Olanrewaju Akinola, Editor, This is Africa magazine
FT Group

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, former President of Brazil & Director
Lula Institute

A global economic and political power continues to shift towards developing regions, Africa’s external relations are undergoing profound change. Major emerging markets such as Brazil, India and China are already important strategic partners for the continent, redefining its policy and business landscape. How can this political engagement be harnessed to address Africa’s pressing development challenges?

Political solidarity and technical cooperation has featured heavily in discourse and practice in Brazil’s burgeoning relationship with Africa. What is the role of “South - South” cooperation in meeting the region’s pressing development challenges?

• What are the unique characteristics of Brazil’s engagement with Africa?
• To what extent does this differ from Africa’s traditional trading partners, as well as other emerging economies such as China or India?
• How can the shared experiences of these two partners be leveraged for development impact?

Panellists

Ann Bernstein, Executive Director
Centre for Development & Enterprise, & Author The Case for Business in Developing Economies

Inyang Ebong-Harstrup, Associate Director
UNDP

Simon Schaefe, Senior Analyst
Frontier Advisory

While Africa’s economic performance over the past decade has done much to reshape its development landscape, the continent’s underdeveloped infrastructure continues to be a substantial barrier to development. Key infrastructure such as transportation networks and power generation are recognized to be critical to unlocking the region’s full economic potential.

• What role can Africa’s new partners play in addressing these needs?
• Can new strategies and models help African countries to bridge the infrastructure gap?
• How important is Infrastructure development in Brazil’s engagement with Africa?
• Fixing the region’s chronically underdeveloped power sector is arguably the most pressing infrastructure challenge. How can it’s potential be unlocked?

Panellists

Miguel Peres, CEO, Mozambique and Austral Africa
Odebrecht

Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva,, President Commercial Aviation
Embraer

Richard Lapper, Editor, Brazil Confidential
Financial Times

The first decade of the 21st century has already reshaped international affairs. With emerging markets taking centre stage there is unprecedented opportunity for countries such as Brazil to become truly global economic and political players. How does Brazil’s relationship with Africa fit into this global picture, and how can the continent redefine its own role in international affairs through its partnerships with the world’s large emerging markets?

Integral to the African growth story is the region’s ability to tap into international capital flows. As Europe, which continues to be the main source of capital for African markets, continues to struggle with its debt crisis, the need to diversify the continent’s access to capital has never been stronger.

• What role can Africa’s new partners play in mitigating the adverse impact of a slowdown in the Eurozone?
• How is innovation changing the financing landscape?
• What new models can African countries adopt to strengthen their ability to tap into international capital flows?
• What is the role of technology such as mobile telecommunications in meeting the continent’s financing needs?

Keynote Address

José de Lima Massano, Governor
Banco Nacional de Angola

Panellists

Asad Alam, Country Director, Southern African Countries
World Bank

Simon Freemantle, Senior Analyst, African Political Economy Unit
Standard Bank Research

Axel schimmelpfennig, Senior Resident Representative, South Africa
IMF

Brazil’s success in agriculture has been both a major driver of economic growth and a source of social development and wealth creation. How can Brazil’s success be replicated in Africa?

• What factors have driven Brazil’s success in turning itself into an agricultural powerhouse?
• How can the lessons learned in Brazil help to unlock Africa’s vast agricultural potential?
• What technologies are going to be the game changers for African agriculture?

Dr. Monty P. Jones, Executive Director
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa

Gilmar P. Henz, Brazilian Agricultural Attache to South Africa

Hon. Kalaun Roger, Chairman
Ghana-Brazil Chambers of Commerce

Marcos Brandalise, MD
BrazAfric Enterprises (Kenya)

Africa’s hydrocarbon and mineral reserves have inevitably attracted the interests of global players. Already a major producer of natural resources, Africa is experiencing a surge in new oil and mineral discoveries that look set to be a defining element of its economy in the 21st century.

• Effective management of the revenue generated by these growing exports is essential to leverage it for social and economic development. What mechanisms are needed to avoid the mistakes of the past?
• How important will commodities be to the African economy in the coming decades?
• Can the emergence of Brazil’s now internationally competitive companies in the hydrocarbon and minerals sector support development in Africa in a fast evolving regulatory environment?

RN Duffy, EVP - Continental Africa
AngloGold Ashanti