"My Takes" by Fatima Al Ansar

We go beyond the hype of venture building and block buster investment deals, back to the fundamentals of what it takes to build a large successful enterprise in Africa that can outlive the founders, generate sustained returns and become global players. How are incumbents keeping up with the competition and dynamism of well funded startups? How do muti generational businesses in Africa engage long term levers of governance, ESG and sustainability? What can we learn from the often silent contributors to our economies as we build the companies of the future today? This panel will delve into these pertinent questions from a myriad of perspectives from CEOs of multi generational billion dollar family businesses, corporate venture builders, and Africa's leading PE investors.

There continues to be a significant gap across the African continent with regards to increasing access to high quality and affordable healthcare. Brick and mortar healthcare solutions continue to play a major role in improving access to care, accelerated by the push toward Universal Healthcare Coverage. Technology has demonstrated the ability to strengthen health systems, leveraging existing platforms to increase access. These innovative strategies such as digital health are needed to ensure long term success in the continent. However, their successful deployment on a wider scale faces several challenges on the continent. We will be discussing the opportunities, the risks and myths associated with digital health transformation and the successes achieved to-date.

Real estate can be a vehicle to leap the African middle-class into financial prosperity. The challenges are recognizing the barriers, finding new opportunities, and enabling access. In this session, we will cover the needs for better planning, construction, and access through the lens of people involved in both the public and private spaces. We will conclude with practical guidelines for investing in affordable real estate from within and beyond the African borders at the personal and institutional level. Affordable does not mean low-quality; it means scalable and replicable for the masses. Innovators are making a difference through new construction-technologies, collaborating with government to minimize risks, and bringing unique means to connect capital for developers, buyers, and investors.