Join Hakeem Belo-Osagie for a faculty address at the 28th Annual Africa Business Conference at Harvard Business School.

African athletes are capturing the world's attention, but the business infrastructure behind them is still being built. This panel explores how marketing, management, and representation in African sports are evolving — from athlete branding and endorsement deals to league development and media rights — and what it will take to build a thriving, African-owned sports industry.

In a world of shifting alliances and great power competition, Africa is no longer content to be a passive player. This panel examines how African nations and leaders are designing partnerships on their own terms — balancing relationships with traditional Western allies, China, and emerging partners — to maximize the continent's strategic interests and economic sovereignty.

Africa holds a disproportionate share of the world's critical minerals essential for the global energy transition, from cobalt and lithium to rare earth elements. This panel examines how African nations can leverage their mineral wealth strategically — ensuring equitable partnerships, local value addition, and sovereign control over resources that will shape the global economy for decades to come.