Sloan to host inaugural Africa Business Conference; African CEOs and political leaders to join academics on April 1

At the same time MIT is marking its 150th anniversary, more than 15 countries in Africa are celebrating 50 years of nationhood. It is against this backdrop that MIT Sloan School of Management will bring academics together with business and thought leaders from across Africa to discuss opportunities and challenges that are shaping the continent’s future.

Africa 2.0: Achieving Growth through Innovation will be held on Friday, April 1, in the MIT Media Lab. Panel discussions will explore:

• Mobile technology: Innovating beyond voice services
• Energy: Focus on renewable energy
• Finance: Reaching the unbanked
• Technology: New approaches to bridging the IT gap
• Media and entertainment: Its role in reshaping Africa
• Entrepreneurship: Issues on access to capital

MIT alumna Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, managing director of the World Bank and Nigeria’s former minister of finance and foreign affairs, will serve as the keynote speaker.