Former African Development Bank (AfDB) President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has announced the launch of the Global Africa Investment Summit (GAIS), a new platform aimed at drawing large-scale private investment into Africa and reshaping how the continent is viewed by global capital markets.
The initiative is designed to move Africa away from reliance on aid and toward investment-driven growth, bringing together African leaders, global investors, chief executives, and development partners to unlock funding for viable projects across the continent.
According to information shared by Adesina, the summit will focus on key sectors including agriculture, energy, infrastructure, industrialisation, critical minerals, and digital development. The first edition of the summit is expected to take place in Angola in 2026.
Adesina has repeatedly argued that Africa’s economic challenge is not a lack of opportunity, but a lack of investment. Despite holding more than 60 percent of the world’s remaining arable land, vast energy resources, and a rapidly growing youth population, Africa still receives a small share of global foreign direct investment.
He maintains that Africa’s risks are often overstated, while its long-term returns are underestimated. The Global Africa Investment Summit aims to change this by presenting investors with bankable projects, improving risk-sharing mechanisms, and strengthening collaboration between governments and the private sector.
The summit builds on Adesina’s experience at the AfDB, where initiatives such as the Africa Investment Forum helped mobilise billions of dollars for development projects by connecting investors directly with ready-to-finance opportunities.
While experts note that attracting investment will also require stronger governance, policy stability, and improved security across parts of the continent, Adesina’s leadership and credibility have raised expectations that the summit could become a major platform for Africa’s economic repositioning.
As global investors search for new growth opportunities amid rising uncertainty elsewhere, the Global Africa Investment Summit is presenting Africa not as a charity case, but as a critical player in the future of the global economy.