The Africa CEO Forum 2026 is scheduled to take place on 14 and 15 May 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda, bringing together more than 2,800 business leaders, investors and policymakers from over 90 countries for what is the largest annual gathering of the African private sector.
Co-organized by Jeune Afrique Media Group and International Finance Corporation, the summit will be held primarily at the Kigali Convention Centre under the theme “The Scale Imperative: Why Africa Must Embrace Shared Ownership.” Executives, heads of state and development finance institutions attending the Africa CEO Forum 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda are expected to focus on expanding African-owned infrastructure, cross-border banking integration and regional investment frameworks as the continent pushes for larger pools of private capital.
The Africa CEO Forum 2026 will feature more than 500 government participants, over 750 women leaders and approximately 300 journalists during the two-day event. Organizers say the agenda is designed around shared equity, shared infrastructure and shared regulatory frameworks aimed at accelerating intra-African trade and investment.
Banks at the Africa CEO Forum 2026
Banks at the Africa CEO Forum 2026 are expected to play a central role in discussions around regional financing, mergers and acquisitions, digital payments and infrastructure development. Among the pan-African lenders and financial institutions expected at the summit are Ecobank, Standard Bank Group, Attijariwafa Bank, Bank of Kigali, Mauritius Commercial Bank, Rawbank and Coris Holding. International financial institutions including International Monetary Fund and Bank of America are also expected to participate in banking sessions and investment forums.
Banking Speakers at the Africa CEO Forum 2026
Banking speakers at the Africa CEO Forum 2026 include several executives from African and global financial institutions involved in regional banking expansion and capital markets. The lineup includes Jeremy Awori, Diane Karusisi, Yvonne Ike, Sérgio Pimenta, Mustafa Rawji and Dalu Ajene.
Kenya’s banking sector is also expected to have a strong presence during the summit. KCB Group Chief Executive Paul Russo is set to participate in discussions around development finance and regional capital raising. Executives from Equity Group Holdings are expected to join panels focused on green finance and recovery financing, while Co-operative Bank of Kenya and NCBA Group are expected to explore regional public-private partnership opportunities and SME financing initiatives.
Banking Agendas at the Africa CEO Forum 2026
Banking agendas at the Africa CEO Forum 2026 are structured around scaling African financial institutions into regional players capable of supporting large infrastructure and industrial projects. One of the major sessions will focus on acquisition finance, with lenders examining how deal-linked lending structures can support mergers and acquisitions involving African firms. Executives from institutions including Standard Chartered, Nedbank and Standard Bank Group are expected to participate.
Another session titled “Has Africa’s cost of corporate & SME credit become too high?” will examine borrowing costs across the continent and alternative funding models involving fintech firms and private credit providers. The forum will also address gender financing gaps in Africa’s banking industry, with discussions centered on financing mechanisms for women-led businesses and credit allocation systems aimed at increasing access to capital. Panels on shared equity and capital markets are expected to examine how African institutional investors can support cross-border banking expansion and regional integration.
Africa CEO Forum Awards and Investment Deal Rooms
The Africa CEO Forum Awards gala dinner scheduled for 14 May will recognize leading African companies and executives across multiple sectors. Investment projects at the summit will be presented through structured “Deal Room” sessions intended to connect governments, investors and lenders with projects seeking financing.
Among the banking and financial services projects expected to be discussed are acquisition finance deals for African mergers, fintech-bank consolidation projects involving payment infrastructure, and expansion of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, which has onboarded more than 160 commercial banks.
Additional projects include regional sustainability financing initiatives, food value chain financing vehicles and gender-lens investment programs targeting women-led enterprises. A Kenya-linked sustainability financing initiative involving KCB Group and Proparco is also expected to feature in discussions around green infrastructure financing in East Africa.
Africa CEO Forum 2026 Expected Outcomes
Organizers and participants attending the Africa CEO Forum 2026 in Kigali are targeting the mobilization of up to $2.5 trillion in private capital for African-owned infrastructure and industrial development projects. Discussions are also expected to focus on regulatory harmonization initiatives linked to the proposed African Monetary Institute and the future development of a unified African central banking framework.
Expansion of local currency and blended-finance lending models for startups and young entrepreneurs is also expected to feature prominently during banking sessions involving development finance institutions and commercial lenders.
The summit follows previous milestones linked to the forum, including the launch of the Africa Financial Industry Summit initiative in 2025 and the identification of more than €3 billion in investment opportunities during the forum’s 2019 Kigali edition, largely concentrated in infrastructure and fintech sectors.
Jefferson Wachira is a writer at Africa Digest News, specializing in banking and finance trends, and their impact on African economies.