Nigeria leads push for shared ownership, scale at Africa CEO Forum 2026

Nigeria is set to play a pivotal role at the Africa CEO Forum 2026 in Kigali, as policymakers and business leaders push a new growth imperative: achieving scale through shared African ownership.

The Forum, widely regarded as the continent’s leading platform for high-level public-private dialogue and dealmaking, comes at a time of profound global economic realignment. This year’s theme underscores a pressing question for Africa’s future: how to compete, integrate, and thrive in an increasingly fragmenting global economy.

For Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, the stakes are particularly high. As global power dynamics shift, the ability to build competitive, agile, and internationally integrated corporate champions is no longer optional but essential.

This year’s edition will feature a particularly strong Nigerian presence, reflecting Nigeria’s central role in shaping Africa’s economic future. Alongside President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, the Forum will welcome prominent Nigerian business leaders and investors, including Aliko Dangote, Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, Adesuwa Ladoja, Rachel More-Oshodi, Wale Tinubu, Zouera Youssoufou, Dany Abboud, Ayo Otuyalo, and Chukwuerika Achum.

Their participation reflects Nigeria’s central role in shaping Africa’s economic trajectory, particularly as the continent seeks to translate resilience seen in improving sovereign ratings, rising growth rates, and increased capital inflows into sustainable scale.

Organised by Jeune Afrique Media Group and co-hosted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Forum will focus on a core conviction: scale can only be achieved through shared ownership.

Amir Ben Yahmed, president of the Africa CEO Forum, said Africa must rethink its economic model to remain competitive.

“If Africa wants to compete in a world defined by scale, it must move beyond economic patriotism and embrace a new model: African capital investing together,” he said. “Shared ownership, cross-border partnerships and continental ambition will define the economic future of Africa.”

Makhtar Diop, managing director at IFC, echoed the call for coordinated action, noting that the continent already has the resources required for growth.

“Africa has the capital and the opportunity to grow and create quality jobs. What matters now is putting that capital to work at scale. That means building trust, sharing risk, and investing across borders,” Diop said.

Discussions at the Forum will centre on three strategic levers: shared equity to unlock cross-border investment, shared infrastructure to integrate value chains, and shared frameworks to harmonise regulations and enable the free flow of capital, goods, and services.

Ten years after the launch of the AfCFTA negotiations, the Africa CEO Forum community will reconvene in Kigali on 14-15 May 2026 to turn ambition into concrete commitments. Business leaders, investors, heads of state, and ministers will be called upon to commit capital, share risk, and take ownership, ensuring that Africa stakes its claim in its own future.