As global economic power shifts, African leaders and investors are being urged to move faster on integration and scale. That message sits at the core of this year’s Africa CEO Forum, taking place May 14–15 in Kigali.

According to forum director Adrien Fielding, the continent can no longer rely on fragmented national strategies. “In today’s economy, scale drives resilience, investor confidence, and power,” he said.

The forum’s theme, “Scale or Fail,” centers on three priorities: cross-border investment (shared equity), regional infrastructure, and aligned regulations. These build on efforts under the African Continental Free Trade Area, which aims to unify African markets but still faces implementation gaps.

A key concern is capital allocation. While Africa holds trillions in domestic capital, much of it sits in low-risk foreign assets, even as countries borrow externally at high cost. Fielding argues that redirecting this capital internally is critical to long-term growth. He also pointed to overreliance on a narrow set of foreign currencies—primarily the dollar, euro, and yuan—calling for greater diversification in how deals are financed.

The forum places significant responsibility on the private sector. “CEOs will drive integration faster than governments,” Fielding noted, though regulatory barriers still make cross-border African investment unnecessarily difficult.

Technology and data sovereignty are also on the agenda, particularly how African countries can partner with global firms without long-term dependency or loss of control.

Ultimately, the argument is straightforward: deeper integration makes African economies more resilient and more attractive to investors. Without it, the continent risks missing a rare window of global opportunity.

Watch the breakdown interview with Adrien Fielding here to explore the insights in detail.