Standard Bank Group is bringing together international investors, policymakers and top African corporates to look ahead to the opportunities in a growing Africa. The 11th Africa Investors’ Conference (AIC), held in collaboration with the ICBC and Standard Bank, is being held over 5 days from 21-25 June.

Standard Bank Group has partnered with Microsoft to power the conference’s virtual format, using the Teams platform to host over 3,000 meetings between African corporates and institutional investors over the five-day period. Attendees will hear a keynote address from Samer Abu-Ltaif, Corporate Vice President and President, Microsoft MEA, on why Africa’s speedy adoption of tech will help to drive growth on the continent.

Building on the successful approach pioneered at last year’s conference, the virtual format enables record numbers of individuals to participate. In 2020, over 2,800 meetings that attracted over 40 corporates were facilitated. This year is set to be the biggest yet, with at least 25% more African corporates confirmed to attend.

Further enhanced by the attendance of some of Africa’s leading policymakers and speakers from prominent organisations in Africa and globally, the agenda-setting conference provides a virtual platform for equity investors such as JP Morgan to meet in select groups and identify investment opportunities with some of the continent’s most successful corporates, including Nampak, Anglo American Platinum, Liberty Holdings and many more.

Key insights will be delivered during the conference’s flagship plenary session that will feature His Excellency, the Vice President of Ghana, Mahamudu Bawumia; UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Dr Vera Songwe; Governor of the South African Reserve Bank, Lesetja Kganyago; and Standard Bank Group CEO, Sim Tshabalala.

With the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, this year’s conference is distinctly forward looking and will track the opportunities on offer to investors and corporates under the themes of Africa’s People, Progress and Potential. Topics to be covered will range from digital infrastructure; sustainable technology advances; the African Continental Free-Trade Area (AfCFTA); specific opportunities within Mozambique, Ghana and South Africa; as well as economic overviews for numerous African countries.

The policymaker country sessions will cover the latest monetary and fiscal policy reforms while the thought-leadership sessions will cover countries, sectors, current issues and trends to showcase the opportunity for investment and growth across Africa.

The conference will also highlight the rapid acceleration of Africa’s fintech capabilities. Managing Director of Zeepay, Andrew Takyi-Appiah, and Managing Director EMEA Emerging Markets at Amazon Web Services, Tony van den Berge, will deliver insights on the technological growth of Ghana and South Africa.

This year’s event is the first since the ratification of the AfCFTA. Representatives from Standard Bank Group, the United Nations and leading African corporates will join a session analysing the transformative effect the AfCFTA will have on intra-Africa trade and the long-term prosperity of the continent.

“Despite the trying and unique circumstances last year, we were able to bring together a wealth of policymakers, corporates and investors committed to the long-term prosperity of Africa. We are confident of similarly strong engagements this year and look forward to facilitating productive conversations relating to investment opportunities across the continent.” says Kenny Fihla, CEO Wholesale Clients, Standard Bank Group.