Past, Present, Future: The role of the public sector and strategic policymaking in enabling Africa's development

Across the African continent, historical and cultural sites are being transformed into engines of economic resilience. This panel will explore how heritage trails, conservation efforts, and agritourism initiatives are not only preserving Africa’s rich history but also driving sustainable development and community empowerment. By reclaiming historical narratives and showcasing pre-colonial innovations, African nations are attracting global visitors while fostering local entrepreneurship and environmental stewardship.
Join us for a dynamic conversation, in collaboration with the Uganda Embassy, Theodore Roosevelt East Africa Sustainable Development Initiative (TREASDI), and the Business of Doing Good Summit Series Consortium, as we highlight innovative approaches to leveraging Africa’s heritage for economic growth and exchange ideas on expanding these efforts across the continent.

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Africa’s agricultural sector remains heavily dependent on raw commodity exports, with value addition accounting for just 10-15% of total exports. This limits the continent’s ability to fully benefit from global and regional markets for processed goods. Despite decades of efforts to improve subsistence farming, food systems and livelihoods have seen little transformation.

This panel will explore how demand-driven value addition, branding, and storytelling—supported by the right investments and ecosystem partnerships—can drive sector growth, enhance food security, and unlock economic potential. Panelists from across the value chain will discuss key gaps, opportunities, and actionable pathways to create and capture value in Africa’s agricultural ecosystem.

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Africa faces significant challenges in education access, delivery, and quality, spanning from elementary to tertiary levels. These issues undermine the continent's ability to prepare its youth for a rapidly changing labor market and emerging industries. 98 million children and adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa are out of school.. On the delivery side, ~17 million additional teachers are needed to achieve universal primary and secondary education by 2030. The Fourth Industrial Revolution demands skills such as coding, AI, and digital literacy, which are often absent from traditional curricula. Local economies, unable to meet these demands, rely heavily on foreign talent for high-skilled jobs—highlighting deficiencies in the domestic education system and the urgent need for innovative approaches to address these gaps. This panel discussion seeks to explore how regional partnerships and innovative education models, particularly in STEM, can tackle these challenges, equip African youth with future-ready skills, and drive sustainable economic growth on the continent

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