Despite flashes of global attention, African fashion brands often struggle to achieve lasting prominence. This panel brings together leading designers and fashion entrepreneurs to discuss how Africa's fashion industry can build on its unique strengths — local artisanship, sustainability, and cultural richness — to create commercially viable brands that compete and win on the world stage.

This panel explores the pivotal role of the public sector in fostering Africa's economic transformation through effective policymaking and institutional innovation. By examining lessons from across the continent, panelists will highlight how strategic governance, sound monetary policy, and strong institutions have laid the groundwork for thriving private sector growth and long-term prosperity.

Join Hakeem Belo-Osagie for a faculty address at the 28th Annual Africa Business Conference at Harvard Business School.

Africa holds a disproportionate share of the world's critical minerals essential for the global energy transition, from cobalt and lithium to rare earth elements. This panel examines how African nations can leverage their mineral wealth strategically — ensuring equitable partnerships, local value addition, and sovereign control over resources that will shape the global economy for decades to come.