December 14, 2022 | Washington, DC
Sustainable Africa: Investment, Innovation and the Future of Global Trade
One of the great economic challenges across Africa and the Global South has been how to leverage natural resources and human capital toward widespread industrialization, entrepreneurship, and job creation. As emerging markets worldwide enter a new era of technology-driven hyper-industrialization, countries like Namibia are now positioned to advance key sectors like Energy, Mining, and Agriculture higher up the value chain. What is required from investors and international business leaders to reshape global supply chains towards sustainability and support the transition to technologies such as batteries and hydrogen? How is the Namibian government creating policy frameworks to encourage foreign investment into these sectors and beyond? And what do investors from the US and across the world need to understand about the potential for Namibia and the African continent to deliver significant value across emerging sectors of the global economy and help scale these innovations around the world?
December 14 - Wednesday
Registration, Networking & Coffee
Sustainable Africa: Investment, Innovation, and the Future of Global Trade
8:30 AM EST – Welcome Remarks
- Jennifer Zabasajja, Correspondent & Anchor, Bloomberg
8:35 AM EST – Opening Remarks
- Hon. Tom Alweendo, Minister of Mines and Energy, The Republic of Namibia
8:40 AM EST – Industry: Unleashing African Innovation
As the global economy recovers from the pandemic, regional conflict and extraordinary pressures on supply chains have pushed energy costs up, creating a vicious cycle of inflation. At the same time, climate change threatens the stability of ecosystems worldwide, especially in Africa. Despite these challenges, opportunities exist in Africa to transform the global economy like nowhere else. With 60% of the world’s arable land, enormous areas of forest, 30% of the world’s mineral reserves, and the world’s youngest population, how can Africa unlock its vast potential in agriculture, mining, renewable energy, and beyond?
- Mike Rosenberg, Co-Founder & CEO, Circadian
- William Salas, Ph.D., Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Regrow Ag
- Richard Voorberg, President, North America, Siemens Energy
- Moderator: Ana Monteiro, Economy Editor, Bloomberg
9:05 AM EST – Inclusion: Advancing Sustainable Economic Growth
Social, economic, and digital inclusion are the keys to a thriving global economy. That requires access to education, healthcare, technology, and economic opportunities, especially for women and young people. Currently, just 40% of the African continent has access to the internet. Additionally, less than 50% of Africans have access to health services, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). What are business leaders doing to drive inclusive economic and social development on the continent? What is required from governments to ensure inclusive policy frameworks, especially those related to technology and healthcare systems? And how can increased access to healthcare and the internet better support entrepreneurship and long-term job growth?
- Eyong Ebai, Executive Director & General Manager, GE Healthcare, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, Middle East & Africa
- Teresa Hutson, Corporate Vice President, Tech and Corporate Responsibility Group, Microsoft
- Moderator: Jennifer Zabasajja, Correspondent & Anchor, Bloomberg
9:25 AM EST – Investment: Financing the Future of Africa
Africa is already a vital player in a global economy transforming through advanced technologies, new global trade partnerships, and large-scale demographic shifts. For the continent and the global South to take a significant leadership role in the twenty-first century, international investors are needed to finance the frontier industries, companies, and technologies that will define the future. How can global financial institutions combined with private equity, public sector investment, and international organizations work together to move Africa higher up the global value chain and create virtuous cycles of industry, innovation, and sustainability that will benefit the people of Africa and people across the world?
- Kevin Garrow, Managing Director, Head, Natural & Renewable Resources Americas, Standard Chartered
- Nathalie Louat, Global Director of Trade & Supply Chain Finance, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
- Theresa Henshaw, Deputy CEO, UBA America
- Moderator: Jennifer Zabasajja, Correspondent & Anchor, Bloomberg
9:50 AM EST Closing Remarks
- Jennifer Zabasajja, Correspondent & Anchor, Bloomberg
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