Choiseul Africa Summit I Geneva 2024

Choiseul Africa Summit : Investissements d’impact en Afrique

On July 4, 2024, the Geneva International Conference Center hosted the Choiseul Africa Summit, dedicated to impact investing in Africa. The event brought together business leaders, investors and experts to explore the levers needed to sustain the impact of private investment and strengthen the resilience of African economies to external shocks.

In an economic context where private investment is becoming a cornerstone of sustainable development, Africa, with its many challenges and opportunities, represents a privileged terrain for impact initiatives. Geneva, as one of Europe’s leading financial hubs, plays a strategic role in the financing of major African projects, combining infrastructure, microfinance and social investment.

Despite notable progress in the impact investment market, structural obstacles persist, including an underdeveloped ecosystem and practices that are still emerging. This Summit provided an opportunity to take stock of the current situation, while identifying concrete solutions to accelerate the transition to a more inclusive and sustainable African economic model.

Main themes

Africa-Europe cooperation: defining joint strategies
Discussions focused on the importance of strengthening collaboration between European and African players to structure sustainable investment mechanisms. How can these partnerships maximize the social and environmental impact of projects while meeting investors’ expectations?

Strengthening local value chains
A case study illustrated how targeted initiatives can reconcile social impact and sustainability, notably by supporting local ecosystems through value chains adapted to African specificities.

Education and entrepreneurship: Accelerating employability
This panel highlighted the crucial role of education and training in preparing African youth for tomorrow’s economic challenges. Concrete examples of investment in entrepreneurship and vocational training were shared, offering solutions to boost employability on the continent.