Luanda, the capital city of Angola, is set to host the 2026 Africa Financial Summit (AFIS), positioning Southern Africa at the centre of discussions on continental financial integration and cross-border investment expansion.
The summit, widely regarded as one of the continent’s most influential finance gatherings, is scheduled for November 3 and 4, 2026, and will mark the first time the annual event is hosted in Southern Africa since its establishment in 2021 by Jeune Afrique Media Group and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Organisers say the decision to host the summit in Angola reflects the country’s growing importance as an emerging African financial hub amid ongoing reforms aimed at modernising its economy, strengthening regulation and opening up to international capital.
“The Africa Financial Summit (AFIS), the leading platform for African finance, announces that its annual summit will be held on November 3 and 4, 2026, in Luanda, Angola. For the first time, the summit will take place in Southern Africa, confirming its pan-African reach and its ambition to connect all of the continent’s financial ecosystems,” the organisers said.
The summit has evolved into a high-level policy and investment platform bringing together regulators, commercial banks, development finance institutions, fintech operators, insurers and public sector leaders to deliberate on the future of African finance.
Each year, AFIS convenes more than 1,250 participants through a mix of strategic plenary sessions, technical workshops, bilateral engagements and investment networking platforms designed to stimulate transactions and cross-border partnerships.
Its governance structure is anchored by a supervisory council comprising some of Africa’s most influential financial leaders, including Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, chairman of Access Holdings and Coronation Group; Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, governor of the BCEAO; Aliou Maiga, IFC regional director for financial institutions in Africa; Solomon Quaynor, vice-president of the African Development Bank; Thierry Hebraud, chief executive officer of Mauritius Commercial Bank; and Charles Russon, group executive for Africa Regions at Absa.
Luanda’s emergence as host city also highlights Angola’s accelerating economic transition. Once heavily dependent on oil revenues, the country has in recent years embarked on reforms aimed at diversifying the economy, improving fiscal discipline and strengthening investor confidence.
With an estimated gross domestic product of about $115 billion, Angola remains one of Africa’s top ten economies. The country is also pursuing measures to modernise its banking sector, expand digital financial services and deepen capital market activity through the growing influence of the Angolan Stock Exchange (BODIVA).
Investments in transport infrastructure, energy and telecommunications, alongside Angola’s membership of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) free trade framework, are increasingly positioning the country as a gateway for regional investment and financial flows.
Industry observers believe the choice of Luanda signals AFIS’s intention to broaden engagement beyond traditional financial centres in West and North Africa and foster stronger continental connectivity.
Previous editions of the summit were hosted in Lomé and Casablanca, both regarded as important financial and diplomatic hubs within their respective regions.
The 2026 edition is expected to focus heavily on strategies for financing African economies at a time when external funding sources are becoming more constrained. Key themes will include mobilising domestic capital, strengthening regional financial integration, accelerating digital transformation and building stronger African financial institutions capable of competing globally.
Manuel Antonio Tiago Dias, governor of the National Bank of Angola, underscored the strategic significance of the summit for the continent’s financial ecosystem.
“AFIS is today a leading forum for finance in Africa. Few events offer such an opportunity to bring together the entire ecosystem and work collectively. It is both a key and strategic forum, a unique space for collaboration, a place for constructive discussions on the continent’s major challenges, and an event marked by well-organized and impactful moments,” he said.
Financial experts note that Africa’s push toward deeper financial integration has gained momentum in recent years through initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), regional payment systems and efforts to increase local currency financing.
However, structural challenges remain significant, including shallow capital markets, limited long-term financing, foreign exchange volatility and regulatory fragmentation across jurisdictions.
AFIS organisers argue that stronger collaboration among African financial actors will be essential to closing infrastructure financing gaps, supporting industrialisation and reducing dependence on external capital markets.
“AFIS has now become a genuine platform for dialogue and action, capable of bringing together banks, insurers, fintechs, capital markets, development institutions, regulators, and public authorities around concrete solutions to strengthen African financial sovereignty,” the organisers stated.
Amir Ben Yahmed, chief executive officer of Jeune Afrique Media Group and founder of AFIS, said the summit has evolved beyond a conventional conference into a strategic platform shaping the future direction of African finance.
“The Africa Financial Summit is much more than an event. It has become a leading platform where regulators and financial players jointly build the future of African finance. This first edition in Southern Africa shines a spotlight on Angola, a market undergoing liberalization with considerable potential. It offers participants the opportunity to forge decisive alliances for the regional economy,” he said.
Ethiopis Tafara, IFC vice-president for Africa, also stressed the importance of mobilising private sector investment to support inclusive growth and economic resilience across the continent.
“At AFIS, we bring together African financial leaders to turn ambition into action, by mobilizing private capital to create…” he said.
