Kigali, May 14 African leaders, business executives, and global investors gathered in the Rwandan capital of Kigali on Thursday for the opening of the Africa CEO Forum 2026.
The two-day forum, organised by Jeune Afrique Media Group and co-hosted by the International Finance Corporation, is being held under the theme "Scale or Fail: Why Africa Must Embrace Shared Ownership".
In his address at the opening ceremony, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said Africa must take greater responsibility for protecting and advancing its own interests despite possessing enormous strategic advantages, Xinhua news agency reported.
"These powers, you see, that come here lecturing people on democracy and human rights, are doing it with one arm and with the other they are just taking away everything that people own," he said, Africa CEO Forum shared on X.
Ivory Coast Prime Minister Robert Beugre Mambe also participated in the programme on Thursday.
Africa CEO Forum President Amir Ben Yahmed stressed that Africa can only achieve meaningful scale if governments, businesses and investors embrace a culture of shared ownership and trust.
Rwanda Development Board Chief Executive Officer Jean-Guy Afrika said that Africa's demographic growth and expanding markets present enormous opportunities, but warned that the continent must convert that potential into scalable economic transformation.
The annual forum is regarded as the largest international gathering of the African private sector, bringing together high-level discussions, debates and business meetings focused on the role of private enterprise in driving the continent's development.
The 2026 edition, which has attracted more than 2,000 participants from over 75 countries across Africa and beyond, is calling on public and private sector leaders to commit capital, share risk and build transnational African ownership structures capable of securing the continent's long-term prosperity.
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