2027 ELISA Business Summit

On August 5, 2027, in Hwange, Zimbabwe, the Enterprise Leaders & Innovators Society for Africa (ELISA) convenes the 2027 ELISA Business Summit. The Summit brings together growth-stage entrepreneurs, corporate executives, industrial leaders, policy directors, and institutional investors to catalyze continental value addition and sovereign economic self-reliance.

Anchored in the theme Made in Africa, the 2027 Summit responds to the urgent mandate for localised processing, supply chain security and sovereign industrialization. Moving beyond traditional CSR models, the gathering establishes a "Productive Engine" framework, transforming raw African agricultural, mineral, and technological endowments into high-value, processed end-products for continental and global markets.

Supported by our Catalyst, Titan and Apex Partners, the forum welcomes businesses across every industrial sector alongside trade bodies, universities, and financial institutions driving regional integration. Discussions and working sessions focus on in-country manufacturing, AfCFTA value-addition thresholds, digital sovereignty, and the practical execution of cross-border commerce.

Why Participate?

• Access Sovereign B2B Sourcing & Market Pathways: Connect directly with verified suppliers, off-takers, and corporate procurement channels across 54 African nations through active trade matching and the ELISA Virtual Marketplace.
• Master AfCFTA & Regulatory Execution: Gain executive insights on structuring manufacturing processes and local content ratios to qualify for tariff-free cross-border trade under regional economic blocs (SADC, EAC, ECOWAS).
• Connect with Growth Capital & Investors: Present high-potential, defensible enterprises to venture funds, impact investors, and development finance institutions seeking capital-ready native ventures.
• Co-Create Industrial Policy Frameworks: Engage with public-private leaders to shape Special Economic Zones (SEZs), secure industrial tax incentives, and eliminate non-tariff trade barriers across regional corridors. 

Click here to view the full event agenda and to register for teh ELISA Business Summit