Leading African businessman and philanthropist Tony O. Elumelu; President of the African Development Bank, Akin Adesina; former First Lady of Mozambique and widow of Nelson Mandela, Graca Machel; CEO of the International Finance Corporation, Phillipe le Houerou; and CEO cum Vice Chairman of the Board Agility, Tarek Sultan Al Esso, have been slated to co-chair the 26th World Economic Forum on Africa holding for the first time ever in Kigali, Rwanda.

This year’s event themed “Connecting Africa’s Resources through Digital Transformation” holds from May 11-13, 2016. It will witness regional and global leaders in business, government and civil society convene in the East African country to discuss digital economy, key global and regional challenges, and agree on strategic actions to deliver shared prosperity across the continent.

Dr. Akin Adesina is an Agricultural Economist and immediate past president of the African Association of Agricultural Economists. He will be on the chair alongside a fellow Nigerian, Tony Elumelu, founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and the Chairman of pan-African investment conglomerates, Heirs Holdings, Transcorp Nigeria and the multinational United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc. Elumelu is a longstanding stakeholder in WEF, having participated at a high level for several years at the fora in Davos, Switzerland, and within Africa.

At an interview on CNBC aired last Friday, Mr. Elumelu unveiled his plans for his role as chairman of WEF Africa In Kigali stating that he will draw from his wealth of experience as a serial investor and renowned businessman with stakes in major sectors of Africa’s economic landscape to speak on harnessing the continent’s potential for digital transformation.

“Africa is bursting at the seams with homegrown solutions and digital resources that can power its transformation”, said Mr. Elumelu. “We need to critically examine these solutions and galvanise support for immediate implementation. I am happy that WEF Africa provides a perfect opportunity for business leaders like myself to do this.”

The co chairs will sit on several panels at the forum discussing issues ranging from Energy to transportation as they affect the African economies.

Also attending the WEF Africa this year are 14 Heads of states from across the African continent.

•Photo shows Tony Elumelu(L) with global business leaders at the 2015 World Economic Forum.

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