Africa’s Rising Global Role Will Take Center Stage in New York during UNGA

Key Impact Points:

• The Unstoppable Africa 2025 event will gather top African and global leaders on September 21–22 in New York to discuss how Africa can shape future markets.
• This year’s theme, The BIG Push: Africa Shapes the Markets, addresses energy, digital transformation, trade, the creative economy, and sport.
• High-profile speakers include UN leaders, CEOs, innovators, investors, and cultural icons, with sessions on critical minerals, AfCFTA, and financing African enterprises.

NEW YORK — At a time when Africa’s economic, demographic, and geopolitical influence is expanding at an unprecedented pace, the continent’s premier global business forum is returning to New York with a message: Africa is ready to shape the future of global markets.

The Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI) will host the fourth edition of its flagship Unstoppable Africa event on September 21–22, 2025, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. Held just days before the opening of the 80th United Nations General Assembly, the gathering has become the most prominent African business event outside the continent — a platform where heads of state, corporate executives, investors, philanthropists, and cultural leaders converge to accelerate Africa’s economic transformation.

Since its launch in 2022, GABI has drawn more than 8,000 participants, including 10 sitting heads of state. The 2025 edition, themed “The BIG Push — Africa Shapes the Markets”, comes at a moment when shifting global trade dynamics present both risks and opportunities for Africa to assert its leadership in critical sectors.

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“Unstoppable Africa needs our unstoppable efforts — to spur development for all, to ensure just and equitable transitions in critical areas like renewable energy, food systems, education, and digital transformation,” said António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General and Board Chair of the UN Global Compact, which coordinates GABI.

Organizers say the agenda will address the strategic imperative for Africa to lead and define its economic trajectory. Sessions will focus on high-growth sectors — from critical minerals and value chains to intra-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), digital innovation, and the creative economy.

Confirmed speakers include high-profile figures such as H.E. Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, African Union Chairperson; Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General; Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom; Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO of Naspers South Africa; and Veronica Bolton Smith of the Critical Minerals Africa Group. Special features will include former NBA All-Star turned investor Luol Deng and robotics pioneer Silas Adekunle, creator of “MekaMon.”

“We must make meaningful reforms to the global financial architecture so all countries get the support they need and deserve,” Mr. Guterres added. “And we must boost African jobs and economic prosperity through historic initiatives like the African Continental Free Trade Area.”

This year’s program will spotlight sectors that could redefine Africa’s role in the global economy:

• Critical Minerals and Value Chains: From lithium to cobalt, maximizing Africa’s natural resources through value-added production.
• Unlocking Capital: Innovative financing for small and medium enterprises and transformative infrastructure.
• Technology and Market Access: Digital innovations overcoming logistical barriers.
• AfCFTA in Action: Strengthening intra-African trade and supply chain resilience.

GABI’s significance extends beyond the conference hall. The event reflects a broader shift in global economic power, as Africa — with a projected market size exceeding $3 trillion — moves from the margins of global economic discourse to its center. Unlike many Africa-focused gatherings that center on development assistance, GABI positions the private sector as a primary driver of sustainable growth, leveraging partnerships with institutions such as the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), UNDP Africa, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), International Trade Centre (ITC), and the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA).

“I thank the African Union for its leadership,” Mr. Guterres said, “and all of you for your collaborations as we work as one to ensure that Africa’s future is one of peace, prosperity, and opportunity for all.”

The two-day event will again be hosted by CNN’s Larry Madowo and Al Jazeera’s Folly Bah Thibault. While the New York forum is invitation-only, a global audience can join virtually via GABI Virtual 2025. Ahead of the event, a social media campaign under the hashtags #UnstoppableAfrica and #GABI is inviting leaders and influencers worldwide to share their vision of what makes Africa “unstoppable.”

In the words of Guterres, the challenge — and opportunity — is clear: Africa’s rise is not just inevitable, it is essential to shaping a more equitable and sustainable global economy.