Pan-African industry association the African Private Capital Association (Avca) will host the second edition of the Sustainable Investing in Africa Summit, at the Sheraton Grand, Park Lane, London, on October 12.

The summit will convene founders, investors, policymakers and industry leaders from around the world to discuss the industry’s evolution, trends, opportunities and challenges in investing with a sustainability lens across the African continent.

Taking place under the theme ‘Harnessing the Power of Private Capital to Build a Sustainable Future’, the summit is expected to serve as an opportunity for diverse stakeholders to share perspectives on de-risking and scaling up investment into projects focused on inclusive growth and sustainable development across Africa.

As fiscal conditions tighten across the continent, exacerbated by external pressures driving up inflation and interest rates, stimulating sustainable economic growth demands more effective capital mobilisation from commercial and private investors, Avca points out.

It posits that innovative and urgent action is required, with Africa’s Sustainable Development Goals-related infrastructure spending needing to double by the end of the decade.

“The summit’s timing is critical, following developments at the historic Africa Climate Summit, in which government and private sector leaders charted a new path for green growth and investments across the continent.

“Thought leaders will share perspectives and candid insights on balancing impact with financial returns, understanding opportunities to build resilience in post-conflict regions, decarbonising heavy industries and supply chains, making transport and logistics greener, and examining the investment landscape to maximise performance and impact programmes in critical sectors,” Avca says.

“The summit reinforces Avca’s commitment to galvanise the private capital industry towards effecting change and impact on the continent.

“By bringing together changemakers, world leaders, policymakers, investors, founders, and innovators to exchange first-hand insight into sustainable investing trends and practices, challenges and opportunities in Africa, we can effectively address and action these vantage points and accelerate the collaboration required to mobilise capital at scale,” comments Avca CEO Abi Mustapha-Maduakor.