Africa’s top financial, business, political and academic names to flock to AfDB’s Annual Meetings in Arusha
24/05/2012
A dazzling array of Africa’s most successful people, including a sitting president, a former president and a multibillionaire businessman, will gather at the Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank in Arusha, Tanzania.
During the week-long event between 28 May and 1 June, these big names will be debating some of the most important issues facing the future of Africa, and how the continent can grow even faster and lead to a better and more prosperous future for the continent’s people.
Guests expected from the world of African government and politics include the Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, who will be joining in a high level debate on how the continent will shape its own future: ‘Africa transforming Africa’.
Another top statesman joining in the series of high level talks will be former Nigerian president, General Olusegun Obasanjo.
They will be joined by a host of finance and economic ministers from all across the African continent.
People from the world of commerce and finance taking time out of their busy schedules for the Annual Meetings include multibillionaire Nigerian businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, owner of the Dangote Group conglomerate.
People from the world of commerce and finance taking time out of their busy schedules for the Annual Meetings include multibillionaire Nigerian businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, owner of the Dangote Group conglomerate.
Other African business leaders anticipated in Arusha are Charles Mensah, chairman of the Ghana-based Volta Aluminium Company; the chief executive officer of Oando plc, Wale Tinubu, and Paul Gondi, chairman of the Geothermal Development Company.
Figures from the world of high finance include Adebayo Ogunlesi, chairman of New York based USD 5.64 billion investment fund, Global Infrastructure Partners, together with the executive chairman of Infotech Investment Group, Ali A. Mufuruki, François Ekam-Dick, managing director of Iroko Securities, and Simpiwe Kenneth Tshabalala, deputy CEO of South Africa’s Standard Bank.
Other distinguished names are the governor of the Central Bank of Tanzania, Benno Ndulu and the chairman of the African Export-Import Bank, Jean-Louis Ekra.
Top consultants, analysts and academics from across Africa are also represented. From this sector, there is the director of the Nigeria branch of the global management consultants, McKinsey, Ache Leke; the secretary-general of the International Francophone Organisation, Abdou Diouf; the executive direct of the African Economic Research Consortium, William Lyakurwa; Nkosana Moyo, executive chairman of the Mandela Institute for Development Studies, and Frannie Léautier, executive secretary of the African Capacity Building Foundation.
Moderators of the high level talks include Zeinab Badawi, the presenter of the BBC’s World News Today and Lerato Mbele from CNBC Africa
