President Paul Kagame, on Monday, May 12, arrived in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where he joins African leaders to attend and participate in the Africa CEO Forum. ALSO READ: Africa does not have to ask for a seat at the table, Kagame tells business leaders The annual forum, which begins on Monday with the theme “Africa in a Transactional World: Can a New Deal between State and Private Sector Deliver the Continent a Winning Hand?”, has brought together more than 2,000 business leaders, investors, and policymakers from Africa and around the world. Discussions will focus on the driving role of the private sector in the development of the African continent. Kagame will join Presidents Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire, Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania and Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa. According to the Office of the President, Kagame will participate in a presidential panel to discuss policies, practices and personalities fit for a new world order. “The Heads of State will share insights on why the next generation of leaders is ready for a brave new world as the global geo-political balance pivots towards a more transactional world, leaving many African governments little room to manoeuvre.” The leaders recognize that the transactional approach to trade and foreign policy points out that the private sector can be Africa’s real superpower, given that the continent’s economic resilience now hinges on agricultural self-sufficiency, financial innovation, digital acceleration, and industrial capacity that only the private sector can deliver. ALSO READ: Africa CEO Forum: Kenya’s Ruto roots for better financing in Africa During the last summit held in Kigali, Kagame rallied African business and political leaders to work closely, together, noting that the more the continent is united, the more productive its engagement with partners will become. Integration for Africa’s business community, Kagame said, is an opportunity to grow the continent’s markets and become more competitive. “Soon enough, the only middle class in the world that will still be growing is Africans, the President said at the last forum. As this century progresses, Africa will increasingly be one of the world’s economic engines. But to become fully prosperous, we have to upgrade our mindsets and aim for quality.” “This will take a lot of time and effort. But Africa can do it. In everything we do, good governance and politics play an important role.” The next edition of the Africa CEO Forum will be hosted in Rwanda.
