This week, Africa Soft Power announced the first batch of 25 speakers for our upcoming flagship summit in Kigali, which is now less than 10 days away! The event will take place at the Kigali Serena Hotel, Rwanda, from May 23rd – 27th, and include the Creative & Innovative Industries Conference (CII), RAW Women’s Leadership Conference, and the Africa Soft Power Gala & Awards.
The summit at large sits at the intersection of the public and private sectors, convening speakers and delegates from across the fields of business, finance, law, media, technology, sports, art, entertainment, academia, philanthropy, politics and more. The full agenda is set to be announced shortly, and in the meantime you can take a look at the first 25 speakers to be added to the summit programme here:
- HRH Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe – King of Onitsha, and Chairman, Unilever Nigeria Plc
- Adefunke Adeyemi – Secretary General, The African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC)
- Eric Idiahi – Co-Founder/Partner, Verod Capital
- Michelle Moore – Author & UK’s 50 Most ‘Influential Women in Sports’
- Osi Umenyiora – Award Winning Sports Presenter & Two-time Super Bowl Champion
- Amina C. Mohamed – Fmr. Minister for Sports, Education & Foreign Affairs, Kenya
- Folake Akindele – Founder, Tiffany Amber
- Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante – CEO, National Film Authority of Ghana
- Michaella Rugwizangoga – Chief Tourism Officer, Rwanda Development Board
- Amma Mensah – Founder & CEO, Reign Rum
- Chief Loretta Aniagolu – CEO, F.I.T. Group
- Wilmot Allen – PhD, Founder & Chairman, VentureLift Africa
- Aaron Craig Mitchell – Co-Founder & CEO, PVSC
- Ego Boyo – Founder, Temple Productions
- James Hewes – President & CEO, International Federation of Periodical Publishers (FIPP)
- Chike Obianwu – Senior Partner, Templars
- Esther Mwihaki – Founder, Coach & Trainer, Success by Design
- Rosa Nduati-Mutero – Managing Partner, Africa Legal Network Kenya (ALN)
- Faith Odhiambo – Vice President, Law Society of Kenya (LSK)
- Kaniaru Wacieni, Principal Investment Officer, Africa50
- Christopher O.H. Williams – Chairman, Enda Athletic Inc.
- Farai Ncube – Regional Arts Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, British Council
- Balkissa Idé Siddo – Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Meta
- Ozonnia Ojielo – Resident Coordinator and Representative of the UN Secretary-General to Rwanda
- Carol Abade – Group CEO, EXP
They’ll be joined by Africa Soft Power Founder & Creative Director, Nkiru Balonwu, and a second batch of speakers that we’ll announce alongside the main summit agenda.
Planning your trip
The summit will take place across five action-packed packed days and include three key events (the Creative & Innovative Industries Conference (CII), RAW Women’s Leadership Conference, and the Africa Soft Power Gala & Awards mentioned above). But there’ll also be a range 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 of cities.
It’s not too late to book your flights and tickets, and some key information for all those attending here:
📄 You can find a preliminary look at the summit programme and schedule here.
🎟️ Tickets are on sale now, with creative and corporate group booking offers available, and all the information on that front can be found here.
🏢 For those yet to book their accommodation for summit, the Kigali Serena is filling up fast! But we have here listed eight quality nearby hotels that provide easy access to the venue.
🗣️ For last minute speaking and sponsorship enquiries, you can get in contact with us directly at: asp@theafricasoftpowerproject.com