Business Leaders at UNGA81 Say Africa’s Future Hinges On Trust And Food Security

Business leaders, investors, and policymakers gathered at the World Trade Center in New York on Friday, September 25, 2026, for the fourth edition of the Africa Breakfast Convos (ABC), held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. Hosted by BHM and Allison Worldwide, the invitation-only forum, themed ‘Africa’s Next Chapter: Trade, Partnership, Investment and Global Influence,’ examined how the continent can convert its economic trajectory into lasting commercial value.

One of the event’s strongest arguments came from Hackim Abdul, Director of Citi’s Public Sector Group for Africa, who warned that a lack of trust continues to hinder financial growth across the continent. Citing Ghana’s 1980s account freezes and the 2022 domestic debt exchange that hit investors just as Ghanaians were embracing banking and bonds, he said such episodes “breach trust, which is required to really deepen our financial institutions.”

Abdul also pointed to where capital is moving despite these headwinds. Pointing to Uganda’s $2.7 billion Standard Gauge Railway and the Lobito Corridor’s industrial ecosystem around critical minerals, he highlighted how major capital commitments are being unlocked across strategic sectors.

His optimism reflects broader trends: Africa attracted about US$70 billion in foreign direct investment in 2025, its third-highest inflow since 1990, according to UN Trade and Development. On agriculture, he noted that Africa’s cereal yields of 1.6 tonnes per hectare, compared with a global average of 4.2 tonnes, represent low-hanging fruit for doubling or tripling food production.

Expanding on the discussion, Yasamin Alttahir, Director of Global Marketing, Communications and External Affairs at The King’s Trust International, emphasised that demographic growth alone does not guarantee economic prosperity. She urged leaders to move away from zero-sum competition and instead focus on creating new market opportunities where collective achievements foster broader growth, an imperative supported by a World Bank report estimating that deeper services liberalisation could raise intra-AfCFTA trade by 60% to 64% by 2035.

Now in its fourth year, the Africa Breakfast Convos has grown into a key forum for African and global business leaders to discuss the issues shaping the continent’s next phase of growth, with past editions featuring Access Holding’s Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, MTN’s Tobe Okigbo, Future’s Iyin Aboyeji, and senior leaders from Goldman Sachs, Citi, and NBA Africa. The conversation has shifted from whether Africa’s moment will come to what must be built and repaired before it does.