By More than 2,000 African and global business leaders, alongside several heads of state, will meet in New York on September 20-21 for Unstoppable Africa 2026, an investment summit aimed at channeling capital into the continent’s economies, organizers said on Wednesday.
The event, now in its fifth year, is the flagship gathering of the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI). It will run alongside the opening of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square.
Unstoppable Africa 2026 is convened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and is organized and coordinated by the United Nations Global Compact. This year’s theme is “Powering Business, Scaling Economies, Shaping the Future.”
The summit will bring together investors, policymakers, corporate executives, creative industry figures and sports executives to discuss ways to accelerate trade, investment and Africa’s influence in global markets, according to a statement from organizers.
“This year, we are sharpening the focus on mobilising capital, forging partnerships, building businesses and turning Africa’s assets and opportunities into investable, scalable outcomes,” said Sanda Ojiambo, Assistant Secretary-General and CEO of the UN Global Compact.
“The ambition is not simply to shape how the world sees Africa, but to shape where global capital flows, where value is created and how Africa can capture it,” Ojiambo said.
Organizers said the program would center on how African countries can capture more value from critical mineral resources, strengthen infrastructure and trade links, mobilize capital at scale, and build more integrated regional markets.
The agenda will also cover Africa’s energy transition, ownership of artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure on the continent, financing for African creative industries, and the role of sport as a vehicle for investment and economic growth, the statement said.
Organizers said the summit comes as global supply chains are being reshaped by geopolitical tension, energy insecurity and shifting trade rules, developments they said present an opportunity for Africa to draw long-term investment on the back of its mineral reserves, renewable energy potential, growing consumer markets and young workforce.
Full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area could create a $3.4 trillion market, according to the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development’s 2024 Economic Development in Africa report, a figure organizers cited to underscore the scale of the opportunity as regional trade integration advances.
Confirmed speakers include Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio and Botswana President Duma Gideon Boko, along with Rwanda’s Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire, according to organizers.
Corporate participants listed include Samaila Zubairu, president and CEO of the African Finance Corporation; Nolitha Fakude, chairperson of Anglo American South Africa; and Tidjane Thiam, general partner at the Allied Critical Minerals Fund.
Other confirmed attendees include Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO of Naspers; Olugbenga Agboola, CEO of Flutterwave; and Clare Akamanzi, CEO of NBA Africa, organizers said.
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed and Massad Boulos, senior adviser to the U.S. president on Arab and African affairs, are also expected to speak, according to the statement.
Figures from the creative and sports sectors on the speaker list include filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu, Toronto International Film Festival CEO Cameron Bailey, and former NBA player Luol Deng, now president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation.
Organizers said GABI and Unstoppable Africa are structured around five themes – energy, digital transformation, trade, creative industries and sport – to be addressed through plenary sessions, CEO and investor roundtables, ministerial dialogues, startup showcases and what organizers called “GABI Solutions Labs.”
The 2026 edition is intended to generate business transactions, investment vehicles and cross-border partnerships, according to the statement.
The summit will again be hosted by Folly Bah Thibault, senior news anchor at Al Jazeera Media Network, and Larry Madowo, international correspondent at CNN. Organizers said the event would also spotlight more than 500 nominees from its “Unstoppable Africans” campaign, which recognizes individuals across business and other sectors.
Media partners listed by organizers include African Business/New African, AllAfrica, Arise News, Citizen TV, The Africa Report and TIME Africa, among others.
