The 3rd Annual Africa Business Symposium The New African Economy: Redefining Business, Redefining Strategy
Date/Time:
Saturday, April 14, 2012 (09:00 - 16:00 CST)
Location:
University of Chicago Booth School of Business - Gleacher Center
450 North Cityfront Plaza Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60611 USA
Chicago Booth African Business Conference
According to the Economist, six of the world�s ten fastest-growing economies in the last decade were in sub-Saharan Africa. The IMF forecasts that seven of the world�s top ten fastest growing economies over the next 5 years will be African, specifically, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Congo, Ghana, Zambia and Nigeria.
What is fueling Africa�s rapid growth? The expanding middle class and consumer markets, increasing infrastructure investments, and vast natural resource reserves have placed Africa on the cusp of a new era of economic growth, an era that could transform the livelihoods of millions of Africa�s inhabitants and alter the global community�s perception of Africa.
However, persuading global institutions to commit capital to African economies remains challenging, especially as trouble in the European Union sends global capital flows to "safe havens" and as Africa jostles for attention in the emerging markets �bucket� alongside the larger growth markets of Brazil, India and China. This year�s symposium will focus on the emerging African private equity sector and on African banks and stock exchanges with exciting keynote speakers, including President John Agyekum Kufuor (former President of Ghana & former Chairperson of the African Union) and Dr. Harry Broadman (Chief Economist and Emerging Markets Practice Leader, PwC LLP).
Last year�s symposium attracted about 180 attendees and we were honored to have Mr. Haskell Ward, senior vice president at SEACOM (the first undersea fiber optic cable to provide broadband to countries in East Africa) and Mr. Paul Derreumaux, founder and former chairman of the Bank of Africa Group.