Africa: Speech by Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Co-Founder and CEO of the World Investment Summit in Africa and the Eighth President of the African Development Bank Group at the launch of the World Investment Summit in Africa

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Text of the speech delivered by Dr. Akinwumi Adesina at the launch ceremony of the World Investment Summit in Africa in Dubai on February 3, 2026

His Excellency, John LourencoPresident of the Republic of Angola and President of the African Union.
His Excellency, Samia is a good solutionPresident of the United Republic of Tanzania.
His Excellency, John Dramani MahamaPresident of the Republic of Ghana.
His Excellency, Daniel ChapoThe President of the Republic of Mozambique is represented by Her Excellency Maria Levy, Prime Minister of Mozambique.
Margery KrauseChairman of the Board of Directors of APCO, and Co-Founder and Vice-Chairman of the World Investment Summit in Africa.
Linda Thomas Greenfieldformer US Ambassador to the United Nations.
Dear Ministers and senior government leaders
Global CEOs and business leaders.
Dear ladies and gentlemen.

Good evening – and welcome!

I would like to thank His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al NahyanPresident of the United Arab Emirates, for hosting the World Government Summit – now the global gold standard for dialogue on effective governance in a rapidly changing world.

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It is always a pleasure to be in Dubai, a city that embodies bold vision, decisive action, and relentless execution.

Before we begin, I would like to express our solidarity with the people of Mozambique in the wake of the devastating floods. We wish President Chapo and the people of Mozambique strength, resilience and speedy recovery. May God give patience to everyone who lost a loved one.

I extend my highest appreciation to Your Excellencies –President Lourencopresident Good, President Mahamaand President Chapo (actress b Prime Minister Levy)- To honor us with your presence for this advertisement Subordinate Global Investment Summit in Africa.

Your presence warms our hearts, inspires our motivation, and puts the wind behind our sails. You are pioneers, leaders who recognize opportunities even before they fully arise. Your personal participation sends a strong signal of commitment to mobilizing global capital for Africa’s next growth frontier.

I thank the CEOs and global business leaders who join us today. Your presence confirms confidence in Africa’s future. You are our strategic partners in building lasting value.

I am very optimistic about Africa’s future, and the data supports this optimism.

According to International Monetary Fund projections, Africa will record the highest real GDP growth rate in the world in 2026, at 4.0%. Most importantly, Africa is expected – for the first time ever – to maintain the highest growth rate among all regions over the next four consecutive years.

This is not a temporary recovery.

Africa’s growth revival is real, and it is delivering attractive returns.

Global companies are achieving success across the continent. MTN Group, which is backed by investors such as BlackRock and Vanguard. Dangote Group, Africa’s largest industrial conglomerate, is home to one of the world’s largest refineries. Safaricom, the world’s most successful mobile money platform. Jumia, the first Africa-focused technology company to list on the New York Stock Exchange.

Africa is no longer a promise.

Africa is a portfolio.

Africa’s sovereign assets include oil and gas, minerals, metals, rare earths, energy infrastructure, railways, seaports, airports, digital infrastructure, natural capital, blue economy, transportation corridors and other strategic infrastructure.

Today, Africa holds nearly 30% of the world’s known mineral reserves, including critical minerals essential for the energy transition – yet receives less than 5% of global capital flows to those sectors. This gap is not a danger. It’s a mispricing.

Africa is asset rich but cash poor.

However, these are all real assets that generate cash. However, assets are often mispriced, undervalued, or misunderstood – while the expected risks are overstated and the returns are undervalued.

These are not border bets. These are cash flow assets with underutilized potential.

These sovereign assets can achieve returns higher than market standards. Simply put, Africa represents a good, compelling opportunity. Returns can be enhanced through improved structuring, de-risking and strong governance.

Africa seeks to establish mutually beneficial joint investment partnerships to unlock value from these sovereign assets.

Today, there is no reliable global platform that systematically links global capital to strategic sovereign assets in Africa.

There is no single, reliable and reputable channel for investors to access the range of investment-grade sovereign asset opportunities across Africa.

Links are fragmented. Investors often move from country to country without a consistent framework for discovering, evaluating and structuring assets. There is limited transparency in asset valuation and trade preparation, which can reduce confidence and increase perceived risk. Due diligence is costly when asset information is inconsistent, incomplete and not presented in investment-ready formats.

The Global Investment Summit in Africa fills this gap.

The Global Africa Investment Summit, or GAIS, is a transformative platform designed to unleash Africa’s vast investment potential by transforming sovereign public assets into risk-free, investment-ready portfolios that drive sustainable, investor-led growth.

GAIS was created to address a structural market gap: the lack of a reliable and scalable mechanism that links global capital to Africa’s strategic sovereign assets in a way that meets institutional standards of risk, return and governance.

It brings together African governments with global asset managers, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and strategic investors – not for one-off transactions, but to deploy long-term capital at scale.

Africa does not lack assets.

Africa lacks platforms that systematically remove risks.

This is the purpose of GAIS.

GAIS transforms sovereign public assets into investment-ready portfolios through improved structuring, risk mitigation, governance and policy alignment.

I am honored to be the Co-Founder and CEO of the Global Africa Investment Summit. I thank our Co-Founder and Vice Chairman, Margery Krause, along with Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield and our exceptional teams, who have worked extensively since September 2025 to build this platform. The summit is the result of that work.

Please join me in applauding them all for their exceptional work (Applause).

We do not offer one-off projects. We offer platforms for long-term partnerships and investment at scale, with predictable returns.

The Global Investment Summit in Africa will be very selective. We will offer assets that meet four criteria: high asset quality, demonstrated revenues, strong policy control, and demonstrated regional or global demand. This reduces implementation risk and shortens the path to bankability.