Africa Forward Summit enters day two with talks on finance reform, peace and AI at KICC

According to the summit schedule, a plenary working lunch on reforming the international financial architecture and improving African countries’ access to sustainable financing will run from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, with speakers listed including French President Emmanuel Macron, World Bank managing director Kristalina Georgieva and Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Other speakers scheduled for the financing session include International Finance Corporation (IFC) managing director Makhtar Diop, Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema, EBRD president Odile Renaud-Basso and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, alongside officials from the AfDB, ATI and other institutions.

A plenary on peace and security is set for 3.00pm to 4.30pm, with opening remarks by President William Ruto and President Macron, followed by discussions featuring UN Secretary-General António Guterres and African Union Commission chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.

The programme also lists a segment on African mediations for African crises featuring Togo President Faure Gnassingbé, Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh and Mauritania President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, as well as discussions on financing African peace operations involving Mozambique President Daniel Chapo and Ghana President John Dramani Mahama.

Later, from 5.00pm to 6.00pm, a parallel roundtable on artificial intelligence and digital technologies will be held at Taifa Hall, featuring Botswana President Duma Boko and Rwanda President Paul Kagame, among other speakers.

At the same time, parallel sessions will be held on the blue economy and health, with the blue economy roundtable featuring Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and President Tinubu, while the health roundtable will be moderated by AMREF CEO Dr Githinji Gitahi.

The programme also lists an agriculture roundtable featuring Lesotho’s King Letsie III and Mauritania’s President Ghazouani.