For two days in Kigali, Rwanda, Africa’s most powerful business leaders, investors, founders and presidents gathered for one of the continent’s biggest economic conversations — the Africa CEO Forum 2026. But throughout the summit, Nigerian voices remained some of the most visible at the center of discussions shaping Africa’s economic future.
This year’s forum, themed “Scale or Fail: Why Africa Must Embrace Shared Ownership,” focused heavily on industrialisation, regional integration, infrastructure, manufacturing, investment and how African countries can build stronger economies from within rather than depending heavily on foreign systems.
And in many of those conversations, Nigerians were leading from the front.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu participated in one of the forum’s headline sessions titled “Holding the Line: Nigeria’s Reform Bet in a Fractured World,” where discussions centered around Nigeria’s ongoing economic reforms, investor confidence and Africa’s place within an increasingly unstable global economy.
During the session, Tinubu defended his administration’s economic decisions, describing the reforms as “painful but necessary” while insisting Nigeria could no longer continue policies that endangered future generations.
Speaking about taxation and development, the president also stated, “Every good citizen must pay tax. It is the foundation for development and the protection of the future.”
He further emphasized Nigeria’s responsibility within the continent, saying, “Nigeria must sing the right tune to show the right direction to other African nations.”
Beyond policy conversations, industrialisation became another major talking point — and naturally, Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote remained central to many of those discussions.
As African leaders and investors debated how the continent can reduce dependence on imports and build stronger local industries, Dangote’s refinery, manufacturing and infrastructure projects repeatedly came up as examples of large-scale African-led industrial ambition.
Dangote also used the moment to highlight one of Africa’s biggest structural problems: movement across the continent. Speaking during conversations surrounding regional integration, he criticized visa restrictions within Africa, revealing that he still requires nearly 35 visas to travel across the continent despite being one of Africa’s biggest investors.
The billionaire also continued conversations around expanding refinery infrastructure across Africa, including discussions about a potential new refinery project in Kenya modeled after the Dangote Refinery in Nigeria.
BUA Group founder Abdul Samad Rabiu was also among the prominent Nigerian business leaders present as conversations around infrastructure financing, regional partnerships and large-scale African businesses continued throughout the summit.
But beyond the speeches and panel sessions, this year’s Africa CEO Forum reflected something bigger about Nigeria’s place within Africa’s economic ecosystem.
Despite economic pressures and internal challenges, Nigerian business leaders, entrepreneurs and policymakers continue to remain deeply influential in shaping conversations around manufacturing, technology, finance, energy and continental growth.
The discussions in Kigali are also expected to influence future investment partnerships, infrastructure projects, trade agreements and cross-border business collaborations across Africa over the coming months.
As Africa pushes harder toward industrialisation and regional self-sufficiency, forums like this are increasingly becoming spaces where the continent’s future is negotiated in real time.
And this year, Nigerians were not just attending the conversation. They were helping lead it.
Written by Folasade Abimbola
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