May 12, (THEWILL) – The 2022 Africa Soft Power (ASP) Summit has been scheduled to take place in Kigali, Rwanda, from May 26th to 27th.
Celebrating Africa’s unique, creative knowledge and digital industries, the summit will combine sessions, networking activities and local events, as the summit celebrates its return to a real-world setting, following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking on the event, Nkiru Balonwu, Founder & Creative Director of the Africa Soft Power Summit, stated that what Africa’s creative and cultural industries bring to the global economy is unique.
According to Balonwu, as the world moves out of the pandemic era and back into real-world settings, this year’s event will showcase the growing power of the digital, creative and knowledge economies.
Explaining further, Balonwu emphasised that these sectors are particularly important on the continent itself, which has been forecast to make up a significant part of the world’s population by 2050.
The Creative Director also observed that as modern economies shift, if African countries are quick to embrace this change, we can create more homegrown opportunities, hold onto our brightest minds and be a pioneer in building the creative and digital sectors of the future.
“So in addition to showcasing the African CCI to the world, we also want to showcase its potential to the public and private sectors domestically, and provide a blueprint for future growth”, Balonwu added.
The event aligns with the playoffs and finals of the Basketball Africa League – a sports event highlighting Africa’s expanding sports economy.
Speaking on the collaboration with ASP, John Manyo-Plange, Vice President, NBA Africa and Head of Strategy & Operations, Basketball Africa League said, “Africa’s real power is in its people. Sports have a pivotal role to play in projecting that power on the continent. The excellence of our sportsmen and women is on display every day, on every pitch, field and court. We need to do more at home to create a robust industry, infrastructure and ultimately tap into the skills and talents of our sports stars to grow our economies. Our goal is to project that soft power globally and give meaning to the label, Made in Africa.”
In addition to showcasing African talent, creativity and sports, payment is also a key focus area in this year’s programme.
To the CEO, Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), Mike Ogbalu III, “Creative talent and innovation thrive on monetisation. And monetisation is unquestionably linked to payment. Payment is the trigger for trade and as such, an efficient payments system will have an accelerating effect on trade. Payments between African states simply cannot continue to travel halfway around the world before returning to the continent.”
“Africa must build, own and control its payment rails specifically designed to solve uniquely African challenges, if it wants to control its economic prosperity and future! This is where PAPSS comes in”, Ogbalu added.
Originally founded as a virtual event during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Africa Soft Power Summit, continues its theme of promoting May as ‘Africa month’, as the Africa Soft Power Project (ASP) at large, seeks to establish the continent’s creative and knowledge industries on the world stage.
Specifically, the 2022 programme will focus on ‘Africa & the Global Community: The New Face of Collaboration’, examining how Africa’s digital, creative and knowledge economies can be leveraged to benefit the continent, the global diaspora community and beyond. Sessions will include sports, film, music, fashion, financing/digital infrastructure, tourism/trade and payments.
So far, Benedict Oramah, President, Afreximbank; Gina Din-Kariuki, Founder, Gina Din Group; Mike Ogbalu III, CEO, Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS); Jude ‘M.I.’ Abaga, Rapper, and CEO, TASCK Agency; Obi Asika, Co-Founder, Social Media Week Lagos; Gabby Otchere-Darko, Executive Chairman, Africa Prosperity Network; Victor Williams, CEO, NBA Africa; Balkissa Idé Siddo, Director of Public Policy, Africa, Facebook are some of the speakers already confirmed for the 2022 Africa Soft Power (ASP) Summit.
Other speakers include: Adefunke Adeyemi, Regional Director, Africa, IATA; Crystal Rugege, MD, Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Rwanda; Naledi K. Khabo, CEO, Africa Tourism Association; Ngaire Blankenberg, Director, Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art; Gbemi Disu, Executive Director, Carnegie Mellon University Africa; Nana Baffour, CEO & Chairman, Qintess Brazil.
Previous speakers at ASP events have included senior-level executives from companies like Netflix, Apple, MTN, ESPN, PayPal, Facebook, Sotheby’s, as well as thought leaders, artists and celebrities such as Mona Eltahawy, Jidenna, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Benjamin Crump, Hakeem Belo Osagie, Nandipha Mntambo, Pearl Thusi, Yofi Grant, Siba Mtongana, Amadou Fall, Tunde Folawiyo and others.
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Nkiru Balonwu, Founder & Creative Director of the Africa Soft Power Summit
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
