Business Leaders, Investors Gear up for Nordic-African Business Summit

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

All is not set for the 10th Nordic-African Business Summit taking place in four cities; Harare, Lagos, Nairobi and Oslo at the same time, on Thursday, September 30, 2021.

Over 300 business leaders and investors are expected to grace the occasion organised to discuss opportunities and collaboration in the new business landscape.

The Nordic-African Business Summit 2021 is a live experience where the four cities are connected through live plenary and parallel sessions.

This year’s Summit will also feature a new edition of the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) Great Debate, this year discussing the continent’s energy transition and climate.

Since the first summit in 2011, more than 300 speakers, and more than 3,000 delegates have made the conference the place to meet for African and Nordic businesspeople.

In Harare, an investment firm and NABA-member Spear Capital, as well as Sweden’s ambassador to Zimbabwe, will co-host the regional Summit edition.

By inviting companies to gather in Lagos, Nairobi, Harare and Oslo, the organisers want this year’s event to continue to connect business people across borders when discussing Reimagining business in Africa.

“How has the pandemic changed the business landscape? We know that some economies have been more affected than others, but also noticed that some sectors have been strengthened.

“What are the new opportunities arising, and how can we continue connecting and strengthening Nordic and African business communities?” asks Eivind Fjeldstad, the CEO of the Norwegian-African Business Association (NABA).

“We think businesspeople are tired of screen time and would prefer to meet – and that is why we want to convene in Lagos, Nairobi, Harare and Oslo at the same time on the 30th of September,” Fjeldstad further said.

“With 2021 marking the 10th event of the Nordic-African Business Summit, the theme of the event is Reimaging Business in Africa, because that is exactly what we have tried to achieve for the last 10 years.

“Nordic investors and companies in particular need to update their knowledge on investment opportunities in Africa – and the Summit creates the platform to do so,” the CEO added.

The Nordic-African Business Summit is the Nordic region’s leading business conference focusing exclusively on African markets. The programme is co-hosted by NABA and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

With a focus on promoting business opportunities on the African continent, NABA seeks to increase knowledge about emerging markets on the African continent among business people in the Norwegian private sector, as well as among policymakers in the region.