Kigali, 22 April 2026 – Rwanda Development Board (RDB), in collaboration with the Private Sector Federation (PSF), convened a private sector engagement session to prepare local businesses for the upcoming Africa CEO Forum 2026, scheduled to take place in Kigali on 14–15 May.

The Forum will bring together over 2,000 CEOs, investors, heads of state, and public sector leaders from across Africa and beyond. Held under the theme “The Scale Imperative: Why Africa Must Embrace Shared Ownership”, the 2026 edition will focus on advancing cross-border investment, shared capital, and scalable enterprises across the continent.

On the first day of the Forum, an Invest in Rwanda session will highlight priority sectors and showcase concrete investment opportunities, alongside planned deal signings and strategic engagements.

In his remarks, RDB CEO Jean-Guy Afrika noted:

“In a few weeks, Rwanda will host the Africa CEO Forum 2026, Africa’s leading private sector platform for high-level dialogue and deal-making. It will take place over two days at the Kigali Convention Centre.

This presents a significant opportunity for Rwanda’s private sector to engage with leading African CEOs, investors, financiers, and senior public decision-makers. Few platforms offer this level of access, concentration, and relevance for the private sector within such a short period.

For Rwandan firms, the value of the Forum is practical and immediate. It offers a rare opportunity to meet potential investors, identify strategic partners, open new commercial engagements, and position projects or expansion plans before decision-makers who are otherwise difficult to access in a single setting.

It also allows companies to benchmark themselves against leading businesses on the continent, understand where capital and partnerships are moving, and refine their growth ambitions in response to market dynamics.”

François Twagirumukiza, Chair of PSF, added:

“It’s a pleasure to join you today for this important briefing session on the upcoming Africa CEO Forum, a platform that continues to shape the future of business and investment across our continent.

This session is not just informative, it’s preparatory. It ensures that our private sector is ready, aligned and positioned to fully capitalise on the opportunities that lie ahead.

There’s no doubt that demand for this year’s forum will be exceptionally high, building on the resounding success of the previous edition hosted here in Kigali (in 2024). This momentum signals something important – Rwanda is not only hosting global conversations, we are becoming central to them.

At the Private Sector Federation, we are deliberately pushing a new level of ambition. We are promoting our members to grow significantly and scale up domestic production, to diversify their investments, to raise the standard of service delivery, and to adopt new technologies that will define the future of competitiveness.

This is precisely why this forum matters. It provides a powerful gateway to new partners, suppliers, clients and technologies. It connects our businesses to the network and capability they need to move from ambition to execution. It isn’t just an event but a catalyst for transformation. I therefore urge all private sector members to approach this forum with clarity and intent – prepare your businesses to find what you’re looking for.”

The engagement further highlighted Rwanda’s ambition to strengthen private sector participation in regional and global markets, with a focus on scaling production, diversifying investments, and adopting new technologies to enhance competitiveness.

The Africa CEO Forum remains a leading platform for public-private dialogue and investment on the continent, with the Kigali edition expected to generate concrete outcomes through partnerships, investment agreements, and strategic engagements.

Participants are encouraged to register to attend the Forum via https://www.theafricaceoforum.com/en/
, where a 50% discount is available for Rwandan registrants.