range from digital infrastructure, sustainable technology advances, the African Continental Free-Trade Area (AfCFTA), specific opportunities within Mozambique, Ghana and South Africa, as well as economic overviews for many African countries.

The policymaker country sessions will cover the latest monetary and fiscal policy reforms while the thought-leadership sessions will cover countries, sectors, current issues and trends to showcase the opportunity for investment and growth across Africa.

“Despite the trying and unique circumstances last year, we were able to bring together a wealth of policymakers, corporates and investors committed to the long-term prosperity of Africa. We are confident of similarly strong engagement this year and looking forward to facilitating productive conversations regarding the investment opportunities across the continent.” says Kenny Fihla, CEO Wholesale Clients, Standard Bank Group.

The conference will highlight the rapid acceleration of Africa’s fintech capabilities. Managing Director of Zeepay, Andrew Takyi-Appiah, and Tony van den Berge, Managing Director EMEA Emerging Markets, Amazon Web Services, will deliver insights on the technological growth of Ghana and South Africa.

This year’s event is the first since the ratification of the AfCFTA. Representatives from Standard Bank Group, the United Nations and leading African corporates will join a session analysing the transformative effect the AfCFTA will have on intra-Africa trade and the long-term prosperity of the continent.