AVCA Summit 2024
On 16 October 2025, investors, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders will meet in London for the AVCA Sustainable Investing in Africa Summit.
Now in its fourth year, the event has become a forum for examining how private capital can contribute to Africa’s sustainable development priorities.
This year’s theme, “The Capital Imperative: Turning Intent into Action,” emphasizes the need to move beyond commitments and deliver practical outcomes that address pressing challenges.
Hosted by the African Private Capital Association (AVCA), the Summit will consider how investment is being mobilised for both financial returns and longer-term social and environmental outcomes.
A Platform for Critical Dialogue
The Summit will convene stakeholders from across the global investment ecosystem.
Discussions are expected to address best practices for investing with a
susainability lens, while unpacking the risks and opportunities shaping Africa’s development trajectory.
A particular emphasis is placed on homegrown solutions innovations designed on the continent that can be scaled globally.
By connecting international investors with African-led initiatives, AVCA highlights how capital flows can support wider societal benefits.
Thematic Focus: From Climate Action to AI
The agenda for this year’s Summit reflects both continuity and new priorities in the sustainable investing conversation.
- Turning Intent into Action: Africa’s Sustainable Investment Journey
This opening session anchors the Summit’s theme, exploring how ambitious commitments are being translated into practice. - Built for Africa: AI & Advanced Technology Driving Development
A look at frontier technologies, especially artificial intelligence, and their role in addressing structural challenges such as health access, agriculture, and education. - The Future on Our Plates: Climate, Capital, and Africa’s Food Security
With agriculture employing most of Africa’s workforce, this discussion focuses on how investment can build resilient food systems, address nutrition gaps, and reduce waste. - The Road Ahead: Clean, Connected, and Investable Mobility Solutions
The session will examine sustainable mobility, electric transport, and the infrastructure investments required to make Africa’s cities and logistics more resilient. - The Transition Equation: Carbon Markets, Clean Energy, and Africa’s Development Needs
A deep dive into financing Africa’s low-carbon future, balancing the opportunities in carbon markets with the continent’s energy access needs. - Sustainability in Action – Strengthening Business Resilience in a Changing Africa
Exploring how businesses are adapting to ESG requirements, and how measurement frameworks are evolving from compliance checklists to real-world outcomes. - Blending Ideas, Blending Capital: Rethinking Risk and Return for Sustainable Investment
A session directly relevant for philanthropy, examining how blended finance, combining public and private resources, can de-risk investment and mobilise larger capital flows. - Global Geopolitics and Shifting Capital Flows: Is Sustainable Investing in Africa Still a Priority?
A timely discussion on the external pressures shaping investment flows, from global aid cuts to shifting donor strategies and geopolitical uncertainty.
Taken together, the agenda reflects how Africa’s investment narrative is evolving in response to global trends, local innovation, and the need for financing models that go beyond business-as-usual.
A Track Record of Engagement
Since its launch, the Summit has steadily attracted participants from across the world.
In 2024, more than 150 delegates attended, representing markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria.
Attendees described the event as “intimate enough to have good conversations,” pointing to its emphasis on substantive dialogue rather than size alone.
The gathering has drawn representation from across the investment value chain, including general partners (GPs), limited partners (LPs), law firms, and advisors.
Institutions such as British International Investment, DEG, IFC, U.S. DFC, UBS Optimus Foundation, and the WHO Foundation have previously taken part.
Their involvement reflects the mix of private capital and philanthropic institutions increasingly engaging in Africa’s sustainable investment landscape.
The 2024 programme featured discussions on climate, digitisation, gender, and impact measurement—areas that continue to shape the global conversation on how capital can support social progress.
Why Attend in 2025?
The 2025 Summit is expected to build on this momentum. Participants can anticipate:
- Networking opportunities with over 150 investors, entrepreneurs, and development partners.
- Local insights with global relevance, through scalable African solutions to sustainability challenges.
- Strategic learning about emerging investment trends across sectors.
- A curated agenda of thematic panels, keynote speeches, and strategy sessions.
For investors, the Summit provides an opportunity to better understand both risks and opportunities in African markets.
For policymakers, it is a platform to engage directly with private capital stakeholders.
For philanthropic actors, it illustrates how investment strategies can complement traditional grant-making through blended finance, impact investing, and partnership models.
The agenda’s emphasis on climate, food systems, gender equity, and resilience aligns with issues long at the heart of philanthropic agendas.
By placing these themes in the context of private capital flows, the Summit demonstrates how different forms of capital can work together toward shared objectives.
Looking Ahead
The theme of this year’s Summit—Turning Intent into Action—mirrors a wider global demand for accountability in sustainability.
With Africa facing climate vulnerability, demographic change, and rapid technological innovation, the continent remains a critical arena for testing how capital can be directed toward inclusive outcomes.
As the 2025 Summit approaches, the focus will be on whether commitments translate into measurable progress.
For philanthropic audiences, the event illustrates how private capital intersects with social objectives and where partnerships across funding models can make a difference.
Registration for the Summit is open, with details on the agenda and speakers available on the AVCA website AVCA
