Kigali gears up to host Africa Soft Power Summit ’23: A Confluence of Creativity and Leadership | May 23 – 27

The Africa Soft Power Group’s (ASP) flagship Africa Soft Power Summit will take place in Kigali, Rwanda from May 23rd – 27th 2023. The summit represents the highest-level convening of the African creative, knowledge and digital sectors, bringing together public and private sector organisations, as well as pioneering individuals from the fields of law, finance, technology, sports, media, arts and entertainment, academia, philanthropy, politics and more.

Hosted at the Kigali Serena Hotel, the gathering will take place across 5 action-packed days and include 3 main events: 

• The inaugural RAW Women’s Leadership Conference (May 24th): Powered by ASP’s non-profit arm African Women on Board (AWB), RAW is Real, it’s Africa-hosted, and it’s women-led, seeking to push the reset button on gender discourse and ask the question: If the Diversity, Equality, & Inclusion (DEI) movement had been invented TODAY, how might we approach it differently?

• Creative & Innovative Industries Conference (May 25th): The CII Conference will examine how the African creative sectors can deliver growth and return on the continent, as well as how these industries be used to better tell the modern African story on the world stage, changing perspectives, shifting global dialogues, and strengthening relationships with the diaspora community along the way. 

• Africa Soft Power Gala & Awards (May 25th): A veritable feast of African creative and innovative output in action, in real-time! The ASP Gala will demonstrate the latest African art, fashion, film, entertainment, media, and tech, bringing the presentations and themes of the previous two days to life before the delegates’ very eyes.

Around this, there’ll be a whole host of accompanying activities, from drinks receptions and trips out to the NBA Africa playoffs, to meetings, masterclasses, and roundtables, as well as an array of cultural outings in Kigali. And while it’s Africa-led, and Rwanda-staged, it’s important to note that the ASP Summit is for the entire world, examining the industries of today that will fuel the global economic growth of tomorrow.

Across five days, three key events, and a range of networking activities, we’ll see the spotlight shone on creative endeavour, and its commercial viability, not only on the continent but around the world, said Nkiru Balonwu, Founder & Creative Director for Africa Soft Power.

During a packed-out week, the creative and digital economies of tomorrow will meet with the financial and business powerhouses of today, together forming clear pathways to future economic success for our women, young people, and the wider global community.

The introduction of the inaugural RAW Women’s Conference is a particularly welcome addition to this year’s proceedings, and we are confident that more broadly, the often still largely unheard African voice – and those who join us from around the world – can examine new solutions to some of the key public and private sector issues of the day.

Tickets are on sale now, secure your place at the summit by purchasing your tickets now. For more details about the event and its key activities, please visit their website.

The Africa Soft Power Group (ASP) encompasses three organizations dedicated to leveraging Africa’s creative and innovative sectors to generate economic growth on the continent and around the world. These include ‘The Africa Soft Power Project’, ‘African Women on Board (AWB)’, and ‘ASP Global’, all of which you can find out more about here.

BellaNaija is a media partner for Africa Soft Power Summit