Friday, FEBRUARY 15, 2019
SPECIAL PANEL SESSION ON INNOVATION
A conversation with the authors of The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty (January, 2019)
Join Harvard Business School professor, Clayton Christensen, and his co-authors, Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon for this special session on innovation. The co-authors will discuss key themes from their upcoming book and will highlight the power of market-creating innovation, a critical driver in creating and sustaining economic prosperity. They will explain the central role of the entrepreneur in fostering sustainable development.
CLAYTON M. CHRISTENSEN
Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School; regarded as one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth

EFOSA OJOMO
Senior Research Fellow, Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation

KAREN DILLON
Former Editor, Harvard Business Review
Saturday, FEBRUARY 16, 2019
AGRICULTURE
African Agriculture: Leapfrogging into the 21st Century?
Africa’s agricultural productivity is currently well below global averages, but will need to increase substantially to meeting growing food demands from a rapidly rising population. How can new technologies and innovative business models be applied towards this end? Even further, can Africa leapfrog 20th-century agricultural methods towards a future of high-tech farming?
PANELISTS

MARGARET NYAMUMBO
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Kahawa 1893
ZACH GIGLIO
Head of Global Communications, Aerobotics
MODERATOR

MARK ADAMS
Founder, Agrilink

MATT LOWES
Data Science Manager, One Acre Fund

RACHEL MACAULEY
Senior Program Officer, OCP Africa

ALEXANDRA STANEK
Associate Partner, Dalberg Johannesburg
CONSUMER
UNDERSTANDING THE AFRICAN CONSUMER OPPORTUNITY
POWERED BY THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP (BCG)
Have you ever wondered how to tap into the “African consumer” opportunity? For anyone interested in doing business in Africa, it is important to understand the African consumer landscape especially as many markets experience fast growth in the middle & affluent population and enjoy increases in private consumption. Join BCG for an interactive session to discuss go-to-market strategies for the diverse African consumer base, consumer sentiments, brand identity & dominance, and key steps to building a successful route to market in Africa.
PANELIST

STEFANO NIAVAS
Partner & Managing Director, BCG Johannesburg
EDUCATION
Home-grown & Sustainable models for the African Education sector
Home-grown & Sustainable models for the African Education sector: Are affordable (and ultra-low-cost) viable models to provide high quality education at scale and to enable students to be globally competitive? What would be needed to further develop sustainable education ventures across the continent? How can African education models further inspire and expand in both developed and developing countries outside the continent?
PANELISTS

AUDREY CHENG
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Moringa School

KARTHI KEYAN
Chief Technology Officer, Arifu

DAN WAGNER
UNESCO Chair in Learning and Literacy and Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania

JULIET WANYIRI
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Foondi
MODERATOR

YUSUF AHMAD
Graduate Research Assistant at the MIT Media Lab
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
building quality companies that cross African borders
Talented young Africans are increasingly starting their own ventures or teaming up with others in pursuit of entrepreneurial dreams. Some are offering unique homegrown solutions to solve problems they know intimately in their local communities. Others are returning home from developed economies, bringing global skills, experiences, and networks. All are chasing the promise of a 1.2 billion people continental economy with vast uncharted commercial waters.
How have African entrepreneurs and businesses converted these into commercial success? What does it take to build sustainable, profitable companies across industries as varied as Healthcare, Energy, Consumer and Logistics? How do the realities differ across the many regions and countries of the continent? To what extent are African companies talking to and doing business with one another?
We will explore how African entrepreneurs get started, team up and hire, innovate and produce, raise and deploy capital, compete and win. We will also examine how they contend with/capitalize on the same global forces at play everywhere - the cloud, open source software, cheap computing resources etc., while highlighting the unique impact of indigenous trends in their home economies
PANELISTS

ANDREW MUSOKE
Vice President of Sales & Marketing and Chief Commercial Officer of Lori

CYPRIAN KIBUKA
Former VP of Business Development and Founding Member, RubiconMD

BRYAN MEZUE
Co-founder and CEO of Lifestores Healthcare

DANIEL ODURO
CEO of AE Chase

ALPHA KIFLU
Sloan Fellow at the MIT Sloan School of Management
MODERATOR

OKENDO LEWIS GAYLE
Founder and Chairman of the Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance; Author of Harambeans
SMEs as an Engine of Growth for the African Continent
SMEs are key growth drivers in most economies; They account for over 50% of the labour force in Africa. However, African SMEs mostly operate in the informal sector and face significant challenges including lack of access to financing, talent and technology. How do we unlock the potential in the SME space in Africa? What models have been successful from other parts of the world?
PANELISTS

IRENE HU
Associate Partner, Open Capital Advisors

KOBBINA AWUAH
Founding and Managing Partner, Peak Investment Capital

SHOLA AKINLADE
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Paystack

DMITRY FOTIYEV
Managing Partner at Brightmore Capital
MODERATOR

ZUBBY ACHARA
MBA Candidate, Harvard Business School
The Role of Social Entrepreneurship in Africa's Development
Four of the eleven social ventures honored with the Social Entrepreneurship of the year award at the World Economic Forum in 2018 were focused on Africa. Social ventures have a unique opportunity to help close the socio-economic gap in African countries. This panel will explore the potential for social innovation to drive large-scale societal gains in Africa.
PANELISTS

ABISOLA TOLU-ODUTOLA
Founder and CEO Of Mumspring

RYAN PHILLIPS PAGE
Founder and CEO of Operation Water

EFE UKALA
Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at JP Morgan

MEGAN MITCHELL
Director Of Fellowship at Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship
MODERATOR

MAC SARBAH
Founder, EdAcme
FINANCE
Challenges and Opportunities in Africa's Real Estate and Property Markets
Real estate and property markets have remained a prime interest for investors on the continent. As major African cities continue to grow and develop, demand for high-quality commercial and residential real estate is growing as well. The rise of the urban middle class in Africa are driving retail property development, as well as retail centers and shopping malls. What challenges are African property developers currently experiencing and what are the solutions? What role do African entrepreneurs play in future development?
PANELISTS

NANA KWAME BEDIAKO
Chief Executive Officer, Kwarleyz Group

MUSTAPHA NJIE
Chief Executive Officer, TAF Africa Global Limited

SAUL FRAZER
Chief Executive Officer, Global Properties

EMMANUEL KOJO JONES-MENSAH
Chief Executive Officer, Empire Domus
MODERATOR

SANDRA OFORI
Finance Consultant, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Investing for the Future of Africa - the role of private equity
African private equity has witnessed significant swings over the last decade. The Afrian Rising narrative attracted interest from large local and foreign LPs, leading to record level of fund raising and investing activity. However, the commodity-price driven macro slow down and currency devaluations caused many to wonder whether the traditional PE model is suitable for the continent. What are the key challenges facing PE firms in Africa? Are these challenges transient or fundamental? Does this call for a change in strategy? What key lessons have been learnt by firms?
PANELISTS

CHUMA AJENE
Head of Investments and Corporate Development, Atlas Mara

CHRIS OSHIAFI
CEO, Pan African Capital

DAVID DAMIBA
Chief Investment Officer, Kasada Capital Management

JALIL BENSOUDA
Partner, McKinsey

TRENT HUDSON
Managing Director, Pactorum Ltd
MODERATOR

SANDRINE NZEUKOU
Executive Director, Invest Africa
Regionalizing Trade & FDI: Is Africa ready to grow from within?
Over the past twenty years, FDI levels in Africa have risen and fallen by mainly mirroring commodity price movements. Given the decline in FDI levels in recent years from US$58.1bn in 2008 to US$ 41.7bn in 2017, is it wise for Africa’s economic transformation to rely on FDI? In which sectors and instances should FDI be weighed against domestic investments? How do you assess China’s role in Africa now and how can the continent appropriate more value from FDI in general and more specifically from its relationship with China, especially in light of the seemingly changing nature of China’s involvement from that of an equity provider to that of a debt provider?
PANELISTS

ISMAËL DIAKITE
High Representative, SMB-WINNING-UMS Consortium

GUY BARON
Chief Investment Officer, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB)
LAMIA MERZOUKI, Deputy General Manager, Casablanca Finance City Authority

KEMI AROSANYIN
Director, Africa Trade Expansion Program, World Trade Center Miami

DR. MIMA S. NEDELCOVYCH
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, AfricaGlobal Partners
MODERATOR

MARK DOUMBA
MPA Candidate, Harvard Kennedy School
The Future of Fintech in Africa Beyond Payments and Money
The rate of future growth in Africa will be governed by its physical and digital infrastructures. What role do fintech startups have in creating the necessary digital infrastructure to accelerate growth and financial inclusion on the continent? What role can digital currencies play? Can fintech players help the continent leap forward in the same way that mobile penetration did in the past decade? What are the other applications of Fintech beyond payments?
PANELISTS

OLUGBENGA AGBOOLA
CEO Flutterwave

MAYOWA KUYORO
McKinsey Nigeria

AHMED RAZAQ
Co-Founder/ CEO, CowryWise

TUNDE LADIPO
Director, Interstellar.com

DEDE QUARSHIE
Category Business Manager, Zeepay
MODERATOR

LELAND RICE
Chairman, Advisory Board of Africa Fintech Summit
HEALTHCARE
The Role of the Private Sector in Improving Healthcare Quality and Achieving Universal Health Coverage in Africa
Quality healthcare is an imperative for reaching the ambitious target of Universal Health Coverage by the 2030 deadline agreed to by all UN member states. A systems approach, which rallies all levels of a country’s health system, including the private sector, has been advocated to improve healthcare quality. What leverage points and innovations can the private sector harness to improve the quality of healthcare in Africa? How can effective public-private partnerships be built to facilitate the delivery of quality care? Does the private sector have the capacity to propel Africa to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030?
PANELISTS

DR. MARY EYRAM ASHINYO (Mrs.)
Deputy Director, Quality Assurance Ghana Health Service

RYAN ALAM
International Growth, Zipline

EDWIN MACHARIA
Africa Regional Director and Partner Dalberg

DAISY UDENYI YUSUF, LLB, BL
Vice President/Chief Operating Officer, Siloan Medical Centre, Lagos, Nigeria

BRIGHT SIMONS
President, mPedigree
MODERATOR
J. NWANDO (ONYEJEKWE) OLAYIWOLA, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Chief Clinical Transformation Officer, RubiconMD
Associate Physician & Clinical Instructor, University of California, San Francisco
INFRASTRUCTURE
Africa’s Infrastructure: A Springboard for -- or a Brake on -- growing economies?
PANEL 1: ENHANCING AFRICA’S ACCESS TO CAPITAL
Infrastructure development is central to unlocking Africa’s economic potential: Better infrastructure directly increases the productivity of human and physical capital. While the economic argument for strengthening infrastructure is clear, inefficiencies such as limited access to finance and poor execution remain major impediments to infrastructure development in Africa.
This panel will be structured to delve into discussions around access to capital; How should African government select bankable projects that attract both foreign and local capital? Which finance models are more suitable towards funding Africa’s large and persistent Infrastructure gap? Could the concept of works in lieu of taxes work in Africa?
PANELISTS

JAKE CUSACK
Managing Partner, CrossBoundary

TARIYE GBADEGESIN
Head of Heavy Industries and Telecommunications, Africa Finance Corporation

KADER HASSANE
Principal Investment Officer, Africa50

RAHUL SRINIVASAN
Energy Specialist, World Bank
MODERATOR

ANHAD NARULA,
CEO, Africa Plus Partners
PANEL 2: IMPROVING INFRASTRUCTURE EXECUTION EFFECTIVENESS
Africa has huge infrastructure gap, estimated at $130-170 billion per year. However, this infrastructure gap goes beyond just financing. There is a lack of good governance of infrastructure too. But if you ask “Why infrastructure projects fail in Africa”, the question becomes loaded and will trigger emotional, passionate responses that can also be thought-provoking. This panel examines the stakes and challenges of project management in Africa by focusing on how it is practiced in that particular context and lessons from best cases.
What are the key factors that inhibit successful execution of projects? What themes can be learned from successful PPP cases? What are some secret recipes for establishing effective public-private partnerships? What role should international organizations and the private industries play towards reaching the common goal?
PANELISTS
DR. B. O. BABALAKIN
Chairman, Bi-Courtney Limited

ZOYO ZHAO, CEO
Golden Mainland Ghana Limited

JITESH SHETTY
Technology Entrepreneur

ANHAD NARULA
CEO, Africa Plus Partners
MODERATOR
FIYINFOLU OLADIRAN
Partner, McKinsey & Company
LIGHTING UP AFRICA: THE BROKEN ENERGY CHAIN
New York City, with a population of 9 million, has more grid connected electricity than Sub Saharan Africa with a population of nearly 1 billion. Why has the power industry failed, especially when access to electricity is critical for industrialization and economic development? Has the private sector responded with innovative solutions to balance this supply-demand gap? Can renewable mini-grids leapfrog the the traditional large power plants that require distribution and transmission infrastructure? The panel will focus largely on Nigeria, Africa's largest economy, and a country heavily reliant on private, polluting diesel generators for power.
PANELISTS

SUMEET SINGH
Director – Sales & Strategy, Powergas Africa Ltd.
MODERATOR

NANA MENYA AYENSU
AVP – Investment Strategy, GE Energy Financial Services

KEVIN OKYERE
Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Springfield Group

DIMITRI PAPEFSTRATIOU
Partner, DLA Piper

TOMIWA IGUN
Manager, Boston Consulting Group
MEDIA / CREATIVE ARTS
Bringing African Content to the World
Whether fuelled by recent cinematic marvels or not, this past year, African themes seemed ever ubiquitous in music, fashion, and film. African creative talent (i.e. actors, writers, directors) gained significant exposure to global audiences; Netflix acquired the global rights to its first Nigerian film, Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart; Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone debuted at number one on the New York Time’s bestseller-list for young adult books; Wanuri Kahiu’s Rafiki was the first movie from Kenya to premiere at Cannes.
How do we translate this popularization of African themes worldwide into sustainably exporting African made film and television to global audiences? How do we create an ecosystem that consistently delivers high-quality film and tv to audiences worldwide? What industry infrastructure changes do we have to make to support such content export? How do we increase the appeal of our content to such audiences? What do African creatives who want their stories told on a world stage have to do to succeed? What platforms do we need to take advantage of to showcase our talent?
PANELISTS

FUNA MADUKA
Director of International Original Films, Netflix
MODERATOR

RON BABALAKIN
MBA Candidate, Harvard Business School
The Global Adoption of African Fashion
From modern native wears and traditional garb to sold out World Cup football jerseys, African fashion is taking off on a global scale. As the industry is growing with interest in Afro-centric style spreading worldwide, more Africans on the continent and in the diaspora are exploring the fashion business. What different roles can African entrepreneurs play as the industry moves forward?
PANELISTS

UGO MOZIE
Stylist, Creative Entrepreneur, & Founder - WANA (We Are New Africa)

ANGE MUYUBIRA
Burundian Fashion Mogul

MAI ATAFO
Founder & Creative Director, Mai Atafo Inspired

DIARRA BOUSSO
Founder, Dakar Boutique Group
MODERATOR

JAKE OBENG-BEDIAKO
Youth Ambassador for Diaspora Affairs, Office of the President of Ghana
the Music Business in Africa
Afrobeats is here to stay and is on the path to global domination. Favorites such as Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy have captured the world’s attention and stars such as Drake, Migos and Major Lazer want in on the sound, through collaborations with, and inspiration from, the best of our very own. Has the economic attractiveness of African music grown accordingly with the surge in quality and demand? Which income sources (streaming royalties, album/single sales, concerts/tours, endorsements, etc.) are driving revenues, and which are underperforming? How can the underperformers be improved? Can the growth be sustained to attract the next generation of Afrobeats talents? What roles can key stakeholders (regulators, artists, producers, distributors and consumers) both locally and in the diaspora play in driving the industry forward? Finally, with an ever-changing digital world, how are music distribution strategies evolving to reach Afrobeats fans all across the globe?
PANELISTS

DAVIDO
Performing Artist & Founder, Davido Music Worldwide

TUMA BASA
Director, Urban Music @ YouTube

DJ JULS
Afrobeat Producer & DJ
TUNDE OGUNDIPE
Global Lead of African Music Culture, Spotify
MODERATOR

ABDUL KARIM ABDULLAH, Co-Founder of Afrochella
TECHNOLOGY
Leveraging Technology-Enabled Services to Drive Growth & Create Value for Businesses
Technology has played an essential role in transforming and creating value for businesses around the world. The growth of technology-enabled services developed to serve the African business context is rapidly gaining momentum and has the potential to create value and drive growth by allowing businesses to leverage these tools and focus on their core competencies. This panel will examine a number of existing tech-enabled services across different industries and regions and explore the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
PANELISTS
UGWEM I. ENEYO
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Solstice Energy Solutions

BI HUANG
Chief Financial Officer, OZÉ
TARIK HILALI
Africa Startup Engagement Lead, Microsoft
IFE OYEDELE II
Co-Founder & Chief Technical Officer, Kobo360

OLUGBENGA AGBOOLA
Chief Executive Officer, Flutterwave
MODERATOR
OLU OYINSAN
Managing Partner, Oui Capital