UN Global Compact at the 2025 Africa CEO Forum: State, Private Sector Collaboration, Key to Sustainable Development in Africa

Drastic changes in the flow of development aid form part of an increasingly transactional world system that has continued to create waves of global uncertainty. This means Africa must find alternative methods of solving its problems and financing the continent’s growth and development.

It is against this background that improved engagement between the state and the private sector as an engine for African growth takes centre stage at the 2025 Africa CEOs Forum, which brings together over 2000 CEOs, heads of state, ministers and investors from around the continent and beyond to discuss Africa’s most critical economic issues.

Considered the largest business gathering of African CEOs, the forum which takes place in Abidjan this year, under the theme “AFRICA IN A TRANSACTIONAL WORLD: Can a New Deal Between State and Private Sector Deliver the Continent a Winning Hand?”, provides the ideal platform for advancing Africa’s growth strategy as determined by the continent’s critical stakeholders.

A huge plus for this year’s forum, which runs for two days in the Ivorian capital, is a dedicated side event convened by the United Nations Global Compact (as the leader on corporate sustainability) to foster meaningful dialogue and amplify the UN Global Compact’s message of sustainable development across the African business landscape.

Speaking at an earlier event – the Networking Cocktail of the United Nations Global Compact on 11 May in Abidjan – CEO of the UN Global Compact, Sanda Ojiambo, stated that "sustainability for businesses is not a trend but a necessity".

High expectations will follow the prominent role being played by the UN Global Compact in this year's Africa CEO Forum, stemming from last year’s forum held in Kigali, Rwanda; five (5) more businesses joined the Global Compact and one (1) joined the Africa Business Leaders Coalition (ABLC), while the then-new CEO of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) confirmed support of the government and RDB’s participation in the Global Compact Advisory Committee.

This year’s forum is therefore another opportunity for advancing the Africa strategy and many would be hoping for concrete action and policies directly resulting from the high-level engagements at the forum.

Some of such engagements include the High-Level Panel with UN Global Compact CEO, Ms Sanda Ojiambo, titled “AI as a catalyst for a new public-private deal in Africa”, the ABLC Plenary Panel, “How 70+ CEOs of the ABLC are elevating Africa's global voice”, and a Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI) event, “Connect. Empower. Prosper – The Big Push for Digital Africa”.

African business leaders, members of the UN Global Compact and the Africa Business Leaders Coalition, expressed encouragement at the Africa CEO Forum 2025. They highlighted their commitment to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) through new cross-border collaborations within their companies, demonstrating a shared responsibility for its implementation.

This is therefore an opportunity for useful advocacy on the mobilization of Ivorian and other businesses towards membership of the UN Global Compact and adoption of the sustainability principles  for African businesses. The innovation and capacity of the private sector will be key if Africa is to navigate these uncertain times and improved synergy between the public and private sectors is essential to bringing this potential of the private sector to the fore.