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<p>Egypt &#8211; A land where legacy meets tradition. From its majestic Red Sea and north coasts to the dynamic streets of Cairo, the country is forging a path like no other. Innovation leads the way as it builds bridges to a world of prosperity. Join us as we discover the path to Egypt&#8217;s visionary future.<br />
#SIM #SIMfilms #CountryBranding @amcham_egypt @OWEgypt @TMG_Holding @oraegypt</p>


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Egypt: Building Bridges of Prosperity

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<p>The World Economic Forum welcomed global leaders and industry experts to respond to geopolitical shocks, stimulating growth to improve living standards, and stewarding a just and inclusive energy transition. This Focus On segment will highlight what South Africa&#8217;s finance sector is looking to achieve at the WEF2025.</p>


Focus On WEF 2025: Old Mutual CEO: South Africa is open for business

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<p>This Focus On segment puts Africa&#8217;s infrastructure opportunities on the spotlight. We speak to key industry experts at the World Economic Forum to find out what international investors are looking for to invest in Africa&#8217;s infrastructure.</p>


Focus On WEF 2025: Addressing Africa’s infrastructure challenges

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<p>Standard Bank Chief Executive Officer, Sim Tshabalala says Africa needs to negotiate smartly in order to realise full value from its ownership of the critical minerals needed for the green transition and other technologies. He spoke to CNBC Africa&#8217;s Godfrey Mutizwa in Davos Switzerland, where the 55th annual meetings of the World Economic Forum just concluded.</p>


Standard Bank’s Tshabalala: Africans must focus on own priorities


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/large_IxbhBNmPXP-nil4KL0PURE8h4lgoidtZrk2ukHxBuiE-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-579309" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/large_IxbhBNmPXP-nil4KL0PURE8h4lgoidtZrk2ukHxBuiE-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/large_IxbhBNmPXP-nil4KL0PURE8h4lgoidtZrk2ukHxBuiE-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/large_IxbhBNmPXP-nil4KL0PURE8h4lgoidtZrk2ukHxBuiE-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/large_IxbhBNmPXP-nil4KL0PURE8h4lgoidtZrk2ukHxBuiE-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/large_IxbhBNmPXP-nil4KL0PURE8h4lgoidtZrk2ukHxBuiE-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/large_IxbhBNmPXP-nil4KL0PURE8h4lgoidtZrk2ukHxBuiE-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">African government, business and civil society leaders met in Davos. Image: World Economic Forum/Chris Heeney</figcaption></figure>



<p>From its burgeoning youth population to its expanding influence on the global stage, Africa’s potential, challenges and new global leadership were at the heart of discussions at this week’s Annual Meeting in Davos.</p>



<p>Leaders from government, business and civil society gathered to explore the continent’s demographic dividend, address persistent divides in digital access and healthcare, and recognize Africa’s growing role in shaping international affairs. Here were the topics that came up.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-africa-s-economy-young-and-fast">Africa’s economy: young and fast</h2>



<p>If there was one word that might summarize discussions at Davos as it relates to Africa, it might be: optimism. “I have to say, I’m excited about where we’re going as a continent,” said Godfrey Mutizwa of CNBC Africa, in a panel he moderated about Africa’s momentum.</p>



<p>One big source of excitement across sessions was what might be called Africa’s vitality. Often referred to as “the young continent,” Erika Kraemer Mbula, Professor of Economics at the University of Johannesburg, was quick to correct that. “When I talk to my historian and paleontologist colleagues, they always remind me that this is the oldest continent when it comes to the origin of civilization; it is the cradle of humankind. It’s a youthful continent rather than the youngest.” The figures she shared speak for themselves. “60% of our population is below the age of 25. By 2050, about one out of three working age people globally will be African. So it’s about how we use this as an opportunity for transformative change.”</p>



<p>This youthfulness translates into a continent characterized by a “cutting-edge spirit of innovation,” said Wamkele Keabetswe Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bridging divides</h2>



<p>Capitalizing on all the continent has to offer, though, will require bridging deep gaps.</p>



<p>For example, when it comes to health, South Africa’s Minister of Health Pakishe Aaron Motsoaledi spoke of the “existing gross inequalities in the health status of people between developed and developing countries” but also “within the borders of countries themselves. It is politically, economically and socially unacceptable.”</p>



<p>Closing some of these deep gaps will be a priority of his, he said, referencing South Africa’s two-tier system, where the wealthiest in society have access to world-class services and everyone else has to make do. “In South Africa, and I’m not exaggerating, our inequality is worse than in any other country when it comes to healthcare.” According to figures shared by the minister, 51% of the country’s healthcare spending goes to the richest 14% of the population.</p>



<p>Digital divides were another topic that came up across the sessions. According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/december-2024/connectivity-everyone-key-africas-growth-and-prosperity">International Telecommunication Union’s latest data</a>, only 38% of people in Africa are using the internet, compared to the global average of 68%. In the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/09/the-intelligent-age-a-time-of-cooperation/">Intelligent Age</a>, where rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain offer many new opportunities, bridging this digital divide could be a game-changer. For example, as Paula Ingabire, Rwanda’s Minister of Information Communication Technology and Innovation, said, a report her department recently commissioned showed the financial boost potentially offered by AI. “What we are seeing is even with basic use cases that we can deploy, a potential to create at least 6% GDP contribution,” she said.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Financing change</h2>



<p>Africa is full of people brimming with ideas on how to tackle the above challenges and more. But without access to resources, these ideas will remain just that.</p>



<p>“We don’t have a problem of entrepreneurship in Africa,” said Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Executive Chairman, Cassava Technologies. “We have a lot of entrepreneurs, more than in any developed country, because our kids leave school knowing that if you don’t start something, you&#8217;re not going to be employed. But we have not put in place an ecosystem to support startups. There is no concept of it.”</p>



<p>The challenge for Africa’s women entrepreneurs runs even deeper, said Fatoumata Ba, Founder and Executive Chair of Janngo Capital — and also the founder of Africa’s first unicorn, the term used to describe startups that reach a valuation of $1 billion. “African women have the highest rate of female entrepreneurship globally at 26%. Yet according to the African Development Bank, they are facing a $42 billion funding gap,” she said. “Access to capital is a very important topic to tackle.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A new era of African leadership</h2>



<p>In December, South Africa assumed the G20 Presidency, the first time in the intergovernmental forum’s history that it will be hosted on the African continent. In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/01/davos-2025-special-address-cyril-ramaphosa-president-south-africa/">a special address at Davos</a>, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa shared his vision for his country’s and the continent’s leadership over the coming year, highlighting the unique role they might play in reigniting global cooperation after years of deepening divides.</p>



<p>“As we confront the challenges of the 21st century — from climate change to pandemics, to addressing the challenges of poverty to terrorism, from migration to artificial intelligence – we are again called upon to harness that most powerful, and most enduring, of human attributes: mutually beneficial cooperation and collaboration,” he told participants at the meeting.</p>



<p>Already, on many of these challenges, Africa has been stepping up to the plate. For example, in a week that saw some countries backtrack on their climate commitments, African countries have been doubling down on theirs.</p>



<p>Take the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/01/congo-kivu-kinshasa-green-corridor/">announcement of the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor</a>. This historic initiative will see an area covering 540,000 km² — the size of France — become protected through partnerships with communities that integrate conservation and restoration with green economic development.</p>



<p>The initiative was spearheaded by the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo was in Davos to present his hopes for what could be achieved — from both an environmental and a societal perspective. “This project aims to protect some of the most intact tropical forests on the planet, while preserving extraordinary biodiversity, including some iconic species…that are unique to the Congo Basin,” he said. “But this initiative goes far beyond simple environmental preservation…It will create over 500,000 jobs, including at least 20,000 specifically for young men and women who’ve been demobilized from armed groups.”</p>



<p>Other initiatives announced in Davos hold great hope for the future. For example, Angola, Gabon, Senegal and Kenya joined the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalplasticaction.org/home">Global Plastic Action Partnership</a>, a global effort now made up of 25 countries to address plastic pollution through systemic waste solutions and a circular economy.</p>



<p>In Pretoria, South Africa,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.smart-energy.com/industry-sectors/digitalisation/world-economic-forum-launches-new-centres-for-the-energy-transition/#:~:text=The%20South%20Africa%20Centre%20for,the%20twin%20challenges%20of%20inclusive">a new centre for the energy transition</a>&nbsp;was announced, part of the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution initiative.</p>



<p>And the Forum, in partnership with the Global Center on Adaptation, is creating a new platform to boost private investment in climate adaptation in Africa. While a formal launch won’t take place until spring, the CRDB Bank Group has already committed $1 billion.</p>



<p>Aside from climate change, Africa has been showing leadership in other areas, too. For example, at a time when some of the most basic democratic norms are being increasingly challenged, countries on the continent have been leading by example, as Duma Gideon Boko, the recently elected President of Botswana told participants.</p>



<p>“When power changes, it occasions a great deal of consternation, a great deal of anxiety. We are never sure whether it will happen at all…and whether those who are in power are fully committed to the fundamental tenets of democracy,” he explained. “In Botswana, a party that had been in power for 58 years faced the unexpected spectacle of a decisive loss at the polls, and many questioned whether the outcome would be accepted, whether power would really change hands. Well, in Botswana it did — it was peaceful; it was seamless.”</p>



<p>What’s clear, then, is that increasingly, the future of Africa is no longer being shaped by forces outside the continent: it is coming from inside. “We are the ones charged with the responsibility to develop, and we are responsible to our people,” explained Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Executive Chairman at Cassava Technologies. “Africans must develop Africa; it’s our continent.”</p>


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Davos 2025: Here’s what was top of the agenda for leaders from Africa

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<p>President Cyril Ramaphosa briefs the media on South Africa’s efforts to woo investors at this year&#8217;s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.</p>


S.Africa President addresses media in Davos

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<p>Africa Business Weekly on CNBC Africa brings you the most impactful business stories across sub-Saharan Africa every week. From the capital markets to economic news affecting the regions from East, West ad Southern Africa, we will speak to the major newsmakers from across the sub-Saharan Africa region to get exciting and unique angles to the stories shaping the continent.</p>


Africa Business Weekly: Nigeria’s Foreign Minister speaks to BRICS partnership

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<p>Investors at the Nigerian equities market are positioning with the release of full year earnings of listed companies. David Gwatau, an Investment Research Analyst at ARM, joins CNBC Africa to gauge the depth of investors sentiments.</p>


Investors sustain profit-taking momentum

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<p>A fireside chat focusing on the innovation systems on sustainability and development, placing South Africa and Africa as a whole on the global agenda.</p>


WEF 2025: Innovation ecosystems for sustainable development

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<p>The Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA) was one of the many South African organizations attending the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. We catch up with some of South Africa&#8217;s key messaging at the Forum.</p>


Focus On WEF 2025: Gauteng prepares to host G20 Summit

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<p>Traders at Access Bank expect quiet trading at the bond market as investors position ahead of Monday’s auction where 450 billion naira is on offer across the 2029, 2031 and 2035 papers. For the T-bills side, positive sentiments are supported by improved liquidity from FAAC and coupon payments. Dimeji Obasa, Fixed Income Dealer at Access Bank joins CNBC Africa for more market movements.</p>


Access: Investors position ahead of Monday’s bond auction

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<p>On the side-lines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, CNBC Africa’s Fifi Peters sat down for an extended conversation with Duma Boko, Botswana&#8217;s newly elected President on advancing Africa’s economy and governance, as well as promoting intra-African trade through the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement.</p>


Botswana’s Duma Boko sets out his vision for the economy, implores young people to build Africa

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<p>Coming from the 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, we bring messages from two key South African business leaders around positioning the country on the global stage. Key themes are plans for the G20 Summit, energy, infrastructure, technology and encouraging young entrepreneurs.</p>


Focus On: Elevating South Africa at the World Economic Forum 2025

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<p>With the promise of the African Free Trade Continental Area, an abundance of renewable energy sources and a boom in innovation hubs, the African continent has a unique opportunity to transform the future of its young and fast-growing population, which is estimated to reach 2.5 billion by 2050. A panel of experts will look at how Africa can use this significant momentum to fully reach its economic potential?</p>


WEF 2025: Africa’s Economy: Young and Fast

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<p>Analysts at Parthian Securities say they expect the Nigeria equities market to trade mixed despite investor&#8217;s reaction to latest development in the telecommunications space. Mercy Okon, a Research Specialist at Parthian Securities, joins CNBC Africa for some market updates.</p>


Parthian: Mixed sentiments to persist in Nigeria equities

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<p>Financial experts, investors, organised private sector players, policy makers among other stakeholders gather for the maiden Investors&#8217; Summit by the Emerging Africa Group. The event spotlights developments in the Nigerian economy, reforms and why investors need to keep investing in Nigeria. Catch the highlights on CNBC Africa.</p>


Focus On: Emerging Africa Investors’ Summit

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<p>Women spend on average 25 per cent more of their lives in poor health compared to men. By addressing this disparity, it could not only improve the health and lives of millions of women but also boost the global economy by at least $1 trillion annually by 2040. This panel discussion will look at what innovations are needed to make women&#8217;s health a lasting global priority.</p>


CNBC Africa

Egypt: Building Bridges of Prosperity

Focus On WEF 2025: Old Mutual CEO: South Africa is open for business

Focus On WEF 2025: Addressing Africa’s infrastructure challenges

Standard Bank’s Tshabalala: Africans must focus on own priorities

Davos 2025: Here’s what was top of the agenda for leaders from Africa

S.Africa President addresses media in Davos

Africa Business Weekly: Nigeria’s Foreign Minister speaks to BRICS partnership

Investors sustain profit-taking momentum

WEF 2025: Innovation ecosystems for sustainable development

Focus On WEF 2025: Gauteng prepares to host G20 Summit

Access: Investors position ahead of Monday’s bond auction

Botswana’s Duma Boko sets out his vision for the economy, implores young people to build Africa

Focus On: Elevating South Africa at the World Economic Forum 2025

WEF 2025: Africa’s Economy: Young and Fast

Parthian: Mixed sentiments to persist in Nigeria equities

Focus On: Emerging Africa Investors’ Summit

WEF 2025: Investing in Women’s Health

News Tips

Advertise With Us

CNBC Africa

Egypt: Building Bridges of Prosperity

Focus On WEF 2025: Old Mutual CEO: South Africa is open for business

Focus On WEF 2025: Addressing Africa’s infrastructure challenges

Standard Bank’s Tshabalala: Africans must focus on own priorities

Davos 2025: Here’s what was top of the agenda for leaders from Africa

S.Africa President addresses media in Davos

Africa Business Weekly: Nigeria’s Foreign Minister speaks to BRICS partnership

Investors sustain profit-taking momentum

WEF 2025: Innovation ecosystems for sustainable development

Focus On WEF 2025: Gauteng prepares to host G20 Summit

Access: Investors position ahead of Monday’s bond auction

Botswana’s Duma Boko sets out his vision for the economy, implores young people to build Africa

Focus On: Elevating South Africa at the World Economic Forum 2025

WEF 2025: Africa’s Economy: Young and Fast

Parthian: Mixed sentiments to persist in Nigeria equities

Focus On: Emerging Africa Investors’ Summit

WEF 2025: Investing in Women’s Health

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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