Africa: CEO Dialogue Forum On Africa’s Growth

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The CEO Dialogue Forum which hosted more than 500 CEOs from Africa and beyond met virtually to discuss issues affecting Africa’s growth.

Strathmore University Business School partnered with Shared Value Initiative Africa to host the first session of the CEO Dialogue on 6 August 2020, themed ‘The Future of Work and the Impact of the Digital Economy on Africa’s Growth.’

Persistent gaps in education, health and skills have tampered the many opportunities in Africa leading to the continent to only reach forty percent of its estimated potential according to the World Bank. In addition, conflict, food insecurity, population growth and the disruptive forces of climate change threaten to curtail or even reverse the progress made over the past decades.

The discussion was spearheaded by a team of expert panelists drawn from different sectors such as Vincent Ogutu, Vice-Chancellor Designate Strathmore University, Cezanne Maherali, Head of Policy, Uber-sub-Saharan Africa, Alan Stoga, Chairman of the Tallberg Foundation, Bitange Ndemo, Associate Professor, University of Nairobi, Antoine Sebera, Government Chief Innovation Officer, Rwanda and James Wambugu for Group CEO UAP Group.

“Africa has a unique opportunity to grow faster than any other region in the future of work, but only if the continent is willing to operate at maximum capacity. There are opportunities for growth everywhere you look in Africa, but the continent is moving very slowly; there is a need to pick up the pace,” said Alan Stoga, Chairman of the Tallberg Foundation.

The delegates present in the forum argued that shaping the future and ensuring that the benefits of development reach every African is a collective responsibility. They also added that education should be the focus while commencing on shaping the future of Africa which will put the region and especially the youths in a more advantageous position compared to the generations before them.

“More than half of Africa’s population is young, meaning that most people are in school. Thus the role of the education sector in shaping perspectives for this youthful population,” he said. “The Covid-19 pandemic exposed all the fragilities in the African education system; it is time the sector embraces the digital future. There is no turning back now. A good number of educational institutions in Africa, from pre-school up to tertiary levels, have been paralysed by the Covid-19 pandemic hence the need to rethink the future of education.” Said , Vincent Ogutu Vice-Chancellor Designate, Strathmore University.

The CEO Dialogue Forum is a joint initiative of the Strathmore University Business School through the Executive Education Department and Shared Value Africa Initiative that seeks to connect leaders across Africa.

The second session of the CEO Dialogue Forum is scheduled for 3rd September 2020 with the theme ‘Emerging Challenges and Opportunities for Financial Markets’.

Article source: allafrica.com