On November 3 and 4, 2025, Casablanca will become the focal point of African finance. For its fifth edition, the Africa Financial Summit (AFIS) presents an impressive lineup: finance ministers, central bank governors, heads of banking groups, and institutional investors. The event is shaping up to be the major meeting of decision-makers who think—and shape—the financial sovereignty of the continent.
A stage where politicians and financial strategists intersect
At the forefront are the top financial leaders of the continent. Morocco will be represented by Nadia Fettah, Minister of Economy and Finance, and Abdellatif Jouahri, Governor of Bank Al-Maghrib, a symbol of praised monetary stability. Alongside them, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, Governor of the BCEAO, and Johnson P. Asiama, his counterpart at the Bank of Ghana, will discuss the coordination of monetary policies in a context of global inflation and volatility.
Senegal will be represented by Cheikh Diba, Minister of Finance and Budget, while Christian Yoka, Minister of Finance of Congo, will advocate for budgetary resilience in economies dependent on raw materials. A political cast that reflects the desire to anchor financial discussions in African macroeconomic realities.
The major institutions at the heart of the game
On the side of development institutions, Makhtar Diop, Managing Director of the IFC, will advocate for increased mobilization of African private capital. Alongside him, Serge Ekué, President of the BOAD, and Heike Harmgart, Managing Director of Sub-Saharan Africa at the BERD, will advocate for the modernization of financing instruments and the strengthening of regional development banks.
All share the same belief: it is time for Africa to finance its development through its own levers—pensions, insurance, sovereign funds, and domestic markets—rather than depending on external capital.
The heads of major banks take the stage
The 2025 edition will also be marked by a strong presence of the private sector. Jeremy Awori, CEO of Ecobank Group, Olusegun Alebiosu, Managing Director of FirstBank Group, and Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman of Coronation Group, will testify to the dynamics of African banking and the ongoing digital shift.
Jules Ngankam, head of the African Guarantee Fund, and Dr. George Agyekum Donkor, President of the BIDC, will convey the message of a finance focused on SMEs and local investment. Among the veterans, Jean Kacou Diagou, President of the NSIA Group, will embody the vision of a sustainable African capitalism, based on growth through trust.
Casablanca, showcasing Moroccan leadership
On its own turf, Morocco displays its ambitions as a continental financial hub. Key figures from the private sector will be in the forefront: Brahim Benjelloun-Touimi and Tarik Senhaji for the Casablanca Stock Exchange, Abderrahim Chaffai for ACAPS, Abdeslam Alaoui Smaili for HPS, Ouafae Mriouah for Atlantic Re, and Mohamed Hassan Bensalah for Holmarcom.
Between banks, regulators, and industrialists, Casablanca wants to show that African financial sovereignty also relies on strong platforms, modern infrastructure, and assumed regional integration.
A motto: sovereignty and pragmatism
Less formal than previous editions, AFIS 2025 aims to be a strategic agora, where Africa speaks on equal terms with global markets.
“This edition in Casablanca embodies the urgency to modernize our instruments and mobilize our own capital to finance our strategic priorities,” says Amir Ben Yahmed, President of the Africa Financial Summit.
“AFIS is where concrete solutions are conceived for growth driven by the private sector,” adds Ethiopis Tafara, Vice President Africa of the IFC.
Casablanca, during a summit, is preparing to become the capital of a self-assured, connected, and resolutely sovereign Africa.
