Roadmap

Capitalizing on Opportunity

Growth in sub-Saharan Africa for 2008 is forecast at 6.2%. This continues a trend as Africa gears up for its fastest growth rate in decades and the fifth consecutive year of growth at 5% or more, beating the world average for the first time in many years. International interest is on the rise and countries from East and West court the region to form new partnerships.

Yet, the last few months serve as a reminder of the many challenges: political transition continues to cause pain in Kenya and Zimbabwe among others; South Africa now imports energy from countries that it previously exported to; and crime is becoming increasingly audacious. Strategic concerns include education, healthcare, food security and climate change.

Can the region capitalize on the opportunities despite the challenges?

In consultation with our Partners and stakeholders, the 2008 programme will explore the magnitude of the gap between Africa’s intractable challenges and its unparalleled opportunities. We will explore what business can do, in collaboration with others, to improve the state of the region.

Focus areas will be analysed with the support of a comprehensive report on risk, scenario workshops, learning journeys and the first-ever Africa Economic Brainstorming.

Re-engineering Growth
Overcoming investment and infrastructure bottlenecks will require concerted efforts to find creative solutions. Investigate how efforts and investments must be scaled up to keep growth on track.
• Update 2008: Economic Outlook
• Energy: Crisis, the Mother of Invention
• Stock Markets: Size Matters
• Institutional Investors: The Wealth of Institutions
• Commodity Windfalls: Gone with the Wind?

Unfinished Business
Business as usual is never going to be enough. What will it take to bring the business environment up to speed? Explore
creative corporate solutions to business challenges.
• Investment Hotspots: A Trillion Dollars to Invest
• Sector Opportunities Series: Mining, Tourism and Health
• Crime Time
• Educating for Business
• Microfinance: Going Macro with Micro

Innovate or Perish
From disruptive business models to new frontier technologies, innovation represents and creates opportunity.
• The Food Security Nexus
• Climate Change: An Inconvenient Opportunity
• Connectivity: Picking Up Speed
• New Consumers: The Rising Billions
• Weak Signals: Seizing Signs of Change

Partnerships without Borders
International interest in the region continues to grow as East and West court African countries. Investigate the opportunities.
• Towards a Beijing Consensus?
• Making Aid Profitable
• Interconnected Risks, Disconnected Incentives
• After War, Collaborative Governance

Licence to Lead
Leadership is the ultimate force capable of bridging the gap between daunting challenges and unprecedented opportunities.
Explore how leadership can turn adversity into opportunity.
• The Power of a Few Good People
• Learning From Difficult Moments
• In the Public Interest
• Empowering Africa’s Young Minds
• Turning Adversity into Opportunity

We have further improved the interactive, outcome-oriented format of our discussions. Speeches are strongly discouraged and all participants are invited to contribute actively to constructive, lively debate.

Plenary sessions will consolidate the main conclusions emerging from the meeting through feedback mechanisms in the workshops and interactive sessions.

TV debates – popular with participants, the World Economic Forum will once again host the BBC World Debate and one by newly launched CNBC Africa.

Contact breaks will allow participants to take advantage of all the services provided and to maximize their networking opportunities. Ample time is set aside for informal contacts and bilateral meetings, whether during breaks between sessions or networking meals. The Networking Lunch will take place at The Westin Grand Cape Town Arabella Quays on Thursday 5 June.

Working dinners on a variety of topics will take place on Wednesday 4 June. Countries represented at the head-of-state level will have the opportunity to present their national business environments, reform programmes and investment opportunities to the international business community at these dinners.

Learning Journeys
Learning Journeys invite leaders to experience an issue in-depth by leaving the confines of traditional session settings and immersing into a new environment.

The Soirée will be held on Thursday evening 5 June at the Moyo Restaurant (www.moyo.co.za). Please bring warm clothes.

The closing plenary session will end around 12.30 on Friday 6 June and will be followed by a farewell lunch.

 This logo denotes GGC Track sessions of the programme. Global Growth Company (GGC) Tracks
include a selection of sessions of particular relevance to companies experiencing hyper-growth and engaging in international expansion. GGC Track sessions are an integral part of all Forum regional meeting programmes. Where appropriate, the output of each will be incorporated into subsequent GGC Track sessions in the build-up to the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2008 in Tianjin, People’s Republic of China, on 25-27 September. More information is available at:
http://www.weforum.org/en/events/AnnualMeetingoftheNewChampions/index.htm