Luanda, 14 October 2026 - On 3 and 4 November, Luanda will host the sixth edition of the Africa Financial Summit (AFIS). Organized by Jeune Afrique Media Group in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, the AFIS 2026 will be held under the theme ‘Making Capital Count: accelerating growth through African finance’ and will focus on demonstrating how the continent's financial sector can transform its financial power into increased support for economic growth and job creation.
The AFIS will examine a central issue for African finance: after building increasingly profitable and sophisticated institutions, how can the scale, reach, and capacity necessary to finance the next phase of the continent's transformation be achieved? From financial power to economic impact.
The African financial sector is approaching this new phase from a position of strength, but significant financing needs remain. In 2024, banking revenues exceeded 100 billion dollars, with a return on equity of 19%, while growth slowed to approximately 5% per year.
At the same time, loans represent only about 30% of banking assets across the continent, reflecting an allocation of capital that is still insufficiently directed toward productive sectors. Millions of PME remain fragmented or operate in the informal economy, thus remaining outside traditional banking models.
Mobilizing more private capital and directing it toward agriculture, industry, housing, infrastructure, and growing businesses will require deeper financial markets, new financing models, and expanded access to credit. Size is another aspect of the challenge.
The 30 largest African banks have a combined total of approximately 1 200 billion dollars in assets, which is less than one-third of the balance sheet of their Latin American counterparts. The largest and best-capitalized institutions can generally absorb more risk and finance larger projects, but size alone will not be enough.
The next generation of African financial champions will distinguish itself by its ability to combine scale, reach, sector expertise, and cross-border capacity, while remaining anchored in the financing needs of African economies. Recent initiatives, notably the New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD), launched at the initiative of the African Development Bank Group (BAD), highlight the need to strengthen coordination between national, regional, and continental institutions.
The priority is now to mobilize and deploy African capital more effectively, ensuring that domestic resources are directed toward long-term productive investments. Together, these priorities structure the discussions that will drive the AFIS 2026 in Luanda.
The summit program, now available online, gives substance to this theme and lays the groundwork for a broader debate on the role that African finance must play in the next decade of the continent's growth. Discover more about the program: https://www.afis.africa/en/2026-annual-summit/2026-program/.
The AFIS 2026 will bring together prominent figures from across the African financial ecosystem, including Makhtar DIOP, Chief Executive Officer, IFC; Dr. Sidi OULD TAH, President, BAD; Serge EKUE, President, BOAD – West African Development Bank; Charles RUSSON, Group Executive for Africa Regions, Absa Africa Group; Edoh Kossi AMENOUNVE, Chief Executive Officer, BRVM CI; Luis LELIS, Chief Executive Officer, BAI – Banco Angolano de Investimentos; Jeremy AWORI, Group Chief Executive Officer, Ecobank; Mohamed Lamine BAH, Chief Executive Officer, SUNU Group; Mustafa RAWJI, Chief Executive Officer, Rawbank; Cristina DIAS LOURENÇO, Chief Executive Officer, BODIVA – Bolsa de Valores e Derivados de Angola; Temi POPOOLA, Group Chief Executive Officer, NGX Group – Nigerian Stock Exchange; George Agyekum DONKOR, President of the BIDC and Chairman of the Board; Isabel ESPIRITO SANTO, Chief Executive Officer, BMA – Banco Millennium Atlântico; Abdeslam ALAOUI SMAILI, Chief Executive Officer, Hightech Payment Systems (HPS); Coura SENE, Regional Director, Wave; Mobile Money Group; Luís Roberto GONÇALVES, Chief Executive Officer, BFA – Banco de Fomento de Angola; Patty KARUAIHE-MARTIN, Chief Executive Officer, NamibRe; Adamu LAWANI, Executive Director, Zenith Bank; Clement CHINAKA, Chief Executive Officer, Old Mutual Rest of Africa, Old Mutual Ltd; Armando MANUEL, Chief Executive Officer, FSDEA – Fundo Soberano de Angola; Ouafae MRIOUAH, Chief Executive Officer, Atlantic Re; Richard NZONLIE LOWE, PDG, Activa Assurances; Nasser SEDDIQI, Chief Executive Officer,