NAIROBI, Kenya, May 12 — The fourth edition of the Africa Soft Power (ASP) Summit will take place in Nairobi from May 21 to 25, bringing together public and private sector players to explore ways of boosting Africa’s creative, digital, and knowledge-based industries.
The summit will feature high-level discussions on how these sectors can contribute to economic development by attracting investment and strengthening cross-border partnerships. It is part of ongoing efforts by African stakeholders to position the continent’s non-traditional industries as engines of job creation, innovation, and regional growth.
This year’s theme, “Africa’s Growth Engine: Aligning the Flow of Money, Innovation, and Global Opportunities,” will frame conversations on the strategic role of creativity and technology in modern economies. Delegates will include development finance institutions, policymakers, investors, and entrepreneurs across sectors such as media, finance, entertainment, and tech.
The five-day event will include three main components: a women’s leadership conference, a creative and innovation industries forum, and a gala highlighting African achievements in art, media, and tech.
The summit aims to provide a structured platform for financing discussions, policy alignment, and the promotion of African-led initiatives that can scale across the continent and globally. Panels and roundtables will focus on capital access for creative businesses, intellectual property rights, and the integration of emerging technologies like AI into Africa’s innovation ecosystems.
Organisers say the forum is designed to connect African talent with decision-makers and capital providers, amid a broader push to grow non-extractive sectors of the economy. The event follows growing recognition that Africa’s creative and knowledge sectors remain underfunded despite their economic potential.
The ASP Summit 4.0 comes at a time when governments and financial institutions across the continent are under increasing pressure to diversify growth strategies beyond commodities and infrastructure.
