Themes
Held in the iconic Nelson Mandela Lecture Theatre on 13 March 2027, the Oxford Africa Business Forum is home to captivating keynote addresses, engaging panel discussions, and academic thought-pieces. The Forum serves as a nexus for industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and scholars to explore innovative strategies, forge impactful partnerships, and address the continent's most pressing economic challenges. The event, themed Igniting Africa: Fuelling Tomorrow’s Growth from Within, will explore how Africa can translate this momentum into prosperity that is built, owned, and sustained from within. The conversation will focus on the foundations of long term growth: energy systems that power industrialisation, capital that finances African ambition, institutions that enable effective governance and investment, and technology as the infrastructure layer accelerating progress across every sector. Through keynotes, panel discussions, and workshops, participants will examine how governments, businesses, and investors can respond to these forces while advancing inclusive and sustainable prosperity. It will also consider how Africa can strengthen its role in global governance and cultural exchange, and harness its demographic and technological potential to define its own trajectory on the world stage.
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Africa’s next phase of growth will depend on strong institutions, effective leadership, and policies that foster investment, accountability, and trust. This session will explore how African leaders can strengthen governance, deepen regional integration, and advance the institutional reforms and collective action needed to unlock sustainable development from within.
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Across Africa, entrepreneurs and businesses are developing solutions to pressing challenges. This session will explore how investments in digital connectivity, artificial intelligence, healthcare, energy, and industrial infrastructure can accelerate economic transformation, spotlighting African businesses driving innovation at scale and the partnerships needed to build resilient industries and expand access to essential services.
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Unlocking Africa’s economic potential requires greater mobilisation of domestic and diaspora capital. This session will explore how financial institutions, investors, governments, and development finance partners can strengthen African ownership of growth, examining the role of pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, private capital, and innovative financing models in overcoming investment barriers and building sustainable investment ecosystems.
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Africa’s music, film, fashion, beauty, and cultural industries are increasingly shaping global trends and creating new opportunities for economic growth. This session will celebrate the entrepreneurs, artists, and creative businesses taking African culture to international audiences, while exploring how the continent can capture more of the value it creates. Discussions will focus on intellectual property, investment, distribution, and the commercialisation of African creativity, highlighting the creative economy’s potential to generate employment, build globally competitive businesses, and strengthen Africa’s cultural identity.
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As global economic and political dynamics evolve, Africa has an opportunity to shape the decisions, institutions, and narratives that define its future. This session will explore how media and diplomacy can amplify African voices, challenge conventional perceptions of growth in Africa, strengthen strategic partnerships, and position Africa as an active architect of the global economy.
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Africa’s next chapter will depend on its ability to turn ambition into action. Drawing on the experiences of entrepreneurs and investors building globally competitive businesses, this closing session will explore how African-led investment, partnerships, and collective action can translate opportunity into tangible outcomes, challenging participants to make practical commitments that accelerate growth from within.