LSE AFRICA SUMMIT TO EXPLORE AFRICA’S FUTURE FRONTIERS

The LSE Africa Summit is back for the fifth year running providing a platform that offers insight, perspective and solutions on the African continent. It is an annual two-day conference that engages with policymakers, business leaders, researchers on Africa’s most pressing issues. In previous years they have had the likes of H.E Nana Akuffo- Addo, Anas Arameyaw, Isabel Dos Santos and Ibukun Awosika.

This year the two-day summit will take place from the 30th -31st March 2019.

The summit will be running on the theme ‘Africa’s Future Frontiers ‘hoping to explore how Africa can navigate its crossroads to position itself for economic and social sustainability and inclusivity by tapping into Africa’s future frontiers”.

Discussions around the year’s theme are to be conducted around six panels. The first panel, “Money Matters: Promoting Financial Inclusion,” seeks to highlight the importance of financial inclusion and explore the current strategies and opportunities for providing access to finance for marginalised African citizens. In addition, there will be a further exploration of existing financial inclusion initiatives and their role in promoting a financially inclusive Africa.

The second panel is “African Unity: Breaking Down the Barriers,” and is expected to revisit trending debate around integration across the continent as a result of weak political will, limited intra-continental transport networks, restrictive visa regimes, insecure border crossings and high trade tariffs driven by rabid protectionism, and creeping xenophobia. Together, these present the greatest challenge to African integration.

The “In Pursuit of Justice” panel seeks to focus on the current state of Africa’s legal and policy environments and offers some recommendations for improved judicial systems at the national and continental levels. Particularly, with regard to safeguarding the rights of the voiceless and disenfranchised to create a just and equitable Africa for all.

The energy crisis and potentials of the continent are the subjects of the panel “Green Economy: Powering Africa Through Renewable Energy,” and to be based on the experiences of key players in the energy sector who are exploring current barriers towards power generation and access to energy whilst showcasing the economic potentials that lie in the renewable energy market.

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Finally, while the “e-Entrepreneurs in The New Age” panel is designed to explore the potentials of digital entrepreneurship in Africa by focusing on the opportunities that are available to aspiring e-entrepreneurs and infrastructural and policy tools, the “African Soft Power” panel explores how the arts have been used to address and campaign for social and political agendas on the continent.

The summit also provides an opportunity for students and professionals to connect with leading organisations and individuals in various fields such as law and finance.

This year, more than ever, we are looking forward to conversations that will spark curiosity, creativity and most importantly key learnings that will inspire Africans on the continent and beyond to continue investing in its potential while envisioning a future brimming with innovation.

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