Event Details

Join the EICN for the final Regional Strategic Forecast for the year! This valuable session will prep executives for what may very well be the beginning of a new era defined by complexity, requiring tough decisions on investment, hiring and inventory management.


As governments of leading economies expand the use of trade defence instruments and other protectionist measures, other countries are following suit—ultimately at the expense of the efficiency of global trade.


Many emerging markets are highly sensitive to a potential influx of Chinese goods, given their ambition to develop homegrown manufacturing sectors. African economies have long looked to move away from their extractive relationships with China, and the push to manufacture value-added goods on the continent will pick up pace in the coming years, as economies such as South Africa, Angola, Kenya and Nigeria continue on their paths to more diversified economies.


Current trade policy developments point to an increasingly vicious cycle, and there are significant risks that retaliatory actions could escalate. Ultimately, the new supply chains that develop as a result of protectionist industrial policy are likely to be less efficient, resulting in more expensive global production and thus inflationary pressure at a time when many countries faced and continue to face cost of living crises and population discontent.


Meanwhile, the dust will have settled on the US election —and its outcome will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of global trade for the years ahead.


Join us, our special guest speaker Alex Holmes, Regional director for Asia Pacific at the EIU, and influential thinkers and business leaders to explore the enduring primary and secondary consequences on global trade of this shifting policy landscape. In this session, we will hear the state of global economies, and what business leaders will need to prepare for in the next three to five years.


Please note that this event is limited to senior-level executives and per invitation only. If you are not an existing member of Economist Intelligence Corporate Network, but would like to learn how you can attend our events, please send an email to eicn_africa@economist.com

Speakers

  • Ashor Sarupen (Deputy Minister of Finance at National Treasury)

    Ashor Sarupen

    Deputy Minister of Finance at National Treasury

    Deputy Minister of Finance, Ashor Sarupen, entered the political arena in 2006 at the age of 17 in his hometown of Springs when he joined the Democratic Alliance and later joined the Gauteng Legislature caucus team as a research analyst.

    He was elected to the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Council in 2011 and served as the Chief Whip of the Official Opposition in the Council at the age of 22. He served on the council Rules, Ethics and Public Accounts committees

    He then served as a Member of the Gauteng Legislature between 2014 and 2019, representing the DA on the Finance, Economic Development, Social Development and Education committees.

    Since 2019, Ashor has served as a Member of Parliament and was the DA’s Shadow Minister on the Appropriations Committee until his appointment as Deputy Minister of Finance in July 2024.

    Within the Democratic Alliance, he serves as the first deputy chairperson of the DA’s Federal Council.

    Ashor Sarupen attended Wits University where he completed his Bachelor of Science.

    He subsequently acquired a BSC Honours (Wits), MBA (Wits) and an MPhil in Corporate Strategy at GIBS as well as MPhil in International Business at GIBS.

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  • Alex Holmes (Regional Director of Economist Intelligence Unit)

    Alex Holmes

    Regional Director of Economist Intelligence Unit

    https://www.eiu.com/n/people/alex-holmes/

    Alex Holmes heads up EIU’s analysis and forecasts for Asia Pacific markets and is based in Singapore. His career to date has been focused on macroeconomic research, both deep country-level analysis and delving into the cross-cutting themes affecting Asia. Being in a region where external trade plays such an oversized role in the economy, Alex takes a particular interest in related issues, including structural supply chain reconfiguration, the global electronics cycle and models of export-led development. Alex regularly appears in the media and has also co-hosted a business video-podcast produced by Bloomberg.

    Prior to the EIU, Alex was Lead Economist at Oxford Economics, following stints at Capital Economics, ICAP, Barclays Bank and the UK Government Economics Service.

    Alex holds a BSc in economics from the University of Sheffield and an MSc in financial economics from the University of London.

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  • Sam Rolland (Director, Sub-Saharan Africa of The Economist  Intelligence Corporate Network)

    Sam Rolland

    Director, Sub-Saharan Africa of The Economist Intelligence Corporate Network

    Sam is a trained economist specialising in understanding the complexities of the South African economy. Prior to joining the EICN, Sam spent time in both the public and private sector, first as an economist within the Economic Policy division of the National Treasury, and then as a consulting economist at Econometrix, and Deloitte. During his time in private sector, Sam specialised in analysing events and government policies to dilute these into constructing business strategies. Sam also spent time in Switzerland as an economist for airline industry body IATA. Sam holds a masters degree in economics from Stellenbosch University, and has studied further at the Insitute for Social Studies in The Hague, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Levy Economics Insitute of Bard College in New York State.

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Community

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Venue

Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff

67 Jan Smuts Ave, Westcliff
Johannesburg, South Africa

If you have any questions please contact EICN Africa

Contact Organizer

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