Aruma Ote

Africa: Economic Recovery and Transformation

Raj Kumar, Aruma Ote, Paula Ngabiri, Vivian Nwaka

Moderated by DevEx President Raj Kumar at the Milken Institute Global Conference, a panel of African leaders and financiers including former World Bank official Arumna Ote and Rwanda's Minister Paula Ngabiri analyzed the continent's post-pandemic economic trajectory. The discussion highlighted Africa's demographic potential and the urgent need to boost intra-continental trade through the AfCFTA while addressing a critical $130 billion annual funding gap exacerbated by investor risk perception and inadequate fiscal stimulus. Panellists proposed a strategic shift toward blended finance, agile regulatory frameworks for sectors like health tech and agribusiness, and data-driven governance to attract private capital and foster inclusive growth for the projected 2.3 billion population.