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

As the global AI race intensifies, Africa has a unique opportunity to own its AI transition rather than be a passive recipient of technology built elsewhere. This panel brings together leaders in AI infrastructure, talent development, and market formation to explore how the continent can build the compute capacity, cultivate the technical talent, and create the market conditions needed to compete and lead in the AI era.

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.

The Caribbean and Africa share deep historical, cultural, and economic bonds that are being revitalized by a new generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, and institutions. This panel explores the growing opportunities for trade, investment, and collaboration between the two regions, and how strengthening these ties can create mutual prosperity and amplify shared voices on the global stage.