The 2025 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), arguably the largest gathering of most influential political and business leaders from across the globe, kicked off today, January 20, in Davos, Switzerland. The meeting is convening under the theme ‘Collaboration for the Intelligent Age’ and discussions will span geo-economic uncertainty, artificial intelligence (AI), reimagining growth, and safeguarding the planet, among other topics. Some 3,000 leaders are expected to attend from over 130 countries. Around 350 governmental leaders, including 60 heads of state and government, from all key regions, will also be in the mountain resort. If the gulf between hopes and fears was in stark evidence last year, the context for Davos 2025 is no less conflicted. Geo-economic uncertainty, trade tensions, cultural polarisation, and climate anxiety are rumbling but there's also the promise of rapid innovation – AI, quantum computing and biotech – to boost productivity and living standards, a WEF press release noted. It's been a tradition for many years for Davos, a small Swiss mountain town, to host the elites, including African leaders and billionaires to discuss the most critical global and regional challenges, as well as forge collaboration. Leaders of the continent including President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, President Duma Gideon Boko of Botswana, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Kashim Shettima, Vice President of Nigeria, are expected to participate in this year’s meeting. As the forum kicked off, Oxfam International cautioned in its latest report that the wealth inequality was growing, with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Oxfam showed that billionaire wealth soared by $2 trillion in 2024 while workers face stagnating wages and poor conditions. This, it said, is not economic progress rather systemic injustice. The meeting happens at a time when the world and Africa in particular are grappling with a myriad of challenges, including climate change, geopolitical tensions such as wars in the Sahel, eastern DRC, Gaza, and Ukraine, but also the rising cost of living crisis. “Within this more unsettled climate, the only way to address urgent challenges and unlock new opportunities is through innovative, cooperative approaches,” Børge Brende, WEF President and CEO, told a pre-meeting media briefing last week. Who else is going to Davos? Davos is attracting almost every influential leader in the world. Below is a list of other elites attending this year’s meeting. Public figures More than 350 governmental leaders are expected to participate this year, including 60 heads of state and government: Top political leaders taking part include: Donald Trump, President-elect of the United States (who will join via live video link for an interactive dialogue with participants) – and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. Ding Xuexiang, Vice-Premier of the People's Republic of China; Javier Milei, President of Argentina; Olaf Scholz, Federal Chancellor of Germany; Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament; Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa and Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain, will also be at the event. Moreover, the meeting will welcome Karin Keller-Sutter, President of the Swiss Confederation 2025; Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia; Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan; Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh; Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium; Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of DRC; Mostafa Madbouli, Prime Minister of Egypt; Abdulatif Rashid, President of Iraq. Simon Harris, Taoiseach of Ireland; Isaac Herzog, President of Israel; Dick Schoof, Prime Minister of the Netherlands; Mohammed Mustafa, Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority; and Dina Ercilia Boluarte, President of Peru, will also be attending, as well as Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine. International organisations Heads of international organisations taking part include: António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation; Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, and Mark Rutte, Secretary-General of NATO. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation and Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, will also be in Davos. Private sector Over 1,600 business leaders, including over 900 of the world’s top CEOs and Chairs from the WEF’s members and partners, will also participate, over 120 of which are global innovators, tech pioneers and unicorns who are transforming industries.
