By Barbara Kumah
The Africa Soft Power Group’s (ASP) flagship Africa Soft Power Summit will take place in Kigali, Rwanda, from May 23–27, 2023. The summit represents the highest-level convening of the African creative, knowledge, and digital sectors as well as women’s leadership, bringing together public and private sector organisations as well as pioneering individuals from the fields of business, finance, law, media, technology, sports, art, entertainment, academia, philanthropy, politics, and more.
The summit proceedings will take place at the 5-star Kigali Serena Hotel across five action-packed days, including three main events. The hotel is located at the city’s business and social epicentre, and it is a five-minute walk from the central business district as well as ten kilometres from the Kigali International Airport.
Summit Focus Areas
On May 24, the inaugural RAW Women’s Leadership Conference will take place. Powered by ASP’s non-profit arm, African Women on Board (AWB), the RAW, which is real, Africa-hosted, and women-led, will seek to push the reset button on gender discourse and ask the question: If the Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) movement had been invented today, how might we approach it differently?
On May 25–26, the Creative and Innovative Industries Conference (CII) will be held. The CII Conference will examine how the African creative sectors can deliver growth and return on the continent, as well as how these industries can be used to better tell the modern African story on the world stage, changing perspectives, shifting global dialogues, and strengthening relationships with the diaspora community along the way.
The Africa Soft Power Gala & Awards, which is aimed at providing a veritable feast of African creative and innovative output in action in real-time, will also be held on May 25.
The ASP Gala will demonstrate the latest African art, fashion, film, entertainment, media, and tech, bringing the presentations and themes of the wider summit agenda to life before delegates’ very eyes.
“Across five days, three key events, and a range of networking activities, we’ll see the spotlight shone on creative endeavour and its commercial viability, not only on the continent but around the world,” Nkiru Balonwu, the founder and creative director for Africa Soft Power, said.
“During a packed-out week, the creative and digital economies of tomorrow will meet with the financial and business powerhouses of today, together forming clear pathways to future economic success for our women, young people, and the wider global community.”
“The introduction of the inaugural RAW Women’s Conference is a particularly welcome addition to this year’s proceedings, and we are confident that more broadly, the often still largely unheard African voice and those who join us from around the world can examine new solutions to some of the key public and private sector issues of the day,” she added.
Propelling Africa Forward
For Templars, a leading Pan-African law firm and key partner of the event, the RAW Women’s Leadership Conference holds particular significance.
“Templars is delighted to partner with Africa Soft Power on this unique event. As the continent—and the world—transitions into a more creative and digitally-oriented economic future, we are presented with a prime opportunity to recalibrate our workplaces and redefine roles,” Oghogho Akpata indicated.
“Particularly in the areas of female leadership, and wider equality and inclusion, Africa and its creative sectors can be a pioneering force in ushering in real change. The Africa soft Power Summit, and the RAW Women’s Leadership Conference it incorporates, are pioneering platforms on which to discuss and strategize these changes, and we are proud to play our part,” Oghogho Akpata.
APN partnership
Executive Chairman of the Africa Prosperity Network (APN), Gabby Otchere-Darko, on his part said the APN “is all about generating growth and improving living standards via greater continental trade. In this respect, we (APN) “hold close ties to our partners at Africa Soft Power, and their endeavours to leverage – particularly the more emerging creative and digital markets of today – to create the economic opportunities of tomorrow”.
“We have been working with ASP from the beginning and will continue to do so. Now, more than ever in a ‘digital-first’ world, physical events and face-to-face meetings take on even greater significance,” Otchere-Darko said.
“Through events like the Africa Soft Power Summit and the Africa Prosperity Summit, we can bring individuals and organisations together from an array of different industries, be they public or private sector, and open up the initial conversations that will eventually lead to greater collaboration on the continent and beyond,” he added.
BOI Participation
Nigeria’s Bank of Industry (BOI), which is also supporting the summit, emphasises the importance of the creative and digital sectors in powering the economic opportunities of tomorrow on the continent and beyond.
“The Bank of Industry has been a vocal advocate for the creative and digital sectors and their ability to generate growth. Africa Soft Power is a crucial organisation, not only in terms of raising awareness of the capabilities of these industries, but also in placing their key practitioners into direct contact with institutions occupying the more traditional business, finance, and public sectors,” Kayode Pitan, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria’s Bank of Industry said.
“We are very proud to partner with ASP on their flaghhip summit, and play our part in encouraging and facilitating these connections. Together, we can help to transition the Nigerian and wider African economy towards a more sustainable digital future, which sees the investment of today pay off in terms of greater economic opportunity tomorrow,” he added.
May is Africa Month
With May 5 being established by UNESCO as African World Heritage Day and May 25 being recognised as Africa Day by the African Union, the Africa Soft Power Summit also aims to celebrate ‘Africa Month’, bringing modern African ideas and innovation to the world stage.
Around the three main summit events, there’ll be a whole host of accompanying activities, from drinks, receptions, and trips out to the NBA Africa playoffs, to breakout sessions and roundtables, as well as an array of cultural outings in Kigali, one of Africa’s most welcoming cities.
And while it’s Africa-led and Rwanda-staged, it’s important to note that the ASP Summit is for the entire world, examining the industries of today that will fuel the global economic growth of tomorrow. Tickets are on sale now, with exclusive organisation-level offers available.
Africa Soft Power Group
The Africa Soft Power Group (ASP) encompasses three organisations dedicated to leveraging Africa’s creative and innovative sectors to generate economic growth on the continent and around the world. These include Africa Soft Power, African Women on Board (AWB), and ASP Global.
