Prime Highlights
- Financial Times confirms its 13th FT Africa Summit for October 21 and 22, 2026, at The Landmark in London, themed around mobilizing growth in a new global order.
- Summit gathers African heads of state, policymakers and business leaders including Aliko Dangote, Macky Sall and Jakaya Kikwete.
Key Facts
- Baroness Jennifer Chapman joins Nigerian and Ethiopian finance ministers among speakers.
- Agenda covers capital mobilization, critical minerals diplomacy and Africa’s demographic shift.
Background
The Financial Times has confirmed the 13th edition of its FT Africa Summit, set to run October 21 and 22, 2026, at The Landmark in London. Built around the theme “Mobilising Growth in a New Global Order,” the two-day gathering will bring together African heads of state, policymakers, chief executives, investors and rising entrepreneurs to discuss how the continent can keep its economic momentum going amid shifting global power dynamics.
This year’s lineup features Dangote Group President and CEO Aliko Dangote, former Senegal President Macky Sall and former Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete.
UK Minister of State Baroness Jennifer Chapman, Nigerian Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele and Ethiopian Finance Minister Ahmed Shide will join them, alongside ministers and business leaders from across the continent.
The summit arrives as the global trading system undergoes major realignment. With potential US tariff changes looming and the African Growth and Opportunity Act nearing expiration, African governments and businesses are working to deepen regional trade, build stronger ties with the Gulf, China and India, and boost domestic financial self-reliance.
Sessions chaired by senior Financial Times editors will cover domestic capital mobilization, development finance, offshore energy discoveries, critical minerals diplomacy and the fast-growing digital economy.
The agenda will also address regional manufacturing, managing urban growth and preparing for a demographic shift that will give Africa the world’s largest working-age population by 2050.
FT Africa Editor David Pilling said Africa’s growth is beginning to outpace much of the world, and this year’s agenda centers on how governments and businesses can mobilize the capital, infrastructure and partnerships needed to convert that momentum into lasting progress.
FT Foreign Editor Alec Russell added that Africa is navigating one of the most consequential economic shifts in a generation, positioning London as a natural meeting ground for candid dialogue on investment, trade and innovation.
