Over 1,250 top decision-makers from Africa’s public and private financial sectors are set to gather in Casablanca on November 3 and 4 for the fifth edition of the Africa Financial Industry Summit (AFIS). Now firmly established as a major platform for shaping the continent’s financial future, the event is positioned as a critical moment to rethink how African economies can mobilize funding to drive inclusive and sustainable growth.
This year’s summit will focus on unlocking Africa’s full economic potential by reimagining the continent’s financial architecture. At the heart of these discussions lies the strategic use of domestic institutional capital. African pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, and banks are being urged to step up and take a lead role in financing major development projects. The program will also dive into the urgent need for investment in energy, logistics, and natural infrastructure—key foundations for long-term progress. Participants will explore how to accelerate digital innovation, foster the rise of fintechs, expand regional stock markets, and grow the private equity ecosystem.
One of the pressing themes will be how Africa’s insurance markets can adapt to an evolving landscape marked by climate threats, digital disruption, and logistical uncertainties. Strengthening regulatory coordination across the continent will also be on the agenda, seen as essential to making continental tools like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), and the African Exchanges Linkage Project (AELP) fully functional.
The high-profile presence of leading African finance figures highlights the summit’s growing influence. Among the key speakers expected in Casablanca are Nadia Fettah, Morocco’s Minister of Economy and Finance; Makhtar Diop, Managing Director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC); Abdellatif Jouahri, Governor of Bank Al-Maghrib; and Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, Governor of the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO).
Morocco, as host nation, is expected to be strongly represented. Influential leaders such as Brahim Benjelloun-Touimi, Tarik Senhaji, Abderrahim Chaeai, Mehdi Tazi, and Mohamed Hassan Bensalah are all slated to attend, underlining Morocco’s commitment to deepening financial integration across the continent.
For Amir Ben Yahmed, president of AFIS, the message is urgent: Africa must mobilize its own resources quickly and decisively to support its strategic priorities. That call is echoed by Ethiopis Tafara, IFC’s Vice President for Africa, who stresses the need to offer practical solutions tailored to the continent’s realities.
AFIS, organized by Jeune Afrique Media Group with support from the IFC, is part of a broader push to build a resilient and integrated pan-African financial industry—one that’s firmly rooted in serving the real economy.
