Business Leader Speakers

Ermias Eshetu 2021 Speaker

Advisory Partner , Grant Thornton

Ermias was the CEO of Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) for three years and led the media company African Renaissance Television Service (ARTS) in 2018 for a short while. During his…

View full profile »

Michael Edem Akafia 2021 Speaker

Vice President & Head-Legal & Compliance , Gold Fields Ghana Limited

Michael has a multi-disciplinary background in Law, Economics and Finance. He is currently the Vice President & Head, Legal at Gold Fields Limited's West Africa operations responsible for the legal,…

View full profile »

Bleejay Innis 2021 Speaker

Partner & Managing Director , Tri Buchanan Development Corporation

Bleejay is an emerging Leader and Entrepreneur with a focus on Africa. He was born in Buchanan, Liberia on January 14, 1989 and grew up in the capital city of…

View full profile »

Massaer Cisse 2021 Speaker

General Manager , Lekela Power

As Managing Director of Lekela Power in Senegal, Massaer is responsible for managing Lekela’s investment projects thru financial close, construction and long-term operation. Additionally, he leads Lekela’s business development activities…

View full profile »

Lord Dolar Popat 2021 Speaker

UK Trade Envoy to Rwanda, Uganda and Congo , House of Lords

Lord Popat is a Conservative peer at the House of Lords and has been the UK Trade Envoy for Rwanda and Uganda since 2016. He was born in Uganda and…

View full profile »

Asha-Sabrina Ayub 2021 Speaker

Partner , Bowmans Tanzania

Asha-Sabrina (known as Sabrina) is a qualified lawyer in Mainland Tanzania (Advocate), Zanzibar (Advocate) and England (Solicitor) and a registered Arbitrator (TiArb). Sabrina has considerable experience as a lawyer in…

View full profile »

Azeez Amida 2021 Speaker

Deputy Managing Director , EastCastle Infrastructure

Azeez Amida has had a meteoric growth in his 17-year career that spanned across FMCG, healthcare, investment banking,  agriculture, and private equity.  He is currently the deputy managing director at…

View full profile »

Maelis Carraro 2021 Speaker

Director , Catalyst Fund (managed by BFA)

Maelis Carraro is the Director of Catalyst Fund and the Impact Ventures Practice at BFA. She has over 10 years of experience working alongside fintech startups, development finance institutions, microfinance…

View full profile »

Ahmed El Saharty 2021 Speaker

Vice President , The Rohatyn Group

Ahmed El Saharty is a Vice President and is a member of the beyond BRIC public equity investment team covering Central Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. He is…

View full profile »

Olusegun Akanji 2021 Speaker

Divisional Head - Strategy and Business Solutions , Heritage Bank Plc

With over 18years presence in the formal workspace, Olusegun's experience in financial services cover commercial and investment banking and insurance. Within the investment banking space, he was part of a…

View full profile »