Top African executives and policymakers will gather at this year’s Africa CEO Forum to forge a new pact between states and businesses, seeking fresh strategies for growth as global economic and political dynamics shift.
This vision will take centre stage as over 2,000 CEOs, investors and policymakers gather in Abidjan for the 2025 Africa CEO Forum.
Scheduled for May 12–13, the 12th edition of the Forum will focus on the theme: “Can a New Deal Between State and Private Sector Deliver the Continent a Winning Hand?”
The gathering comes at a time when Africa faces a tough global backdrop — rising protectionism, unsustainable debt, and growing uncertainty in international development funding.
Yet, despite these constraints, new opportunities are emerging. The rise of South-South trade, accelerated regional integration, and Africa’s youthful demographics are creating fresh momentum for reform.
The Forum, organised by Jeune Afrique Media Group and co-hosted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), seeks to harness this momentum by fostering a more collaborative relationship between business and government.
“The current transactional environment gives Africa the ultimate incentive to remove the barriers still holding back its private sector,” said Amir Ben Yahmed, president of the Africa CEO Forum. “No other alternative can match its adaptive speed, innovative capacity, and strategic agility.”
This year’s agenda will centre around three key priorities: enhancing governance, reforming public policy, and accelerating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Leaders will explore how to create the enabling conditions for industrialisation, develop high-value sectors, and position Africa as a more influential player in the global economy.
The Forum will also serve as a platform for high-level debates, workshops, and strategy sessions on topics ranging from AI-powered governance and energy transition, to supply chain resilience and the role of local capital in development.
A major highlight of the 2025 edition will be The Great Debate — the first-ever presidential debate between the five official candidates vying for the top job at the African Development Bank.
Amadou Hott, Sidi Ould Tah, Swazi Tshabalala, Mahamat Abbas Tolli and Samuel Maimbo will share their vision for the Bank and the continent’s future in a high-stakes exchange moderated by Nicholas Norbrook, managing editor of The Africa Report.
In their pitches, the candidates are expected to address key issues such as mobilising private capital, financing infrastructure aligned with climate goals, and supporting industrialisation across the continent.
“We are privileged to co-host the Africa CEO Forum for the fifth year — a partnership that reflects our commitment to fostering a dynamic and forward-looking private sector in Africa,” said Makhtar Diop IFC’s managing director.
“By advancing locally driven solutions and enhancing their investment readiness, we are working with Africa’s private sector leaders to pioneer new and sustainable models of progress.”
The Forum’s convening power remains unmatched. Confirmed attendees include heads of state such as President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Ethiopia’s President Taye Atske-Selassie, and Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama.
They will join a robust line-up of business executives and institutional leaders including Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede (Access Holdings), Christel Heydemann (Orange Group), Samaila Zubairu (AFC), Soren Toft (MSC), Serge Ekué (BOAD), and Françoise Lombard (Proparco), among others.
As the Forum seeks to turn conversations into concrete action, the central question remains whether Africa can leverage stronger public-private collaboration to respond more effectively to global shocks and seize its long-term development opportunities.
