Suleiman Zakari, Managing Partner at Core International, organisers of the annual African Natural Resources & Energy Investment Summit (AFNIS) speaks on the edition of the programme hokding this week in Abuja. Excerpts:
Q:AFNIS 2025 is around the corner? What are your expectations for this huge industry event?
Zakari: That’s correct, AFNIS 2025 is happening this July from the 15th to 17th with the theme ‘Harnessing Local Content for Sustainable Development,’ we expect the summit to spotlight actionable strategies for transforming Africa’s resource wealth into sustainable economic growth.
We are anticipating more participation from industry leaders, government officials, and investors as the platform has grown consistently since its first edition in 2022. This year is potentially the first formal outing of the Nigeria Mining Corporation, which is significant for the sector.
I am particularly excited about the unveiling of the Africans for Africa (A4A) Fund. And my expectation is for AforA to sign the first deal with a Nigerian mining company at AFNIS, seeing that was the birthplace of the initiative – so it will be fitting.
Additionally, not sure if you have seen the news recently about the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development partnership with Sustainable Energy for All’s Council on Critical Minerals. Again, this was facilitated by us at AFNIS 24. So, they will be a significant unveiling of the project and the opportunities it represents to the private sector during AFNIS ’25 which I am excited about.
We expect more participation from the private sector across Africa and industries. So, yeah I am excited about AFNIS ’25 which promises to be the most impactful of all the editions.
Q: Are there areas, compared to the 2024 editions, that you would like to see improvements?
Zakari: There’s always areas for greater improvement. The moment you are content is when you stop evolving. For us, it’s more pertinent to continue to improve as there is so many other events out there; but we want to be that benchmark, that standard of impactful change to the industries we participate in. So for instance we are introducing more offsite networking opportunities, a cultural show. On the business side of things, we want to conclude more deals for the private sector and bilateral partnerships between nations. We have introduced pre-conference workshops for CPDs and have a great agenda and set of speakers lined up.
Q: Significantly, AFNIS 2025 is about utilizing Africa’s natural resources to grow local African economies. Would you say this speaks to the mandate A4A?
Zakari: Absolutely. AFNIS 2025’s focus on ‘Harnessing Local Content for Sustainable Development’ aligns perfectly with the core mandate of the Africans for Africa (AforA) initiative — mobilizing African capital to drive African development.
A great example of this was during our work on a cocoa project with a West African government. Initially, the focus was on attracting foreign capital from outside the continent. However, when we introduced the idea of sourcing capital from within Africa, the government’s response was notably more enthusiastic. This is because regional and domestic investors often have a deeper understanding of the market landscape and the unique challenges businesses face.
This underscores a common challenge. While many African businesses have established connections to foreign capital, which is understandable due to export networks, they often struggle to access domestic or regional funding or that domestic capital comes at a higher cost. AFNIS 2025 aims to bridge this gap by creating stronger linkages between African investors and viable projects across the continent. By doing so, we can unlock sustainable growth, empower local industries, and reduce dependency on external financing — all of which speak directly to AforA’s mission.
Q: In which ways would participation at this Summit help the work of the A4A secretariat, especially in building new partnerships?
Zakari: Like I mentioned earlier, the AforA is a real thing and it’s ready to go. There’s a pipeline of ready- to – go deals but AFNIS will be AforA’s first outing at an industry event, so the team will be there to secure further deals and partnerships.
Q: What, for you, are the main motivations for participating in AFNIS?
Zakari: My main motivation for AFNIS is really to provide a platform where we find sustainable solutions to our challenges. To support participants in achieving their investment or development goals. We have tremendous wealth hidden in silos, whether it’s the Oil and Gas sector of Nigeria compared to its neighbors. We want to build bridges for that wealth to be channeled and pooled for impactful change. That’s the mission and vision of AFNIS. That is why it brings different sectors and ministries together. My hope is for our partners and supporters to join us this July in Abuja for another impactful summit.
