World Leaders are expected to assemble in the US Capital Washington D.C for the 2024 edition of the Africa Investment Risk and Compliance (AIRC) Summit next month June 27-28, 2024.
The two-day summit organised by the EBII Group has as its theme “Sustainable Resource Extraction in a Changing Climate: Compliance, Strategies, and Innovations” seeks to address critical aspects of environmental sustainability, financial integrity and responsible resource management of the extractive industry in Africa.”
According to a statement from the organizers the “focus of the summit has become imperative since projections by the World Bank have revealed production of minerals, such as graphite, lithium and cobalt, could increase by nearly 500% by 2050, to meet the growing demand for clean energy technologies. The report equally estimates over 3 billion tons of minerals and metals will be needed to deploy wind, solar and geothermal power, as well as energy storage, required for achieving a below 2°C future.”
“Africa thus has a critical role to play in meeting these demands because the continent hosts the largest deposit of lithium. It is equally the home to 30 percent of the world’s mineral reserves, eight percent of the world’s natural Gas and 12 percent of the world’s oil reserves. Also, 40 percent of the world’s gold and up to 90 percent of its chromium and platinum sit in Africa. However foreign investment is instrumental in driving the African extractive industry forward, with multinational corporations and international financial institutions playing key roles in exploration, extraction, and infrastructure development. More critically will be partnerships with local stakeholders and governments to ensure that resource extraction benefits local communities and promotes sustainable development,” the statement added
The event which will see many African political leaders, business leaders and investors across in attendance organizers believe will ensure judicious utilization of the resources on the continent to improve quality of lives of citizens.
“The basis for the 2024 Africa Investment Risk and Compliance (AIRC) Summit which will assemble leading Africa head of states, business leaders as well as investors around the globe to find solutions to integrate financial crime compliance with sustainable development objectives and environmental protection measures, to ensure the natural resources of Africa are properly utilized to drive economic growth, alleviate poverty, and improve the quality of life for its people.”
The summit will host different panel to deliberate on key topics including:
* Mapping Africa’s extractive resources
* Navigating investment challenges
* Risk Perception of Africa vs. Reality
* Supply chain/corruption risk in the African extractives sector
* Rethinking risk and compliance in the age of AI
* Empowering diaspora partnerships for sustainable development
* Understanding regulatory frameworks and governance standards in Africa.
The AIRC summit has been hosting leading Africa presidents, and other world leaders, as well as business leaders in one innovative space to unlock the enormous potential of Africa.