African heads of state, former presidents, senior policymakers and business leaders are gathering in Kigali for the Africa Mindset Reset Forum, which will discuss how the continent can strengthen governance, institutions and execution to accelerate development.
The two-day gathering, which begins on Tuesday, August 25, is being hosted by the African School of Governance (ASG) and brings together prominent African figures from politics, business, academia and civil society. About 2,500 delegates are attending the event at Kigali Convention Centre.
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Among prominent leaders attending is President Paul Kagame, the Co-founder of ASG, Former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Co-founder and Chair of ASG, Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Vice President of Ghana, Thabo Mbeki, Former President of South Africa, Sidi Ould Tah, President of the African Development Bank.
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The private sector is also represented, with participants including Acha Leke, the Chairman for Africa at McKinsey & Company, Zouera Youssoufou, the CEO of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Yvonne Makolo, the CEO of RwandAir; and Clare Akamanzi, the CEO of NBA Africa. Kenyan legal scholar and pan-African activist PLO Lumumba is also among the participants.
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The programme will spotlight initiatives aimed at strengthening continental integration and capabilities, including the African Open Skies Initiative, visa openness, an African sovereign credit rating agency and the Rwanda Cooperation Initiative.
ASG has positioned the gathering as a platform for examining the leadership, institutions and mindset required to accelerate Africa&039;s development, with discussions expected to focus on good governance, institutional capacity and a culture of execution.
The forum also provides a platform for leaders from different generations to exchange views on the continent's development trajectory, bringing together serving and former political leaders with business executives, academics and governance experts.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of renewed calls for stronger African-led solutions to the continent's challenges, including economic integration, good governance and the effective implementation of continental initiatives such as the AfCFTA.