Can Africa finance more of its own development by making better use of the capital already within its financial system? That question shaped the sixth Africa Financial Industry Summit (AFIS), which concluded in Luanda, Angola, on 4 November 2026, bringing together financial institutions, policymakers, investors and business leaders to examine how African capital can support the continent’s economic transformation.
Held under the theme Making Capital Count: Driving Growth Through African Finance, the two-day summit focused on the gap between Africa’s available financial resources and the investment needed to expand businesses, infrastructure and productive industries.
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The gathering brought together more than 1,250 senior financial-sector participants, including central bank governors, finance ministers, banking executives, insurers, fintech leaders and regulators. Its central message was that Africa must move beyond mobilising capital to ensure financial resources reach the businesses and sectors capable of generating sustainable economic value.
A major issue discussed was the estimated US$400 billion annual development financing gap facing the continent. Participants also examined the potential of Africa’s domestic long-term savings, estimated at approximately US$4 trillion, as a source of investment for infrastructure, industrial development and enterprise expansion.
The figures highlight a structural challenge. Although African financial institutions have become increasingly sophisticated, many businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, continue to struggle to access affordable and appropriately structured financing.
For businesses operating in agriculture, manufacturing, renewable energy and technology, limited access to long-term capital can restrict expansion, weaken competitiveness and prevent promising enterprises from moving into larger markets.
The summit therefore placed considerable emphasis on improving the relationship between financial institutions and the businesses they serve. Discussions included longer-term financing, local-currency lending, more effective risk-sharing arrangements and financial instruments that reflect the realities of African enterprises.
The African Development Bank’s New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD) also featured prominently in the discussions. The initiative seeks to strengthen coordination among African financial institutions and improve how capital is mobilised, risks are distributed and private investment is attracted.
One important example is the Bank’s US$125 million equity investment in the African Trade and Investment Development Insurance agency (ATIDI), approved in May 2026. The investment is intended to strengthen ATIDI’s capacity to provide political-risk and credit insurance, helping reduce investment risks and support foreign direct investment and intra-African trade. It is important to distinguish this earlier approval from a new funding announcement at the Luanda summit.
The International Finance Corporation and Nigeria’s Bank of Industry also signed a US$50 million financing agreement on the sidelines of the summit, forming part of a broader support package that could reach US$100 million. At least 25 per cent of the facility is intended for women-owned businesses, with agriculture, manufacturing, renewable energy and the creative industries among the priority sectors.
Angola’s role as host placed the country at the centre of a wider continental conversation about financial integration and economic diversification. It also provided an opportunity to present Luanda as a meeting point for investors and institutions seeking to deepen Africa’s financial partnerships.
However, the real measure of the summit will not be the number of delegates or the scale of discussions. It will be whether the commitments and proposals translate into financing that reaches productive businesses, supports regional trade and creates employment.
For Africa, making capital count means ensuring that financial strength becomes economic power. The continent’s next development phase will depend not only on how much capital it can attract, but on how effectively it can deploy its own resources to build industries, strengthen enterprises and expand shared prosperity.
