We, the participants of Africa Capital Week 2026, convened in Nairobi, Kenya, from 7 to 11 September 2026, bringing together policymakers, regulators, securities exchanges, institutional investors, development finance institutions, pension funds financial institutions, private-sector leaders, entrepreneurs, academia and development partners from across Africa and beyond;
RECOGNISING that Africa has significant financial resources, entrepreneurial talent, natural assets and investment opportunities, yet a significant portion of this potential remains disconnected from the capital needed to turn it into productive economic activity;
ACKNOWLEDGING that Africa’s transformation requires coordinated action among Governments, Securities Regulators, Continental Bodies, Multilateral Institutions, Securities Exchanges, Market Intermediaries, Institutional Investors, the Private Sector and Academia, among others;
That Africa’s infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, education, housing, technology and climate priorities require capital at a scale that cannot be met by public resources or development finance alone;
AFFIRMING that Africa must mobilise more of its own savings and institutional capital, while remaining open to responsible and long-term international investment;
RECOGNISING that deeper, more integrated, transparent and resilient capital markets are essential to financing Africa’s development and strengthening the continent’s economic sovereignty;
ACKNOWLEDGING that fragmented markets, regulatory misalignments, limited investment-ready projects, inadequate market infrastructure and perceived investment risks continue to constrain the efficient movement and deployment of capital across the continent;
RECOGNISING that the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will depend not only on the movement of goods and services, but also on the ability of African capital to move across the continent to finance businesses, infrastructure and regional value chains. Any one African country by itself cannot optimally deepen its capital markets and achieve economic sovereignty;
APPRECIATING the success and shared value proposition of the inaugural Africa Capital Week 2026;
COMMITTED to building stronger connections between African savings, African investors and African investment opportunities;
The Africa Capital Week 2026 declares that:
- 1.
Africa Capital Week shall be an annual continental platform, held on a rotational basis across Africa. The next edition shall be held in Lagos, Nigeria, from 6–10 September 2027.
- 2.
An African Securities Regulators Association be formed to expedite the continuous discussion of cross-cutting issues affecting the capital markets in the continent.
- 3.
Recommendations on the key thematic areas emerging from the AfCW 2026 and subsequent AfCW events be implemented and evaluated on a semi-annual basis to monitor progress, with a key focus being on Africa being able to fund its own development.
- 4.
Key stakeholders play an active role in supporting capital formation and movement across the continent by:
- Governments to be supported to actively allow capital movement and manage the cost of capital, while supporting them to centralize the role of capital markets in financing all major infrastructural and other relevant projects.
- Securities Regulators to foster more collaboration by forming an association and harmonizing regulations for more efficiency in moving capital across the continent.
- Engage the AU Commission to explore ways of infusing capital markets as a key enabler of the continent’s achievement of Agenda 2063.
- Engage Multilateral institutions to explore ways of partnering and collaborating to ease and scale the movement of capital across the continent.
- Upscale collaboration among Africa’s Securities Exchanges through the Africa Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA) while actively supporting interconnection by leveraging technology.
- Market Intermediaries to foster intra-Africa securities trading by intensifying the Africa Stockbrokers and Securities Dealers Association (ASSDA) collaboration and enhancing technological interconnectivity.
- Leverage the growing financial strength of the continent’s Pension sector to finance major infrastructural projects in the continent through the acceleration of the formation of a Pan-African Infrastructure Fund.
- Centralize the role of Academia in strengthening research, knowledge sharing, capacity building and evidence-based policy dialogue on the role of capital markets in supporting long-term growth and development.
- 5.
Support the AfCFTA by encouraging capital-markets stakeholders to identify, develop and finance investment opportunities arising from deeper African economic integration, regional value chains and intra-African trade.
- 6.
Strengthen Africa’s Voice in the Global Financial System: promote greater African participation and representation in global financial decision-making and international standard-setting processes, in support of sustainable and inclusive development.
- 7.
Africa Bankable Projects Pipeline. Develop and maintain a credible pipeline of bankable projects across priority sectors, providing investors with clear information on project readiness, financing requirements, risk allocation and investment structures to facilitate capital deployment.
- 8.
Facilitate Cross-Border Capital Flows. Promote the removal of unnecessary regulatory, tax, foreign-exchange, settlement and administrative barriers that constrain the movement of capital across African markets, while maintaining appropriate safeguards for financial stability and investor protection.
- 9.
Establish an Implementation and Accountability Framework. Translate the commitments of this Declaration into measurable actions, assign responsibility to relevant stakeholders and review progress on a semi-annual basis, with progress reported at subsequent Africa Capital Week convenings.
Our Commitment
We believe that Africa’s transformation requires capital at scale, deployed effectively and with purpose.
Africa cannot afford to leave its savings idle while businesses struggle for growth capital, infrastructure projects remain unfinanced and investment opportunities go unrealised.
We therefore commit to moving:
- from fragmentation to integration;
- from potential to investment;
- from announcements to deployment;
- and from dependency to greater economic sovereignty.
We recognise that the success of this Declaration will not be measured by the words adopted in Nairobi. It will be measured by the capital mobilised, the investments made, the enterprises financed, the projects delivered, the markets deepened, the jobs created and the opportunities opened to Africans.
We call upon African governments, regulators, investors, financial institutions, development finance institutions, businesses, entrepreneurs and development partners to turn these commitments into practical action and sustained collaboration.
We further commit to making Africa Capital Week more than an annual gathering. It shall be a continuing platform for investment, collaboration, accountability and action.
Africa has capital.
Africa has opportunity.
Africa has talent.
Our task is to connect them.
We therefore declare Africa Capital Week 2026 as a continental commitment to mobilising capital, unlocking investment, deepening capital markets and financing Africa’s transformation.
Adopted in Nairobi, Kenya, on 9 September 2026.
Africa Capital Week 2026
Nairobi, Kenya