Columbia Africa Conference

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Columbia Africa Conference

An annual Africa-focused conference at Columbia University in New York

2022 AFRICA ECONOMIC FORUM, APRIL 22-23rd, 2022

We are excited to announce the 18th Africa Economic Forum (AEF) at Columbia University, which will be fully virtual this year. We look forward to having you join us and our distinguished speakers in-person to explore this year’s theme – Africa Today & Tomorrow: Accelerating the Growth of An Economic and Cultural Powerhouse.

09/12/2026

KEYNOTE ANNOUNCEMENT: The Capital Question: Financing Africa’s Growth in a New Global Order. 💰

Africa is increasingly central to the global economy, yet many of the financing decisions that shape its growth are still made outside the continent.

Leading the conversation are Banji Fehintola of Africa Finance Corporation, Ethiopis Tafara of the International Finance Corporation, Genevieve Sangudi of Alterra Capital Partners, and Ziad Oueslati of AfricInvest.

Together, they’ll examine whether Africa’s real constraint is a shortage of capital or of investable opportunities, and how the continent moves from adapting to a global order shaped by others to setting its own terms within it.

Join us
📅 September 26, 2026
📍 Columbia Business School
🎟️ Get tickets at the link in bio.

09/11/2026

🎙️ Speaker Announcement + An Evening with Emmanuel Lubanzadio, Africa Lead at OpenAI

We’re excited to announce Emmanuel Lubanzadio, Africa Lead at OpenAI, as a speaker on our Tech & Innovation Panel at the 23rd Columbia Africa Conference!

Ahead of the conference, we’re also bringing together a small group of students for an intimate dinner and policy roundtable with Emmanuel.

Jointly hosted by the CBS AI Club and Africa Business Club, and sponsored by OpenAI, the evening will be a candid conversation on AI in Africa, the policy and market landscape, and what the future of AI means for the continent.

📍 Columbia Business School
📅 Thursday, September 24
🍽️ Dinner + Policy Roundtable
👥 Limited to 20 students

Open to MBA students across universities who hold a ticket to the Columbia Africa Conference.

Registration is a lottery waitlist and does not guarantee a seat. Selected participants will be notified ahead of the dinner.

🔗 Register via the link in bio.

Come ready for an intimate conversation on AI, Africa, policy, and the opportunities ahead.

09/09/2026

👥 Going together just got cheaper.🎉

Grab your friends and join us at the Columbia Africa Conference on September 26. Groups of 5 can now save $25 per ticket and experience a full day of conversations, networking, career opportunities, and community together.

🌍 400+ attendees
🎤 12 panels
💰 Group of 5: $70/person

Visit www.columbiaafricaconference.com to grab your tickets today!

09/08/2026

What happens when Africa’s leaders, catalysts & culture makers are in one room? 🌍

Ideas are exchanged. Connections are made. Opportunities happen.

The 23rd Columbia Africa Conference will be held on September 26 and we want you in the room.

🎤 12 panels
🤝 Networking & career opportunities
🌍 Leaders across industries
🥂 After-party

Don’t just hear about it, experience it.

🎟️ Visit columbiaafricaconference.com for tickets

09/04/2026

PANEL ANNOUNCEMENT:
Beyond the Grid: Africa’s Energy Future. ⚡

Energy sits at the heart of Africa’s next chapter, shaping how businesses scale, industries grow, cities develop, and economies compete.

Joining us for the conversation are Abimbola “Bim” Adisa of Beacon Power Services, Chris Troy of Troy Engineering Services (ex-USAID), Peter Gaius-Obaseki of McKinsey & Company, and Victor Ezenwoko of Daystar Power.

Together, they’ll explore what it will take to build the reliable, scalable energy systems Africa’s growth demands, and where the biggest opportunities lie ahead.

Join us
📅 September 26, 2026
📍 Columbia Business School
🎟️ Tickets at the link in bio.

09/01/2026

The Columbia Africa Conference is a full day of big ideas, sharp conversations, and great people.

Last year, we brought together students, founders, investors, policymakers, executives, creatives, and members of the diaspora for conversations that stretched from the main stage to breakout rooms.

This September, we’re doing it again with Africa Ahead: The Continent’s Role in a New Global Order

Expect new voices, new questions, and a room full of people bringing different perspectives on Africa’s place in a changing world.

📍 Columbia Business School
📅 September 26, 2026
🎟️ Tickets available at the link in bio

08/30/2026

📣 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT: Winnie Byanyima

From Uganda’s Parliament to Oxfam International to the United Nations, Winnie Byanyima has spent her career challenging how power, opportunity, and access are distributed.

Today, as Executive Director of UNAIDS and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, she leads global efforts to end the AIDS pandemic by 2030 while continuing to advocate for health equity and social and economic justice.

At Africa Ahead, Ms. Byanyima joins us for a conversation that goes beyond health alone: what is Africa’s role in shaping a fairer global order?

📍 Columbia Business School
📅 September 26, 2026
🎟️ Tickets at the link in bio

08/27/2026

📣 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT: Maurizio Caio

We’re excited to welcome Maurizio Caio, Founder and Managing Partner of TLCOM, to the 23rd Columbia Africa Conference.

TLCOM has backed some of Africa’s most notable technology companies, including Andela, uLesson, Autochek, Littlefish and SeamlessHR.

At Africa Ahead, Maurizio will join us for a conversation on the evolution of venture capital in Africa, what investors have learned from the last decade, and what it will take to build and back the continent’s next generation of category-defining companies.

What does it take for African companies to not only scale, but win globally? Maurizio will bring an investor’s perspective to that question at Africa Ahead.

📍 Columbia Business School
📅 September 26, 2026
🎟️ Tickets at the link in bio

08/23/2026

We’re excited to welcome Ethiopis Tafara, Regional Vice President for Africa at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), as a featured speaker on our Finance keynote panel at the 23rd Columbia Africa Conference.

IFC, part of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector, mobilizing private capital at scale. Mr. Tafara oversees IFC’s investment and advisory operations across Africa, including a $20B portfolio of committed capital.

What does that look like in practice? Everything from a $150M guarantee for supply-chain finance across eight African markets, to an $80M hospitality investment in Ethiopia, a $25M equity investment in Jumia, and nearly $1B committed to sports, fashion, entertainment and other creative industries.

Hear from Mr. Tafara at the Columbia Africa Conference as we explore Africa’s role in a changing global economy.

📍 Columbia Business School
📅 September 26, 2026
🎟️ Link in bio for tickets

08/14/2026

🚨 SPONSOR ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨

We’re excited to welcome McKinsey & Company Africa as a sponsor of the Columbia Africa Conference 2026! 🌍

As part of the partnership, attendees will have several opportunities to connect with the McKinsey team:

📄 COMPANY PRESENTATION & COFFEE CHATS
Join McKinsey & Company Africa for a company presentation on conference day, submit your resume for internship and full-time opportunities, and connect with McKinsey partners and recruiting team members through coffee chats. Conference tickets are required for the company presentation and coffee chats.

Link in bio for conference tickets, resume submissions & McKinsey event registration.

🌍 AFRICAN LEADERS ON THE MOVE — US EDITION
On September 25, hear directly from McKinsey consultants about their career journeys, the firm’s work across Africa, and opportunities across its Africa offices.

Link in bio for McKinsey event registration.

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New York, NY

Website

https://www.columbiaafricon.com/

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