On Friday, 11 September 2026, Access Tower in Lagos played host to a gathering of prominent African business, finance, and investment leaders. They were joined by current and former members of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders community. This meeting was part of the Finance and Investment segment of the Aliko Dangote Foundation/World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders Africa-Diaspora Leadership Programme. The event was hosted by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, CFR, Chairman of Access Holdings and Coronation Group.
The session focused on "Finance, Capital and the Real Economics of Building at Scale in Africa". The discussions examined the requirements for financing, building, and sustaining large-scale African enterprises. The participants had previously visited the Dangote Refinery, which served as a practical case study. They analyzed various aspects, including the cost and tenor of capital, infrastructure and logistics constraints, development finance, backward integration, technology and talent, institutional capacity, capital markets, and the discipline needed to translate ambition into enduring enterprise.
Several high-profile contributors participated in the engagement. These included Zouera Youssoufou, MD/CEO of the Aliko Dangote Foundation; Innocent C. Ike, Group CEO of Access Holdings; Obeahon Ohiwerei, Managing Director/CEO of Coronation Merchant Bank; Adebayo Adewolu, CEO of Trium; Temi Popoola, Group Managing Director/CEO of NGX Group; Chuka Eseka, Group Managing Director/CEO of Vetiva Capital Management; David Bird, Managing Director of Dangote Refinery; Kola Karim, Chairman of Shoreline Natural Resources; and Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes, Founder & Managing Partner of Aruwa Capital Management.
A central theme of the discussions was how Africa can transition from isolated examples of extraordinary scale to a more repeatable model of capital formation and institution-building. The need for deeper domestic capital markets, greater mobilisation of pension, insurance, sovereign, and private capital, and stronger pathways from concentrated private ownership to broader institutional and public participation was emphasized.
Aig-Imoukhuede highlighted the importance of vision, governance, and execution in maintaining and growing institutions. He stated that vision attracts capital, governance maintains capital, and execution by great talent compounds capital. All three elements must be present for an institution to endure. He also reflected on the cohort's visit to the Dangote Refinery, describing it as an example of the scale of ambition and execution possible on the continent.
Aig-Imoukhuede expressed his dilemma as an African, noting that for the continent to realise its potential, vision, governance, and execution must happen repeatedly across several nations simultaneously. He stressed that this cannot remain episodic and that Africa must fix its greatest handicap – learning how to successfully transfer great visions and institutions from one generation to the next without restarting from the bottom. He also called for Africa's financial architecture to extend across the full yield curve.
The purpose of the programme was also reflected upon by Zouera Youssoufou. The programme aims to foster leadership and institution-building in Africa. The discussions and interactions during the learning journey are expected to contribute to the development of a more repeatable model of capital formation and institution-building in Africa.
Key points
- The event explored "Finance, Capital and the Real Economics of Building at Scale in Africa".
- Aig-Imoukhuede emphasized the importance of vision, governance, and execution in maintaining and growing institutions.
- The programme seeks to foster leadership and institution-building in Africa.
