Africa Unlocked 2025: Businesses shaping Africa’s tomorrow
The Standard Bank Africa Unlocked Conference 2025 returns to Cape Town, as global shifts demand immediate African action.
As economic alliances fracture, digital power consolidates, and climate pressures reshape industries, Africa faces a historic question: Will it continue to respond to the world’s agenda, or start defining it?
That challenge anchors Africa Unlocked 2025, the second annual business and economic forum hosted by Standard Bank Business and Commercial Banking (BCB), taking place from 9 to 11 July 2025 in Cape Town. Backed by a dynamic line-up of business leaders, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and innovators, the conference returns to drive bold thinking and real outcomes under the theme: “Business Shaping Africa’s Tomorrow.”
“Africa’s economic moment will not arrive by default, it will be shaped by deliberate leadership, institutional strength, and the courage to seize new opportunities and build new networks,” says Sim Tshabalala, CEO of Standard Bank Group. “Africa Unlocked is not just about ideas. It is about execution at scale.”
Following a high-impact debut in 2024, Africa Unlocked has rapidly positioned itself as a premier platform for business-led dialogue on Africa’s future. To revisit last year’s conference insights and milestones, from cross-border trade and SME growth to agricultural value chains and energy infrastructure, click here.
Confirmed Standard Bank Speakers:
- Sim Tshabalala, CEO, Standard Bank Group
- Lungisa Fuzile, CEO, Africa Regions, Standard Bank Group
- Bill Blackie, CEO, Business and Commercial Banking, Standard Bank Group
- Goolam Ballim, Chief Economist, Standard Bank Group
- Louis van Ravesteyn, Head of Agribusiness, Standard Bank Group
Confirmed External Speakers:
- Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Deputy President of South Africa
- Leila Fourie, CEO, Johannesburg Stock Exchange
- Dan Marokane, CEO, Eskom
- Wandile Sihlobo, Chief Economist, Agbiz
- Clare Akamanzi, CEO, NBA Africa
- David Pilling, Africa Editor, Financial Times
- Executives from DBSA, Orange Botswana, Generali Group, MTN Uganda, and the Energy Council of South Africa, to name a few.
“Africa Unlocked 2025 is not a stage for rhetoric. It is a platform where capital, ideas, and accountability intersect,” says Bill Blackie, CEO of Business and Commercial Banking at Standard Bank Group. “It is where we stop admiring the challenges and start building the solutions.”
Some Key Africa Unlocked Themes In 2025:
- Trade Wars: What is at stake for Africa as global tensions escalate?
- One Year of the Government of National Unity: What it means for business confidence and continental influence
- Resetting the Narrative: From global misperceptions to African-led economic storytelling
- Driving Growth: Solving Africa’s infrastructure, logistics, and capital bottlenecks
- Agriculture as a Growth Engine: Scaling food systems and export competitiveness
- AI for Africa: Owning the continent’s data, ethics and innovation agenda
- Family Business and Governance: Institutionalising intergenerational wealth
- Energy and Industrialisation: Realising Africa’s green economy advantage
- Capital Markets: How Africa’s stock exchanges are repositioning for global relevance
Spanning plenary sessions and curated networking, Africa Unlocked 2025 is designed to move from insight to implementation. It will take place at iconic venues including the Norval Foundation and Zeitz MOCAA, amplifying Africa’s intellectual and creative capital alongside its economic aspirations.
“Africa is building its relevance and is no longer waiting for inclusion”, concludes Tshabalala. “That is what Africa Unlocked stands for.”
Do not miss key moments of the conference. Stay tuned to Standard Bank platforms and follow us on social media for live coverage speaker commentary on how we can collectively Unlock Africa’s growth.