Africa Soft Power (ASP) has announced that the fourth instalment of its flagship summit will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, from May 21st – 25th 2025. Staged for the first three years of its existence in Kigali, Rwanda, the annual summit brings together leading voices from the continent’s creative and tech industries, as well as speakers and delegates from around the world.
The convening theme, “Africa’s Growth Engine: Aligning the flow of money, innovation, and global opportunities,” is centered around three key events, including the:
- Creative & Innovative Industries Conference (CIIC)
- Remarkable African Women’s Leadership Conference (RAW)
- ASP Gala & Awards
Additionally, there will be a range of delegate participation and networking events, including breakout sessions, roundtables and workshops, drinks receptions and dinners, and local cultural and entertainment visits. The overall programme is designed to showcase cutting-edge African and diaspora creativity and its commercial potential while maximising interaction and future collaboration amongst individuals and organisations from different sectors. The RAW Conference, an integral part of the summit’s programming, continues to focus on women’s leadership and associated considerations, highlighting how these themes intersect with broader discussions on Africa’s role in global progress and how the African private sector can be leveraged to help drive broader social change.
This year’s summit, moving to Nairobi, builds on the success of the three previous editions held in Kigali, Rwanda. “The move to Nairobi is a strategic decision,” says Dr Nkiru Balonwu, Founder, the ASP Group. She added, “Kigali was an exceptional host for three years, helping us build strong foundations. Nairobi provides an opportunity to tap into a broader regional ecosystem while reinforcing the Pan-African vision at the heart of our mission.” Nairobi’s status as a tech and cultural powerhouse aligns seamlessly with the summit’s goals, offering fresh opportunities to spotlight Africa’s role in driving innovation and global influence.
The ASP Group aims to ensure that African perspectives are heard, valued, and integrated into global conversations on critical issues such as climate change, artificial intelligence, security, and women’s leadership.
This mission is at the heart of the Africa Soft Power Summit, which celebrates the continent’s creative, tech, and cultural industries as engines of economic growth and global influence. “Through the ASP Summit and our efforts to establish May as ‘Africa Month,’ we seek to tell an authentic and contemporary story of Africa, led by these vibrant industries. For organizations, the Summit provides a unique opportunity to forge connections across the continent and the diaspora. For individuals, it’s a powerful gateway to engage changemakers, tech pioneers, government leaders, and creative minds shaping Africa’s future,” explains Balonwu.
The 2024 summit welcomed speakers from a wide range of organisations, including NBA Africa, MTN, L’Oreal Luxe, Meta, IFC, NVH Studios, Africa Finance Corporation, and TikTok, as well as leading voices from the public and political sectors, such as H.E. Dr. Joyce Banda – Former President of Malawi, Hon. Sandrine Umutoni – Minister of State for Youth & Arts, Rwanda, HRH Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe – King of Onitsha, Dr Ozonnia Ojielo – Resident Coordinator and Representative of the UN Secretary-General to Rwanda, and others. The official media partner of the 2024 convening was BellaNaija, and you can read the publication’s ‘Five unforgettable moments that defined the event’ here.
The wider Africa Soft Power agenda gained significant momentum throughout 2024, with appearances by Ghanaian President, H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, and Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), H.E. Wamkele Mene, at the Forward Africa Leaders Symposium. This high-profile event, hosted alongside the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, further solidified Africa Soft Power’s role in shaping critical conversations around the continent’s global influence.
In addition to the annual ASP Gala & Awards, the finalists of this year’s Climate Change Photo Essay Prize will be showcased, in a special exhibition that – post-summit – will subsequently go on to tour galleries in London, New York and in other cities around the world. Those interested in sponsoring, speaking, or simply attending the event can find out further details and contact the organizers here.
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