Bridges to the Diaspora

As part of the conference, the Africa Business Club will be hosting the New Venture Competition which seeks to showcase the diversity of entrepreneurs making a difference on the continent today.

From the pool of over 380 applications, 10 finalists were  invited to pitch their business in front of over 1,000 attendees and receive feedback from a panel of experienced judges. The competition winner and runner-up, and third place will be awarded cash prizes of $30,000, 15,000, and $10,000, respectively.

Broad and powerful, the creative industry in Africa holds great promise and spans multiple sectors including film, art, fashion, music, social media content creation, among others. This panel will engage different actors across the value chain on how to break down the barriers that are holding back the industry from achieving its full potential. In this discussion, we will cover the tailwinds that have supported the growth of African creative content so far, how to further increase access to financing for creative entrepreneurs, how to formalize the industry to better realize the economic benefits of its output, how to boost investment in the physical and digital infrastructure that support the creative economy, how to better leverage global digital platforms to distribute creative products more effectively and finally government policies needed to support the overall development of the industry.

Is the traditional private equity model compatible with Africa? In this candid fireside chat with Yemi Lalude, the Managing Partner of TPG's Africa team, we will have a frank discussion about not only the challanges investors in African private markets face, but also the collosal opportunities these markets present them. We will hear about how private capital deployed in Africa generates positive impact unlike anywhere else in the world and how Africa's growing technology sector presents private equity investors with an opportunity to invest in companies growing at rates very rarely seen elsewhere.