Africa must move quickly to adapt to shifting global economic conditions and turn emerging opportunities into sustainable growth, a senior Rwandan investment official said Wednesday.
Jean-Guy Afrika, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), made the remarks while opening the two-day Africa CEO Forum 2026 in Kigali, which brings together heads of state, private-sector leaders, investors and business executives from across the continent.
Afrika said global investment flows have become more cautious, access to credit is more expensive, supply chains are being reshaped and technology continues to disrupt nearly every sector of the economy.
Despite these challenges, he said Africa retains major advantages, including a large and youthful population, rapidly growing cities, rising consumer demand and a workforce poised to play a significant role in the global economy in the coming decades.
He said the key priority is converting those advantages into broad-based growth by building competitive companies, expanding markets, investing in infrastructure and strengthening intra-African trade.
Afrika also called for stronger cooperation between governments and the private sector, saying governments must create stable and predictable business environments while companies invest, innovate and scale operations.
“We need governments that reduce barriers to investment and trade, and a private sector that invests and innovates to build strong companies Africa needs,” he said.
Speaking at the same forum, Amir Ben Yahmed, Chief Executive Officer of Jeune Afrique and organizer of the Africa CEO Forum, said the continent continues to be affected by global crises including climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
He said African countries face two choices: continue absorbing the impact of global shocks or invest in building internal capacity to strengthen their influence in global affairs.
Ben Yahmed also criticized what he described as outdated business attitudes in Africa, where entrepreneurs often prioritize full ownership over scaling companies through shared investment.
He pointed to global firms where founders often hold minority stakes, arguing that growth and expansion should take priority over control.
He also praised Rwanda and President Paul Kagame for improving the country’s investment climate, saying other African nations could draw lessons from its approach.
