The Nordic-African Business Summit 2022: Delivering Impact

The Nordic-African Business Summit 2022 - Photo by Tomas Moss

The 11th Nordic-African Business Summit took place on September 29, 2022, at the Hotel Continental in Oslo.

It brought together 250 international business and policy leaders under the theme of ‘Delivering Impact’, with an emphasis on actionable dialogue to drive investment and growth on the continent. With the global economy entering a period of pronounced uncertainty, such engagement is more important than ever.

The Coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have exposed fragility in supply chains, pushing up risks that are impacting developing regions particularly hard. From rising debt burdens and deficits, to reduced fiscal space, African economies are facing significant headwinds.

Yet global uncertainty also, in principle, represents an opportunity to turn crisis into opportunity.

From energy markets and food security, to digital transformation and climate action, key issues that will drive the 21st century economic and policy landscapes will be shaped by developments on the continent.

Determined action and effective strategies are needed from both the public and private sectors to navigate this uncertainty, and use the current climate of crisis to catalyze economic transformation, and reposition Africa as a driver of global change.

The Summit is aimed at facilitating such action, and focused on key sectors that will define Africa’s role in a changing global economy. These are:

• The Energy Transition

• Food Security

• Finance & Investment

• The Digital Economy

Participants explored how African economies can tackle crises presented by the current context in the short-term, while developing strategies to drive economic development in the long-term.

The Norwegian-African Business Association (NABA) believes that Africa can rise to this challenge, and the potential for this was palpable during the Summit. We are excited about the potential to drive action in these key areas, and to support the continent’s economic transformation.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our Summit partners, and our co-hosts for - the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Norfund - for their support and commitment to driving economic development on the continent.

As we look to 2023 and beyond, NABA is more committed than ever to being part of the solution, and we look forward to engaging with our members and partners to deliver real impact.

For more images from the Nordic-African Business Summit 2022, visit our FLickr page.