- Founded in 2021 by Jeune Afrique Media Group and the AFRICA CEO FORUM, the AFRICA FINANCIAL INDUSTRY SUMMIT-AFIS will be held in Lomé, Togo, November 28-29, 2022 for its first in-person gathering.
- The AFRICA FINANCIAL INDUSTRY SUMMIT-AFIS will bring together more than 600 participants, including the most prominent leaders in banking, insurance, fintech and capital markets, as well as key policy makers.
- The AFRICA FINANCIAL INDUSTRY SUMMIT-AFIS supports the African financial sector to improve financial inclusion and grow as a truly pan-African financial services industry.
- The upcoming AFRICA FINANCIAL INDUSTRY SUMMIT-AFIS is organized in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group's private sector organization, the Republic of Togo, Ecobank and Deloitte.
Abidjan, June 14, 2022 – The 2022 edition of the AFRICA FINANCIAL INDUSTRY SUMMIT-AFIS, an event which aims to foster a pan-African financial services sector, will be held on November 28-29, 2022, in Lomé, Togo. As new technologies revolutionize financial services, the event will discuss how Africa's financial sector can transform in the age of disruption and leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Under the theme, Green, Borderless and Digital – Transforming Finance in the Age of Disruption, the AFRICA FINANCIAL INDUSTRY SUMMIT-AFIS, a sister event to the AFRICA CEO FORUM, will bring together the continent's financial sector leaders and regulatory authorities.
Africa's development depends on building an efficient, inclusive, and sustainable financial sector but the sector is also exposed to global shocks. Inflationary pressures, monetary instability, and investor risk aversion threaten the sector's capacity to adapt to the technological changes revolutionising banking and financial markets.
Through panel discussions, roundtables, and business case studies, more than 600 financial sector leaders including bank CEOs, fintech operators, mobile money operators, institutional investors, capital markets operators and development finance institutions, as well as regulators and finance ministers, will address the challenges and opportunities facing Africa's financial industry.
In consultation with a 45-member Advisory Board of influential industry leaders, the AFIS platform has identified three avenues key to the future of African finance: green financial solutions to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change, creating a borderless financial ecosystem and delivering a profitable digital transformation that brings financial services to the unbanked and underserved.
THE AFRICAN FINANCIAL INDUSTRY SUMMIT-AFIS will inspire frank and open dialogue between regulators and industry, a prerequisite for Africa to build an inclusive continental financial industry that serves the real economy and creates jobs.
"The African financial industry is one of the most dynamic in the world, with exceptional room for growth, in a context of very strong demographic trends. The recent adoption of the AfCFTA represents a unique opportunity to rethink the African financial industry on a continental scale, especially in the context of a redefined global financial architecture," said Amir BEN YAHMED, Chairman of the AFRICA CEO FORUM.
"IFC is committed to expanding formal financial services to the millions of unbanked or underbanked people in Africa. At a time when African fintechs are experiencing rapid development, dialogue between financial players and between the private sector and public authorities is key to achieving financial inclusion and thus ensuring the financing needed to drive economic activity," said Sérgio Pimenta, IFC Vice President for Africa.
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About AFRICA FINANCIAL INDUSTRY SUMMIT-AFIS
Founded by Jeune Afrique Media Group in 2021, with the support of IFC (World Bank Group), AFIS is a sister organization of the AFRICA CEO FORUM, the leading platform for the African private sector. AFIS' objective is to build a robust financial industry that serves the real economy and sustainable development. Bringing together the most influential figures and institutions in African finance, as well as regulators, AFIS works to improve financial inclusion and the emergence of a truly pan-African financial services industry.
About The AFRICA CEO FORUM
Founded in 2012 by Jeune Afrique Media Group, the AFRICA CEO FORUM is the reference platform for the African private sector. Its Annual Summit brings together decision-makers from Africa's largest companies, international investors, multinational executives, heads of state, ministers and representatives of the main financial institutions active on the continent. It also offers a Women Working For Change (WFC) platform, dedicated to women leaders, and a Disrupters Club, for the CEOs of Africa's most innovative and promising start-ups.
About IFC
IFC—a member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2021, IFC committed a record $31.5 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit www.ifc.org. IFCis a partner in the AFRICA CEO FORUM and co-organizer of the AFRICA FINANCIAL INDUSTRY SUMMIT.
