This week, I joined global leaders in Paris to support a cause that is very dear to me: inclusive prosperity for all.
At the invitation of my good friend, Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, I participated in the 2025 Steering Committee Meeting of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism, and a dinner hosted in my honour by Lady Lynn and Maurice Lévy, Chairman of the Publicis Group.
Each event blended business, development, and civil society, united by one goal: redefining capitalism to benefit more people, more fairly.
Lady Lynn has long championed Inclusive Capitalism, a framework that insists that the private sector must play a central role in addressing the world’s most pressing challenges. Her vision aligns exactly with my own philosophy of Africapitalism, our belief that Africa’s private sector must drive the continent’s transformation, through long-term investments that create both economic and social wealth.
The world is changing. From geopolitical tensions to rapid technological advances, institutions are being tested. Public trust is strained. Communities are demanding more, not just growth, but growth that lifts everyone.
That is why our conversations in Paris were timely.
We asked tough questions: how do we ensure that business success translates to worker success, and how can we align profit with fairness?
We explored ways to build a pro-worker, pro-growth agenda, powered by public-private collaboration.
We tackled the tension between sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness. How do we ensure that public investment unlocks private capital to build resilient sectors, from energy to manufacturing to technology?
I brought the African perspective. In Africa, we do not need handouts, we need investment. We need market reforms, infrastructure, and partners who see Africa not as a risk, but as a return.
As I shared with the Steering Committee, Africapitalism is not just for Africa. It is a lens through which we can see the future of global capitalism, a future that values impact as much as income, people as much as profit, and inclusion as much as innovation.
I was deeply honoured to be hosted to dinner by my good friends, Lady Lynn and Maurice Lévy, Chairman of the Publicis Group. It was an evening of fine conversation and Parisian hospitality.
I am leaving Paris energised. We are bold thinkers, committed doers, and courageous leaders, determined to build a more inclusive world for all.
