The Leadership Moment-39

Friends of Africa 2021 Welcomes the Vice President of Nigeria

If there is one gathering that will be remembered in 2021, not only for its sheer impact, but also for the work- efforts put in to deliver the summit, it was the 11th Edition of Friends of Africa Summit- a 2 day Summit, with a wrap up lunch event delivered as a hybrid Summit to viewers across Continents from various industry sectors.

The organizers of #FOA, a team of seasoned professionals from the public, private, and business sectors took advantage of the re-opening of the economy, to make the point that business life must continue safely after many months of lock down, and that learning to keep the protocols within small groups of connected 'bubbles' could work well to preserve us all as we fight the pandemic and keep our businesses and the larger economy working.

It is noteworthy that the management at the hotel insisted on getting a list of onsite attendees at FOA, 72 hours to d-day, and requested copies of vaccine receipt before entry. The team complied, and finally convinced us that it was time to bring people out of their homes. That was a few weeks before Christmas....

Access is key to SMEs.

Nothing could have compared to the great excitement of meeting 35 Accomplished Speakers from 15 countries, including the Vice President, Federal Republic of of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, who delivered the keynote address, (rep. by the Minister of Investments), and a welcome Address by the Premier of Ontario, The Honourable Doug Ford.

The joy of connecting with real humans, away from ZOOM calls, and getting to 'see' the real products of businesses that had pivoted, and providing Access for startups who were looking for partners to scale up, was palpable.

We all agreed that access is the key to success for startups in this season of semi or full lockdown. Watch the Speaker clips here

Other Guest speakers connecting digitally from other Nations, added to the energy of small businesses in the room as they passionately discussed the theme "Rebuilding small businesses for global trade". In this era of digital global trade, and no boundaries, Cabinet Ministers, Diplomats, and Leaders from Canada, Nigeria, Kenya, Mali, Cote Divoire, Uganda, Ontario, discussed the programs launched by their countries to fast track trade and encourage startup founders to grow, and private sector CEOs to scale, and explore partnerships across borders to overcome the limitations of the current pandemic.

Indeed, the consensus was that the 11th edition of Friends of Africa (FOA2021) was a great time of learning from panelists representing industries, and trades, showcasing rising organizations at the #FOA #Marketplace, the best Pitch candidates (who won grants sponsored by partner organizations), and a great time of networking outside the home offices.

Pitch Masters:

The winners at the Pitch Masters session of FOA2021 worked hard and through the nights preparing for their Pitches. One is proud to see the professionalism displayed by the pitch candidates and the eventual winners at Pitch Masters. This is a result of several months of practice at EP Academy Business sessions.

Check the Friends of Africa Summit Full report here

Team Casa Foundation remains deeply grateful to all Friends of Africa across the globe. We can't wait to connect with you all again at the 12th Edition of Friends of Africa (FOA2022).

Remember to connect with us at Casa Foundation's Solution Platform for Blacks: The Black Advisory Hub

Best,

Olutoyin Oyelade

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