Ethiopian Informer
ADDIS ABABA (EI) – The Africa Business Forum 2026, the continent’s foremost business gathering, has issued a call for bold investments aimed at financing Africa’s development aspirations through job creation and innovation.
Held under the theme “Financing the Future of Africa: Jobs and Innovation for Sustainable Transformation” at the headquarters of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from February 16-17, this year’s edition of the forum brought together African heads of state, leaders from the business and creative sectors, and development financiers, among others.
The forum, which was held on the margins of the 39th African Union (AU) Summit, served as a critical platform for establishing new pathways toward sustainable industrialization and market integration. It concluded with a strong appeal for long-term, risk-tolerant investments to unlock Africa’s innovative potential and foster inclusive, job-rich growth across the continent, according to UNECA.
Participants at the 9th Africa Business Forum highlighted that Africa’s demographic growth presents a strategic economic opportunity that necessitates decisive investments in research, innovation, and entrepreneurial ecosystems. They emphasized that these investments should be anchored in risk-tolerant, growth-oriented capital rather than relying solely on aid. The forum stressed that structural transformation must be driven by an integrated regional value chain and the full realization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This includes harmonizing regulations, reducing capital costs, and promoting cross-border enterprise growth to facilitate sustainable job creation.
Key recommendations from the forum included reshaping Africa’s risk narrative to unlock affordable long-term capital by mobilizing domestic resources and establishing de-risking facilities to attract investment into small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and productive sectors. The participants called for financing to focus on value addition and industrial processing, utilizing standardized public-private partnership frameworks to lower capital costs and attract large-scale investors.
The forum also underscored the urgent need to shift development finance towards ecosystem-based transformation, integrating value chains, digital markets, and special economic zones as key growth drivers. Participants emphasized leveraging digital technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance education systems, improve data governance, and support evidence-based investment.
Moreover, the forum stressed the critical importance of aligning universities, skills development systems, and entrepreneurship ecosystems with market demands to accelerate innovation and enterprise growth. During the event, a Jobs Wall Commitment Tracker was launched to capture, showcase, and monitor job commitments from both public and private sectors.
Convened annually by UNECA, on the margins of the AU Summit, the Africa Business Forum serves as a premier continental platform for high-level engagement among African leaders, private sector executives, development financing institutions, and international partners.
The 9th edition of the forum concluded that Africa’s transformation hinges on financing its own future—investing in people, ideas, and innovation to promote sustainable growth. Building partnerships with Africa, rather than merely in Africa, will be essential to ensure that capital flows align with the continent’s priorities and potential.
(Photo Credit – UNECA)
