Unlocking Africa's Financial Power: Time to mobilise domestic capital at scale
The pursuit of a strong African financial sector has never been more critical. Global aid, trade, investment flows, and geopolitical dynamics are shifting, while international capital has grown more selective, costlier, and less patient than at any time in the past decades. Across the continent, transformative projects in energy, infrastructure and digital innovation require massive investments, not only foreign, but also domestic. It is now essential to build domestic and regional financial sectors capable of carrying their fair share of the financing needed for the continent’s sustainable growth, job creation, prosperity, and sustainability.
The key to inclusive growth lies within Africa’s grasp. Despite the continent’s growing wealth and more sophisticated financial markets, a significant share of locally generated capital remains underutilized or is invested abroad. The result is a paradox of resource abundance alongside persistent financing gaps for local economies. Mobilizing capital at home will require forward-thinking regulation, fit-for-purpose financial instruments, better information for domestic investors, and strategic partnerships that can channel domestic savings into long-term investment.
At the Africa Financial Summit 2025, discussions will focus on how to activate African capital at scale for African purposes. The AFIS community of African financial institutions and policymakers must lead this shift, and position itself at the heart of a new, bolder financial architecture rooted in regional leadership and smart risk-sharing.
Strategic Priorities:
- Unlock institutional capital by aligning regulatory frameworks and creating financial instruments tailored to local needs and risk profiles;
- Improve project origination and preparation within Africa and enable African finance to lead and fund transformative development projects;
- Leverage technological innovation to develop financial sector-enabled solutions to drive job creation, infrastructure, SME growth, agriculture, energy and industrialization;
- Mobilize private sector capital at scale through strategic opportunities and create investment vehicles tailored to local institutions;
- Make African stock exchanges and fintech platforms central to capital formation, especially for SMEs, Family Businesses and private equity;
- Strengthen insurance markets to address emerging risks — including cyber threats, climate change, and supply chain disruptions;
- Expand hybrid instruments, including mezzanine debt, blended finance structures, and local derivatives markets for FX and commodities.
On 3-4 November in Casablanca, more than 1,200 African and global financial leaders and policymakers will come together to build momentum for Africa’s future. This is Africa’s moment.
PANELS, STRATEGIC ROUNDTABLES & WORKSHOPS
GLOBAL ECONOMIC AND STABILITY CHALLENGES
Unlocking domestic capital for a future we own AfCFTA, PAPSS & AELP: How can pan-African initiatives deliver the impact financial institutions want to see? BRICS, Eastern influence, de-dollarisation and tariffs – the macro trends and how to outplay them Debt-for-nature swaps: Climate solution or financial illusion?
COMMERCIAL BANKING OUTLOOK
Trusting local banks with FX reserves: A move to boost sovereignty or a big risk? On the frontline of fiscal strain: How can financial institutions manage sovereign debt exposure? Who controls African trade finance – and why isn’t it African banks? Supply chain finance: Africa’s secret weapon for business efficiency? NPL breathing room: How could expanded secondary markets ease pressure on banks?
CAPITAL MARKETS & ASSET MANAGEMENT
From dry ports to deep waters: Financing inland corridors and trade access for landlocked countries Mobilising domestic savings into capital markets: What’s stopping pension funds? Reviving African stock markets: Forging publicly-listed family businesses with pan-African ambitions Overcoming the barriers to local currency debt markets Private Equity: Succeeding in exiting investments through capital markets.
SUSTAINABILITY
Green, social and blue Bonds and green sukuk: Building Africa’s climate finance toolbox Building and aligning green taxonomies Aid’s vanishing act: The next play for women-led SME & fintech funding African sovereign funds and diaspora VC: New alliances for development finance.
EXPANDING INSURANCE
Tech, climate & food ecosystem exposures: Can insurance absorb the coming shockwaves? How can insurance supervisors tackle Africa’s 3% penetration rate? Climate shock cover: How to expand regional climate risk pools.
DIGITAL FINANCIAL SERVICES & FINTECH
Co-designing AI-driven MSME finance with bank, fintech and MFI partnerships Challenger banks: The neobanks disrupting the status quo Regulatory passporting: The missing link to smoothing cross-border compliance and sparking innovation? Blockchain, AI and cyber resilience: Progressing e-KYC, fraud detection and digital innovation Enabling early-stage investment ecosystems in Africa.