From Ambition to Action
In May 2026, more than 2,500 heads of state, ministers, investors and chief executives from over 90 countries met in Kigali for the Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit to test a single proposition: Scale or Fail.
The Africa CEO Playbook turns their debates into a practical agenda for the private sector.
Organised by value chain, the Africa CEO Playbook brings together voices that rarely share a stage. You will find a food company beside a telecom group, a drone-delivery operator beside a pharmaceutical manufacturer, and a development bank beside a shipping line.
Their conclusion is clear: Africa’s gaps are design problems, not shortages.
Each chapter sets out the evidence, the solutions that already work on the continent, and the reforms Africa’s business and political leaders called for.
Unalloyed Power: Africa’s processing shortfall is an energy deficit.
Lost in the Middle: food value is lost between the farm and the market.
The Full Stack: Africa is adopting digital without owning its architecture.
Don’t Be Patient: healthcare is failing on system design, not on funding.
The Unmovable Trillions: more than $4 trillion in African institutional capital, less than 3% of it in infrastructure.
Going the Whole Mile: affordability, not price, wins Africa’s consumers.
Right Road, Wrong Map: 80% of infrastructure projects stall before financial close.
Processing Formulas: Africa holds 30% of critical minerals but only 3% of global manufacturing.
Download the playbook now.
