Milken Institute Scales Up Engagement with Africa through New Business Council

The new program represents Milken Institute’s regional engagement strategy focused on paving the way for stronger, more comprehensive partnerships across the African continent.

The Milken Institute today announced the launch of the Africa Leaders Business Council. The newly established council brings together a group of thought leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and experts across business, technology, finance and investment, sustainability, and innovation to support the Institute’s plan to deepen its network and engagements in Africa. Leaders on this council will lend their expertise and provide a high-level overview of Africa’s evolving business landscape for Milken Institute’s wide-ranging network and stakeholders who wish to amplify their engagement in the region.

The establishment of the Africa Leaders Business Council underscores the Milken Institute’s efforts to bolster its commitment to the continent and complements the Institute’s plan to solidify its presence across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Prominent leaders from Africa have participated at various Milken Institute convenings as speakers, including the President of Kenya H.E William Ruto, the President of Ghana H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, and Patrice Motsepe, Chairman and Founder of African Rainbow Minerals and Co-Founder and Chairman of the Motsepe Foundation, attesting to the region’s increasing interest in engaging with the Institute’s global audience.

“Amidst the rapidly intensifying geopolitical landscape, and given its tremendous demographic potential, Africa is poised to play an increasingly pivotal role in the global economy,” said Laura Deal Lacey, Executive Vice President who leads the international program at the Milken Institute. “We recognize the excellence in Africa’s innovation and ingenuity. We believe our Africa Leaders Business Council will play a key role in helping our stakeholders to navigate the continent and provide a fresh perspective in tackling issues shaping the global agenda across climate change, health, capital access, and energy transition.”

Last month, Esther Krofah, Executive Vice President of Health at the Milken Institute, traveled to Nigeria to provide strategic guidance on how to prevent, detect, and treat cancer early at a day-long roundtable hosted by Nigeria’s National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT). The Milken Institute’s engagements in Africa include the Global Financial Scholars Programs, which aim to build the next generation leaders in financial policy and public financial asset management; the Milken–Motsepe Innovation Prize Program, which invites global innovators and entrepreneurs to advance technological solutions toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and Milken Institute’s work in advancing early warning systems for pandemic preparedness in Kenya and health innovation and cancer control in Nigeria.

Upcoming events intended to engage and mobilize the council include a private investor dialogue on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, a Nigeria policy roundtable on debt sustainability pathways, engagements at the Milken Institute Middle East and Africa Summit in December, as well as curated webinars and bespoke in-person and virtual discussions.

“Flutterwave’s work to enable global enterprises to expand into and across Africa, as well as African businesses to take flight across the world, fully aligns with the Milken Institute’s emphasis on harnessing the power of financial technology and of human and social capital,” said Olugbenga “GB” Agboola, Founder and CEO of Flutterwave and member of the Africa Leaders Business Council. “We believe these are key forces that will shape the future of Africa, and via the Milken Institute Africa Leaders Business Council, we look forward to contributing our insights and perspectives to the Institute’s expanding work on the continent.”

The inaugural members of the council include: Africa Investment Forum; BES; CrossBoundary Group; Dangote Group; Flutterwave; Lateral Frontiers VC; Lions Head Global Partners; Prosper Africa; Proxima Legal; RisCura; Sabi; Symbion Power; Tofino Capital; Ubuntu Group; Unified State Group; Women’s World Banking; and YAATRA Ventures.