“Advancing Africa is a global imperative” - Africa Soft Power joins Africa House at Davos 2023

18 January 2023   |   10:34 am

Africa Soft Power is partnering with Africa House, the premier platform for Africa’s engagement at the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Annual Meeting in Davos, on its conference program for the upcoming meeting, which will take place from January 18-19th, 2023.

The event features a diverse range of panel discussions and speakers with a focus on highlighting the importance of Africa in global affairs and its potential for inclusive prosperity.

“Africa House looks forward to working with our partners and stakeholders to address the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing the continent, and to harnessing the power of innovation and creativity to drive positive change,” said Prof. Landry Signé, Executive Chairman & Co-founder of Africa House, who will be moderating a presidential discussion with Félix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The event will also include a Trade Panel, hosted by H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of AfCFTA; a Health is Wealth Panel, Co-chaired by Debra Fraser-Howze, Founder of Choose Healthy Life; a special address by Rev. Al Sharpton; and the Tech Panel session, Co-Chaired by Acha Leke, Chairman of McKinsey & Co. Africa, will provide insights on the opportunities and challenges Africa faces in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Singer/songwriter and Co-chair of Africa House, Will I Am, will lead the Africa House Pioneers Breakfast – convening entrepreneurs from the continent and showcasing the stories and insights of some of Africa’s most innovative and dynamic pioneers.

Speaking on the partnership, Dr Nkiru Balonwu, Founder of Africa Soft Power Group said, “Our partnership with Africa House is built on the belief that advancing Africa is a global imperative. Africa has a real opportunity to bring young talent, fresh ideas, new perspectives, and unique creative and commercial solutions to a global economy that right now so obviously needs them”. For Dr Balonwu, the conference at Davos aligns with Africa Soft Power’s mission: to incorporate vital – and all too often still unseen African perspectives into the global conversation.

“We believe that by fostering collaboration and innovation, Africa House can unlock the full potential of the continent and create a brighter future for all,” said Kojo Annan, Co-Founder of Africa House.

Africa House itself is focused on bringing the best and brightest entrepreneurs, initiatives, and opportunities to leaders across industry and government attending Davos. “At Africa House, we are dedicated to building bridges between Africa and the world, encouraging collaboration and driving progress,” said Nima Elmi, CEO of Africa House. “Our conference program will showcase some of the most important and pressing issues facing the continent and will provide a unique perspective on Africa’s role in global affairs. We look forward to welcoming attendees from around the world to Davos for this important event”.

The conference will conclude with an Africa House Reception, on Thursday, January 19th.

For more information on the conference program, visit: www.myafricahouse.com. And if you are in Davos and would like to attend one of Africa House’s open events, register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/africa-house-davos-2023-tickets-513891281657

Davos 2023: Africa Soft Power joins Africa House in spotlighting continent’s role in global affairs

By Boluwatife Williams
19 January 2023   |   9:21 am

After remaining in oblivion for years, African companies are forcing global investors to take notice. In Davos, backed by the celebrity power of US musician will.i.am, they are keen to keep up the momentum.

The event features a diverse range of panel discussions and speakers with a focus on highlighting the importance of Africa in global affairs and its potential for inclusive prosperity.

“Africa House looks forward to working with our partners and stakeholders to address the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing the continent, and to harnessing the power of innovation and creativity to drive positive change,” said Prof. Landry Signé, Executive Chairman & Co-founder of Africa House, who will be moderating a presidential discussion with Félix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The event will also include a Trade Panel, hosted by H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of AfCFTA; a Health is Wealth Panel, Co-chaired by Debra Fraser-Howze, Founder of Choose Healthy Life; a special address by Rev. Al Sharpton; and the Tech Panel session, Co-Chaired by Acha Leke, Chairman of McKinsey & Co. Africa, will provide insights on the opportunities and challenges Africa faces in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Singer/songwriter and Co-chair of Africa House, Will I Am, will lead the Africa House Pioneers Breakfast – convening entrepreneurs from the continent and showcasing the stories and insights of some of Africa’s most innovative and dynamic pioneers.

Speaking on the partnership, Dr Nkiru Balonwu, Founder of Africa Soft Power Group said, “Our partnership with Africa House is built on the belief that advancing Africa is a global imperative. Africa has a real opportunity to bring young talent, fresh ideas, new perspectives, and unique creative and commercial solutions to a global economy that right now so obviously needs them”. For Dr Balonwu, the conference at Davos aligns with Africa Soft Power’s mission: to incorporate vital – and all too often still unseen African perspectives into the global conversation.

“We believe that by fostering collaboration and innovation, Africa House can unlock the full potential of the continent and create a brighter future for all,” said Kojo Annan, Co-Founder of Africa House.

Africa House itself is focused on bringing the best and brightest entrepreneurs, initiatives, and opportunities to leaders across industry and government attending Davos. “At Africa House, we are dedicated to building bridges between Africa and the world, encouraging collaboration and driving progress,” said Nima Elmi, CEO of Africa House. “Our conference program will showcase some of the most important and pressing issues facing the continent and will provide a unique perspective on Africa’s role in global affairs. We look forward to welcoming attendees from around the world to Davos for this important event”.

The conference will conclude with an Africa House Reception, on Thursday, January 19th.

For more information on the conference program, visit: www.myafricahouse.com. And if you are in Davos and would like to attend one of Africa House’s open events, register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/africa-house-davos-2023-tickets-513891281657

Davos 2023: Showcasing Africa, the Africa way

Ashutosh Pandey Davos, Switzerland
11 hours ago

After remaining in oblivion for years, African companies are forcing global investors to take notice. In Davos, backed by the celebrity power of US musician will.i.am, they are keen to keep up the momentum.

It’s easy to miss the Africa House on Davos’ main boulevard called the promenade. There are no flags or a board with its name, just a monitor detailing the agenda of the day. The centerpiece of Africa’s engagement in the Swiss Alpine town is housed in a blockchain firm’s pavilion, perhaps to underscore Africa’s embracing of modern technologies.

Once inside the hall, Africa comes alive; its colors, costumes and culture are on full display, and so is its entrepreneurial spirit.

“They say ‘who will eat chocolates made in Africa,’ I tell them, well, Africans will eat them,” says one speaker at the panel discussion underway, as the audience bursts into laughter and applause.

The panel discussion is part of several events organized by the Africa House to tell the Africa growth story to global investors, while showcasing the opportunities on the continent.

“The turnout has been impeccable,” Hyatt Antognini, chief commercial officer of the Africa House, told DW. “We have been hearing that a lot of people have already made some strong partnerships. It seems that things are moving forward.”

The Africa House in Davos
Most events at the Africa House in Davos were a packed affairImage: DW

Selling Brand Africa

While Africa and issues concerning it have been regularly debated and discussed prominently during annual meetings of the World Economic Forum, African governments and businesses have been largely absent from the promenade, where countries and companies have been setting up pavilions for years to attract investments and build networks.

The Africa House, which was launched in 2020 at the World Economic Forum’s 50th annual meeting, aims to change that. It is offering a platform for African businesses and entrepreneurs to foster collaborations, build connections across borders, as well as showcase their activities to global leaders.

“We’re not waiting. Why do we have to wait for somebody else,” musician and tech entrepreneur William Adams, known professionally as will.i.am, who is also the co-chair of the Africa House told DW. “Africa has lots of issues, but it also has lots of freaking awesomeness.”

IT sector in focus

Africa has been a late bloomer on the tech scene, but it’s now eager to make up for the lost time. African entrepreneurs are using technology to develop solutions adapted to their own realities.

Global investors are also taking notice, as evidenced by the big turnout for panels on entrepreneurship and technology at the Africa House.

African startups, especially in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Egypt, have seen a rise in funding over the years. They secured a record $2 billion (€1.84 billion) worth of investment in 2021, Disrupt Africa’s African Tech Startups Funding report showed.

“We have a trend toward an increase in investment on the continent in startups among others because investors are present where you have a crisis, they see opportunities,” Landry Signe, author and professor at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Washington, DC told DW.

The African IT sector owes a lot to the success of the mobile money platform M-Pesa. Launched in 2007, the so-called branchless bank which pioneered mobile payments to drive financial inclusion in Africa has evolved into a payment behemoth, moving around 40% of Kenya’s GDP.

“For a very long time the African tech industry wasn’t even considered a part of the innovation part of the world,” Mamadou Toure, the founder of Ubuntu Tribe, a digital platform promoting shared economy through tokenization of gold, told DW. “It started changing with the introduction of mobile money, mobile payment, where Africa pioneered and led the world in terms of mobile banking.”

Blockchain buzz

At the Africa House, an informal gathering of policymakers and crypto companies, aptly called Crypto Kings Mixer, was another packed affair. Most present there agreed that blockchain technology could prove to be a game changer for the continent by promoting financial inclusion among other things.

The decentralized ledger that allows transparent information sharing within a business network is already popular in Africa, and so are cryptocurrencies. Nigeria is among the world’s largest traders of bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency.

While still a small market globally, Africa is one of the fastest-growing crypto markets in the world, according to Chainalysis. The Central African Republic is the second in the world after El Salvador to designate bitcoin as a legal tender. 

“I don’t think Africa is as represented as it could or should or is receiving the interest that it could,” Toure said. “There’s a bit of a misinformation about the real opportunities there, and that’s why we have Africa House to showcase and articulate what this continent can do and more importantly, what it is that it’s doing right.”

Edited by: Uwe Hessler

Professor Landry Signé: The Man Behind the Spotlight and his Contributions to Global Problems

Prof. Signé recognized as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential Africans” by New African magazine and named “Thought Leader Extraordinaire.”

Jan 19, 2023, 3:12 AM ET

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND, January 19, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — Professor Landry Signé, Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Regional Action Group for Africa and Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Africa House, has been recognized as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential Africans” by New African magazine and named “Thought Leader Extraordinaire.”

Africa House 2023 Annual Meeting in Davos Brings Together Global VIPs to Discuss Inclusive Prosperity.

Monday, January 16, 2023 at 11:25 AM

Davos, Switzerland: #AfricaHouse Convenes a ‘Who’s Who of Global VIPs’ in Attendance – From Celebrities and Royalty to Heads of State, This Year’s Africa House Event is Full of Changemakers

Africa House Hosts Successful High-Level Event During President Biden's U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit 2022

 
PRESS RELEASE PR Newswire

Dec. 19, 2022, 08:12 AM


WASHINGTONDec. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Africa House, a project that convenes the best and brightest entrepreneurs, initiatives, and opportunities from Africa to leaders across industry and government, is excited to announce the successful completion of a high-level event held in Washington D.C. last week. Nikkole-Charlene Wilkerson, in collaboration with Africa House, brought together U.S. Black Mayors, top American business leaders, and investors in a private gathering with African ministers, organization heads, and executives.


The meeting sought to
bolster economic relationships and access to capital, aligning with the Biden and Harris Administration’s focus on economic growth and development in Africa, including the African Continental Free Trade Area, and development financing and grants throughout the continent.

 

“This meeting represents a significant step forward in strengthening economic ties between Africa and the U.S., specifically the African Diaspora,” said Wilkerson, who organized and hosted the event. “The African Union considers the Diaspora to be the sixth region of Africa, and we look forward to working with the Biden/Harris Administration and other partners to support the growth and development of the continent.”

 

The meeting was held during the Biden and Harris Administration’s weeklong U.S. Africa Summit and was attended by senior leaders such as Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston, Texas; Dr. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the African Export–Import Bank; Mayor Brandon Scott of Baltimore, MarylandEquatorial Guinea’s Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons, Gabriel Mbaga Obiang; Mrs. Kanayo Awano, Vice President of Intra-African Trade Bank; Commissioner Rodney Ellis of Harris County; Mayor Stephen K. Benjamin of the United States Conference of Mayors; Federal Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment of NigeriaNiyi AdebayoArnold W. DonaldRodney J. Boyd of NEXUS and Stephanie Nellons Paige of Nellons Paige Group Inc., amongst others.

Africa House Featured in Forbes Magazine

 
 
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To read the full December issue, visit: https://forbesafrique.com/
 

Project Africa House: Wakanda May be Fictional but this African-Led Initiative is 100% Real

The truth is even more inspirational than fiction.

GENEVANov. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — In January 2023, high in the scenic Swiss Alps, a group of young African visionaries, led by Kojo Annan, the son of the late Former-U.N. Secretary General, Kofi Annan, will gather to pave the way for the continent’s continued growth. At the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, over 2,500 participants, including numerous world leaders, will convene to tackle pressing global issues. This time, Africa will be taking a front seat at the talks.

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As Kojo Annan, Co-founder of Africa House passionately explains, “For too long, the narrative about Africa has been overshadowed by war, famine, natural disasters, and instability. Africa House is committed to changing that story by showcasing our continent’s wealth of opportunities, talent, innovation, and vibrancy.”

Africa 4.0

In 2016, Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairperson of the World Economic Forum (WEF), coined the term “the Fourth Industrial Revolution” (4IR). Whereas the first industrial revolution focused on water and steam power, the second on electric power, and the third brought about the digital revolution, the fourth is a fusion of what has gone before, “blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.”

The continent of Africa is known for its wealth of resources and with the explosion of startups on the continent, over 650 in total in 2022 alone, these resources clearly include the ingenuity of its people. Africans are entrepreneurs and major contenders in the technology ecosystem with digital automation facilitating the flow of free trade across the continent. According to a recent report published by WEF and Deloitte, the reduction of non-tariff barriers could lead to trade gains in Africa of $20 billion a year.

In a 2019 article entitled “From Wakanda to Reality,” Thunderbird School of Global Management in Washington DC Executive Director and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution Professor Landry Signé and US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield shared a way forward transforming African countries into the fictional powerhouse nation of Wakanda.