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Countdown to Africa Investment Forum Market Days 2023

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investment marketplace

The Africa Investment Forum is pivotal for attracting domestic and foreign direct investment to Africa

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, October 24, 2023/APO Group/ — 

The Africa Investment Forum (AIF) 2023 Market Days is less than three weeks away. 

From 8-10 November, serious investors will gather at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech, Morocco to participate in Africa’s premier investment marketplace. The focus this year will be on “Unlocking Africa’s Value Chains.”

The Africa Investment Forum is pivotal for attracting domestic and foreign direct investment to Africa. This multi-stakeholder, multidisciplinary platform advances projects to bankable stages, raises capital and accelerates the financial closure of investment transactions.

President Emeritus and Group Managing Director of the Trade and Development Bank Admassu Tadesse describes the Africa Investment Forum Market Days as an action-oriented gathering that focuses on getting things done.

At the 2022 event in Abidjan, Tadesse said that before AIF’s inception in 2018, “we were almost at a level of paralysis by analysis” in terms of talk about Africa’s investment needs and challenges.” He added: “But when Dr Adesina [the African Development Bank president] talked about the Africa Investment Forum focusing on business networking, deal processing, and transactions, I said, finally, we have a conference that is less talk and more action with ground-breaking transactional projects; more prospecting to get things to move on the ground.”

“I found the scale and the depth of the participation much, much larger than I expected,” said Ken Shibusawa, CEO of Shibusawa and Co, during the 2022 Market Days (https://apo-opa.info/3ol3sdy). Mr. Shibusawa described his trip to the Africa Investment Forum as well worth the long journey and a good match in terms of interests. “Our mission is to provide impact investment in Africa…we are building on this cooperation,” he said.

He expressed hope the 2023 edition would provide more opportunities for interaction with younger entrepreneurs, “with Africa, with Japan and other countries.”

Mr. Shibusawa, who is also the Vice Chairperson of the Africa Project Team at Keizai Doyukai, announced earlier this year (https://apo-opa.info/46HGC0Y) that a new company, &Capital Inc., was formed in January 2023 to promote Japanese investments in Africa. Keizai Doyukai is a private, non-profit and nonpartisan organization that brings together nearly 1,400 top executives of some 1,000 Japanese corporations.

This year’s event will build on earlier successes to foster productive engagements between the public and private sectors

“I’m here just searching for new investors for our business because we want to develop into Africa and we think that this is the best place to do that, for networking, for new ideas,” said Jacqueline Furtado Carvalho, manager of Cabo Verdean company M&J Tech, who also attended Market Days 2022.

This year’s event will build on earlier successes to foster productive engagements between the public and private sectors.

In addition to prioritising three key focus sectors—renewable energy, agribusiness, and manufacturing—the Africa Investment Forum Market Days boardrooms will feature deals from other sectors, including “disrupters” such as artificial intelligence and the internet of things, women as investment champions; and the creative and sports industries. 

Masai Ujiri, president of the National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise team Toronto Raptors, has made several appearances at the Africa Investment Forum and has urged African governments to invest in sports. At Market Days 2022, he spoke passionately about the success and growth of sports on the African continent. “We should be supporting teams here in Africa. That should be our vision. Sports is the next big thing in Africa,” Ujiri told investors. 

The continent has many characteristics of a powerhouse sports market. Its athletes are world famous across football, basketball, and track-and-field competition. And a growing and increasingly middle-class population offers a potential untapped audience for domestic sport leagues. The Africa Investment Forum’s Sports as a Business Catalyst initiative is working to make this a reality.

During the Market Days in 2022, one of the projects that attracted strong investor interest was the Abidjan-Lagos Highway project. The planned 1081-km long corridor—projected to cost $15.6 billion—will link the two cities via Accra, Lomé and Cotonou, spanning an area that generates 75% of commercial activity in the West Africa region.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is leading the project. To accelerate the mobilisation of financing and other support for the Abidjan-Lagos highway, the ECOWAS Commission held a roundtable (https://apo-opa.info/46HRL1M) with international development finance institutions on 26 September 2023, at the African Development Bank’s headquarters in Abidjan.

The Africa Investment Forum’s founding partners are standing in solidarity with the government and the people of Morocco following the devastating earthquake in early September. The partners are the African Development Bank, Africa50, the Africa Finance Corporation, the Africa Export-Import Bank, the Development Bank for Southern Africa, The European Investment Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and the Trade and Development Bank.

Previous editions of the Africa Investment Forum Market Days have secured cumulative investment interest of $142.6 billion.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

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As global power structures shift, Invest Africa convenes The Africa Debate 2026 to redefine partnership in a changing world

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February 6, 2026

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The Africa Debate 2026 will provide a platform for this essential, era-defining discussion, convening leaders to explore how Africa and its partners can build more balanced, resilient and sustainable models of cooperation

LONDON, United Kingdom, February 5, 2026/APO Group/ –As African economies assert greater agency in a rapidly evolving global order, Invest Africa (www.InvestAfrica.com) is delighted to announce The Africa Debate 2026, its flagship investment forum, taking place at the historic Guildhall in London on 3 June 2026.

Now in its 12th year, The Africa Debate has established itself as London’s premier platform for African investment dialogue since launching in 2014, convening over 800 global decision-makers annually to shape the future of trade, finance, investment, and development across the continent.

Under the theme “Redefining Partnership: Navigating a World in Transition”, this year’s forum will focus on Africa’s response to global economic realignment with greater agency, ambition and economic sovereignty.

The Africa Debate puts Africa’s priorities at the centre of the conversation, moving beyond traditional narratives to focus on ownership, resilience and long-term value creation.

“Volatility is not new to Africa. What is changing is the opportunity to respond with greater agency and ambition,” says Invest Africa CEO Chantelé Carrington.

“This year’s edition of The Africa Debate asks how we strengthen economic sovereignty — from access to capital and investment to financial and industrial policy — so African economies can take greater ownership of their growth. Success will be defined by how effectively we turn disruption into leverage and partnership into shared value.”

The Africa Debate 2026 will provide a platform for this essential, era-defining discussion, convening leaders to explore how Africa and its partners can build more balanced, resilient and sustainable models of cooperation.

Key challenges driving the debate

Core focus areas for this year’s edition of The Africa Debate include:

This year’s edition of The Africa Debate asks how we strengthen economic sovereignty — from access to capital and investment to financial and industrial policy

Global Realignment & New Partnerships

How shifting geopolitical and economic power structures are reshaping Africa’s global partnerships, trade dynamics and investment landscape.

Financing Africa’s Future

The growing need to reform the global financial architecture, new approaches to development finance, as well as the strengthening of market access and financial resilience of African economies in a changing global system.

Strategic Value Chains

Moving beyond primary exports to build local value chains in critical minerals for the green economy. Also addressing Africa’s energy access gap and mobilising investment in renewable and transitional energy systems.

Digital Transformation & Technology

Unlocking growth in fintech, AI and digital infrastructure to drive productivity, inclusion, and the next phase of Africa’s economic transformation.

The Africa Debate 2026 offers a unique platform for high-level dialogue, deal-making, and strategic engagement. Attendees will gain actionable insights from leading policymakers, investors and business leaders shaping Africa’s economic future, while building strategic partnerships that define the continent’s next growth phase.

Registration is now open (http://apo-opa.co/46b19gj).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Invest Africa.

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Zion Adeoye terminated as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CLG due to serious personal and professional conduct violations

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February 6, 2026

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After a thorough internal and external investigation, along with a disciplinary hearing chaired by Sbongiseni Dube, CLG (https://CLGglobal.com) has made the decision to terminate Zion Adeoye due to serious personal and professional conduct violations. This process adhered to the Code of Good Practice of the Labour Relations Act, ensuring fairness, transparency, and compliance with South African law.

Mr. Adeoye has been held accountable for several serious offenses, including:

  • Making malicious and defamatory statements against colleagues
  • Extortion
  • Intimidation
  • Fraud
  • Misuse of company funds
  • Theft and misappropriation of funds
  • Breach of fiduciary duty
  • Mismanagement

His actions are in direct contradiction to our firm’s core values. We do not approve of attorneys spending time in a Gentleman’s Club. CLG deeply regrets the impact this situation has had on our colleagues and continues to provide full support to those affected.

We want to express our gratitude to those who spoke up and to reassure everyone at the firm of our unwavering commitment to maintaining a respectful workplace. Misconduct of any kind is unacceptable and will be addressed decisively.

We recognize the seriousness of this matter and have referred it to the appropriate law enforcement, regulatory, and legal authorities in Nigeria, Mauritius, and South Africa. We kindly ask that the privacy of the third party involved be respected.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of CLG.

 

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The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) Strengthens Partnership with the Republic of Djibouti through US$35 Million Financing Facility

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February 6, 2026

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This facility forms part of the US$600 million, three-year Framework Agreement signed in May 2023 between ITFC and the Republic of Djibouti, reflecting the strong and growing partnership between both parties

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, February 5, 2026/APO Group/ –The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) (https://www.ITFC-IDB.org), a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group, has signed a US$35 million sovereign financing facility with the Republic of Djibouti to support the development of the country’s bunkering services sector and strengthen its position as a strategic regional maritime and trade hub.

The facility was signed at the ITFC Headquarters in Jeddah by Eng. Adeeb Yousuf Al-Aama, Chief Executive Officer of ITFC, and H.E. Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of Industry of the Republic of Djibouti.

The financing facility is expected to contribute to Djibouti’s economic growth and revenue diversification by reinforcing the competitiveness and attractiveness of the Djibouti Port as a “one-stop port” offering comprehensive vessel-related services. With Red Sea Bunkering (RSB) as the Executing Agency, the facility will support the procurement of refined petroleum products, thus boosting RSB’s bunkering operations, enhancing revenue diversification, and consolidating Djibouti’s role as a key logistics and trading hub in the Horn of Africa and the wider region.

We look forward to deepening this partnership, creating new opportunities, and leveraging collaborative programs to advance key sectors and drive sustainable economic growth

Commenting on the signing, Eng. Adeeb Yousuf Al-Aama, CEO of ITFC, stated:

“This financing reflects ITFC’s continued commitment to supporting Djibouti’s strategic development priorities, particularly in strengthening energy security, port competitiveness, and trade facilitation. We are proud to deepen our partnership with the Republic of Djibouti and contribute to sustainable economic growth and regional integration.”

H.E. Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of Industry of the Republic of Djibouti, commented: “Today’s signing marks an important milestone in the development of Djibouti’s bunkering services and reflects our strong and valued partnership with ITFC, particularly in the oil and gas sector. This collaboration supports our ambition to position Djibouti as a regional hub for integrated maritime and logistics services. We look forward to deepening this partnership, creating new opportunities, and leveraging collaborative programs to advance key sectors and drive sustainable economic growth.”

This facility forms part of the US$600 million, three-year Framework Agreement signed in May 2023 between ITFC and the Republic of Djibouti, reflecting the strong and growing partnership between both parties.

Since its inception in 2008, ITFC and the Republic of Djibouti have maintained a strong partnership, with a total of US$1.8 billion approved primarily supporting the country’s energy sector and trade development objectives.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC).

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