ACF: Shaping the future of Africa

Post date

Mar 23, 2018

MCB Group

MCB Group will be participating in the upcoming Africa CEO Forum (ACF), which will be held on 26th and 27th March in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Often considered to be Africa’s own Davos Forum, the ACF which is jointly organised by two major groups, Jeune Afrique and Rainbow unlimited gmbh, has come to its sixth edition.

Which strategies should be African continent adopt in this digital era? How can women's and young people's access to decision-making positions be spurred? Why should African businesses initiate a major transformation of their governance? What leadership lessons can be learnt from iconic CEOs? These are some of the most pressing questions currently facing Africa. The ACF’s 6th edition will purposefully towards the future and be geared towards action, with 1200 participants from more than 60 countries, representing the business, investment and political realms, and coming together to shape Africa’s private sector for the next decade.

MCB Group will be represented by Alain Law Min, Chief Executive, MCB Ltd, Raoul Gufflet, Deputy Chief Executive, MCB Ltd, and Rony Lam, Chief Executive, MCB Capital markets. The latter will also sit on a panel on 27th March and his intervention will be on the theme: “Private Equity: Searching for tomorrow’s leaders”. The background to this panel discussion is as follows: private equity remains relatively low on the African continent, when compared to Singapore on its own, and is four times less than that of India. The underlying reasons are: the limited number of structured companies, the scarcity of funds accessible to medium-sized businesses, and the hesitation of entrepreneurs.

MCB Group’s participation in the 2018 ACF will allow, amongst other things to position Mauritius’ success story, with, as backbone, its openness and plural origins. These have been the key ingredients in the country’s progress, coupled with MCB’s 180 years of existence and journey as the country’s leading banking institution.

The ACF will also be a momentous on the African, and even the international political scene, as it will mark the first steps of Liberia’s new president, George Weah as well as those of the president of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, on the international front. George Weah, known to football fans as “Mister George” is a former “Ballon d’Or” who has, amongst others, been part of the golden days of AC Milan and Paris St-Germain. Weah and Mnangagwa will most certainly be the main poles of attraction in workshops and discussions focusing on the development processes launched in their respective countries.