Inside the Event That Brought Africa’s Biggest Leaders Together to Shape the Continent’s Future

The Africa CEO Forum 2025, held on May 12 and 13 in Abidjan, brought together more than 2,800 participants, marking the highest turnout in the forum’s history. The gathering saw the convergence of heads of state, global CEOs, ministers, and changemakers from across the continent and beyond, all rallying around a unified call for economic integration, industrialisation, and strategic partnerships to power Africa’s growth.

Six African presidents were in attendance: H.E. Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire, H.E. Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, H.E. Paul Kagame of Rwanda, H.E. John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, and H.E. Mohamed Cheikh El Ghazouani of Mauritania. Their presence signalled a strong commitment from the highest levels of government toward forging deeper ties between the public and private sectors to accelerate the continent’s development agenda.

Opening the forum, host President Alassane Ouattara addressed the uncertainties facing the global economy and emphasized the need for Africa to embrace self-sufficiency through local value addition and greater regional integration. 

“Despite global uncertainty, Côte d’Ivoire is experiencing sustained growth thanks to a solid macro-economic foundation and private-sector investment. It is time to accelerate the implementation of the AfCFTA and promote local value addition. This Forum must deliver actionable, ambitious solutions.”

One of the most talked-about moments of the day came during a one-on-one conversation between Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama and Bloomberg TV’s Jennifer Zabasajja. Their discussion, titled “Oil and Renewable Energy: A Dual Bet for Ghana’s Future,” captured the delicate balancing act Ghana is navigating, driving forward a $60 billion petroleum hub project while accelerating a national transition to renewables.

“If we could export sunlight, we’d be one of the richest countries in the world,” President Mahama remarked. Ghana’s renewable share currently stands at just 2.71%, well below the 10% goal set by its Renewable Energy Act. “I’m ashamed to say it,” he admitted. “But that’s why we need to act now.” His comments were paired with ambitious plans: the launch of a Renewable Energy Investment Fund, incentives for household solar systems, and a push to localize industrial value chains, particularly in lithium, bauxite, and manganese.

Beyond energy, President John Mahama unveiled Ghana’s broader resource strategy one that shifts focus from raw exportation to value-added processing.

“We don’t just want to ship out raw lithium,” he said. “We’re looking for partners who will build refineries and create jobs, right here.” Plans are underway to build an alumina refinery linked to the Volta Aluminium Company, and similar commitments have been secured in the manganese sector.

Ghana is positioning itself not just as a resource-rich nation, but as a processing hub for West Africa’s future.

As panels unfolded across the venue, another key theme took centre stage industrialisation. Experts from sectors as varied as steel, energy, and logistics gathered to ask hard questions. Why are Africa’s production costs still so high? Can hybrid power systems bring them down? What’s keeping the continent from harmonising tariffs and boosting intra-African trade?

Real solutions began to emerge. From regional manufacturing hubs to green industrial strategies, the dialogue was urgent and filled with purpose.

Meanwhile, development finance leaders, like Serge Ekue of the West African Development Bank, reminded everyone that dreams require funding but not just any funding. “Africa needs patient capital. Long-term vision. Investment-grade collaboration,” he said. “Sustainable development is only possible if we all move in sync.”

Veteran industrialist Jean Kacou Diagou, founder of NSIA, reflected on the forum’s evolution, noting how it had grown into a key decision-making platform. “When it was launched in Abidjan, I was leading the employers’ federation. Today, this Forum is the place where Africa’s private and public sectors meet to shape real change,” he said. “We come back each year because this is where progress happens.”

With high-level attendance, honest dialogue, and ambitious roadmaps for energy, finance, and industry, this year’s summit is not only asking the hard questions, it’s inspiring bold answers.