Event Details

Eleven of the fastest growing economies in the world in 2024 will be in SSA, and the continent is attracting plenty of interest from multinational corporates as well as regional governments.


UAE interest in East Africa, in particular, has grown as the country tries to develop commercial links and secure access across the strategic Bab al‑Mandab strait in the Red Sea. The UAE has particular interests in port development, food security and mineral resources in East Africa, where it recently concluded a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) with Kenya in February 2024 and where DP World recently signed an agreement to operate part of Tanzania's Dar es Salaam port.


Imports from East Africa into the UAE more than doubled from 2019 to 2022, and non-oil exports and re-exports have also grown strongly. The UAE will continue to expand trade and investment links in SSA, although it will face competition for influence from other foreign powers, including China and Saudi Arabia.


So join us on 30 May, in the company of the EICN's SSA Director Sam Rolland, and a panel of regional business leaders with responsibility for Africa, as we go hunting for the continent's hotspots.


Agenda:


12 noon: Arrival, registration, lunch and networking

12.45pm: SSA Forecast, Sam Rolland, Director SSA, EICN

1.20pm: Panel discussion: Hunting Africa's Big 5

2pm: Close and networking

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

Speakers

  • Sam Rolland (Director, Sub-Saharan Africa of EICN)

    Sam Rolland

    Director, Sub-Saharan Africa of EICN

    Sam Rolland is the Network Director for Sub-Saharan Africa at EICN. He is a trained economist specialising in understanding the complexities of the global economy, and how regional issues affect domestic business. Sam advises global teams on appropriate strategies to navigate a complex world by driving agility and future-readiness.

    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 the 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 Institute for Social Studies in The Hague, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College in New York state. Sam also sits on the board of the Western Cape Primary Science Programme, a non-profit organisation focusing on the improving educational outcomes in under-resourced schools in Africa.

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