Economist Impact announces the final speaker lineup for the inaugural Sustainability Week Africa in Cape Town, South Africa

The conference themed ‘‘Africa’s green industrial revolution’ is set to bring more than more than 500 delegates and 100 speakers to explore strategies towards a successful pan-African sustainability initiative.

Economist Impact has today announced the final speaker lineup for the first Sustainability Week Africa, part of its successful series of sustainability events. The theme of the two-day event, organised by Economist Impact, is “Africa’s green industrial revolution” and changing how businesses operate to achieve their sustainability goals.

Focusing on business and investment, the event will provide original insights and solutions on how companies can support the continent in driving green growth, while avoiding the worst impacts of climate change.

The two-day conference will bring together pan-African and global leaders in-person at The Westin, Cape Town from Thursday, October 24th to Friday, October 25th.

.On Thursday, October 24th, Vijay Vaitheeswaran, global energy and climate innovation editor at The Economist will deliver opener remarks, followed by keynote addresses from Amina J. Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations and Tolupe Lewis Tamoka, chief, government relations and Africa at the United Nations Global Compact.

With more than 500 delegates and 100 speakers confirmed, Sustainability Week Africa will welcome many figures from the sustainability community, including governmental officials, global investors and senior executives from key sectors such as retail, transportation, logistics, food and beverages, energy, agriculture, manufacturing, technology, finance, science, and civil society. They will focus on Africa’s role as a global sustainability leader and explore strategies for enhancing Africa’s appeal to international investors, discussing insights from successful pan-African sustainability initiatives.

Speakers across Sustainability Week Africa include:

Mo Ibrahim, founder and chair, Mo Ibrahim Foundation

Amina J. Mohammed, deputy secretary-general, United Nations

Nigar Arpadarai, UN climate change high-level champion, COP29

Carl Hermann Gustav Schlettwein, minister of agriculture, water and land reform, Republic of Namibia

Dan Marokane, group chief executive, Eskom

Stéphanie Mbombo, presidential special envoy for new climate economy, Democratic Republic of Congo

Feroz Koor, group sustainability officer, Woolworths Group

Mandisa Mabaso, country manager, South Africa, Rio Tinto

Barend Petersen, executive chairman, De Beers Group South Africa, deputy chair, Mining 2030 and representative, Archbishop of Cape Town

Noluthando Gosa, independent non-executive director, MTN Group, executive director, Akhona Group, and adviser, Sustainability Week Africa

Mpho Makwana, former chairman, Nedbank, Eskom and ArcelorMittal South Africa, chairman, Epitome Investment, and adviser, Sustainability Week Africa

Joseph Nganga, vice president for Africa, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), and adviser, Sustainability Week Africa

Vaughan Pierce, chief sustainability officer, Pick n Pay

The programme will explore a variety of topics, including opportunities for the continent to strengthen its manufacturing capabilities and increase its share of the global value chain. Discussions will also centre on sustainable growth for small businesses and suppliers across the continent, addressing the compatibility of sustainability with population growth and its implications for food security. In addition, the event will highlight the potential of green jobs and explore collaborations between companies and the African youth and explore biodiversity’s crucial role in Africa and the benefits of intra-African trade for advancing sustainability.

Sustainability Week Africa will also include a CSO leaders club, curated networking sessions and cross-industry sessions aimed at leveraging synergies. Find the full agenda here.

Sponsors of Sustainability Week Africa include Woolworths, Standard Bank, Nedbank, Boston Consulting Group, Amazon Web Services, Genesis Analytics, United Nations Global Compact, Webber Wentzel and the City of Cape Town.

More details about the event, including the programme and a link to register, are available on the event website.

About Economist Impact

Economist Impact combines the rigour of a think-tank with the creativity of a media brand to engage a globally influential audience. We believe that evidence-based insights can open debate, broaden perspectives and catalyse progress. The services offered by Economist Impact previously existed within The Economist Group as separate entities, including EIU Thought Leadership, EIU Public Policy, EIU Health Policy, Economist Events and SignalNoise.

We are building on a 75-year track record of analysis across 205 countries. Along with framework design, benchmarking, economic and social impact analysis, forecasting, and scenario modelling, we provide creative storytelling, events expertise, design-thinking solutions and market-leading media products, making Economist Impact uniquely positioned to deliver measurable outcomes to our client.