The African Business Chamber will convene policymakers, financiers, diplomats and institutional investors in London next week for the AfBC Africa Investment Summit 2026, a forum designed to deepen investment flows between global capital markets and African economies.
The summit, scheduled for 18 March at the Institute of Directors in Pall Mall, is expected to bring together senior government representatives, development finance institutions, private equity leaders and corporate executives to examine investment pipelines, financing frameworks and trade opportunities across the continent. According to organisers, the gathering will focus on how strategic capital deployment, blended finance structures and long term partnerships can support sustainable economic growth across African markets.
Senior representatives of the African Business Chamber confirmed to The Southern African Times that the summit forms part of a broader effort to position Africa as an increasingly significant destination for global capital while strengthening the United Kingdom’s commercial engagement with African economies.
“The objective of the summit is to bring together investors, policymakers and business leaders to move beyond discussion and towards tangible investment outcomes,” said Eugene Nizeyimana, Chief Executive and Executive Director of the African Business Chamber. “Africa’s economic landscape is evolving rapidly, and the continent offers substantial opportunities across sectors including infrastructure, energy transition, manufacturing, financial services and digital technology. Our role is to facilitate credible partnerships that can mobilise capital into bankable projects and support long term prosperity.”
The forum will take place against a backdrop of growing interest from institutional investors in African markets. Research by multilateral institutions including the African Development Bank suggests the continent faces an infrastructure financing requirement of several hundred billion dollars annually in order to meet development and climate transition targets. Advocates of blended finance and public private partnerships argue that mobilising private capital alongside development finance will be essential to closing this gap.
According to information shared with this publication by the organisers, the summit will feature a series of high level discussions focused on capital mobilisation, trade integration and investment risk management across African economies. The programme is expected to include senior officials from African governments alongside executives from international financial institutions and private sector investors.
The opening session will examine the evolving structure of UK Africa economic relations within a volatile global economic environment, with discussions expected to focus on trade finance, regulatory alignment and the role of export credit agencies in supporting cross border investment. Participants will include Tim Reid, Chief Executive of UK Export Finance, Hon Dr Akwasi Opong Fosu, Chairman of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre and former Minister of State, Lok Mishra, Chief Executive of United Bank for Africa UK, H E Macenje Mazoka, High Commissioner of Zambia to the United Kingdom, and H E Dineo Mathlako, Deputy High Commissioner at the South African High Commission in London.
Subsequent discussions will examine emerging investment corridors across East, Central and Southern Africa. The panel will include Ambassador Biruk Mekonnen of Ethiopia, Joseph Kabakeza of the Rwandan High Commission in the United Kingdom, Abiola Dabiri, Vice President for Legal and Corporate Secretariat at the Africa Finance Corporation, Ed Harkins, Vice Chair of the Westminster Africa Business Group, and Tania Eyanga, Chief Executive of Excelsum Ventures Group and founding chair of the Central Africa Markets VC and Private Capital Association.
Another session will focus on financing structures and capital markets participation in African infrastructure and industrial development. Speakers expected to contribute include Herta von Stiegel, Founder and Chief Executive of Ariya Capital Group, Augustine Makoni, Group Chief Financial Officer at the Private Infrastructure Development Group, Myra Tabor, Founder and Chief Executive of Cognis Capital and Chair of mytalu Zambia, Jihane Hakimi, Blended Finance Manager at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Patricia S Kabuleeta, Minister Counsellor for Trade and Economic Affairs at the Government of Uganda.
The summit’s closing discussion will address trade policy alignment and value chain development between African economies and the United Kingdom. Participants include Ben Ainsley, Deputy Trade Commissioner for Africa at the UK Department for Business and Trade, Stella Okuzu, Interim Director and Chief Executive of the Royal African Society, Watipaso Mkandawire of the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, Matthew Anderson, Chairman of the Mauritanian British Business Council and Francophone British Business Council, Dr Sara Clancy, Executive Director of Partner Africa, and Dr Salisu Uba, Founder of NatQuest.
Organisers say the event is designed not only as a policy forum but also as a platform for investment matchmaking between project sponsors and institutional investors. Discussions will address the structuring of bankable projects, cross border mergers and acquisitions, and strategies to mitigate political and currency risk in emerging markets.
The gathering also reflects broader structural shifts in Africa’s economic trajectory. The African Continental Free Trade Area is gradually creating a unified market across more than fifty countries, potentially reshaping trade flows, supply chains and regional industrial development. Analysts suggest that deeper integration could increase intra African trade while attracting greater foreign direct investment into manufacturing, logistics and energy infrastructure.
Within this context, the African Business Chamber argues that the summit represents an opportunity to reshape how African economic partnerships are framed internationally.
“Africa’s story is increasingly one of enterprise, innovation and investment opportunity,” Nizeyimana said. “What is required now is greater alignment between capital providers and African businesses so that projects move from concept to financial close and deliver measurable economic impact.”
Registration for the AfBC Africa Investment Summit 2026 remains open to investors, policymakers, development institutions and corporate leaders seeking to engage with emerging opportunities across African markets. Interested participants can register here to attend the summit in London on 18 March 2026.
