The World Economic Forum Meeting which convenes yearly in Davos brings together world leaders to discuss global, regional and industry agendas.

The focus of the roundtable event was to connect Swiss & African businesses, discuss topics of common interest in Swiss-?African business relations and increase the visibility of Africa & African businesses at the World Economic Forum. Addressing the audience in his presentation “Africa in the world, today and tomorrow”, Dr Patrick Njoroge, Governor, Central Bank of Kenya, highlighted the need for more engagement on African topics during the WEF in Davos.

Ultimately the common interest of the group of 30+ CEOs, entrepreneurs and senior executives from Africa and Switzerland was to launch the 'Africa House' for the WEF Annual Meeting from 2021.

Addressing the participants, Ringier AG CEO & Managing Partner, Marc Walder said “This event was organised to raise awareness with stakeholders on initiatives that are crucial to sustainably doing business in Africa. We have a big platform to build something substantial here, to showcase the opportunities available in Africa at the World Economic Forum”.

Ringier Africa AG Board Member and Pulse representative Leonard Stiegeler further affirmed that in his remarks, in which he expressed the need for stakeholders to come together to shine the global spotlight on opportunities for business in Africa.

“The outlook for business opportunities in Africa is positive and its potential for growth is truly endless. African business is the future - together we can move it to the forefront of global discussions”, Stiegeler added.

The planned Africa House is to be the central point of Africa and African businesses during the World Economic Forum in Davos - providing a space for engagement, events and exhibitions for international business leaders wanting to connect with representatives from the continent.

This need for a centralized African platform resonated with participants: "Brand South Africa has had its own pavilion at WEF in Davos for many years. Consolidating efforts with other African stakeholders for a joint presence in Davos is a novel idea to strengthen our message as a region.", said Thulisile Manzini, acting CEO of Brand South Africa.

Many company representatives were present including Oscar Onyema, CEO, Nigerian Stock Exchange; Verena Utzinger, President, Swiss-African Business Circle; Karim El Chiaty, Vice Chairman, Travco Group; Khaya Gobodo, MD Wealth and Investments, Old Mutual; Rainer-Marc Frey, Vice Chairman, Lonrho; Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, CEO, Tony Elumelu Foundation; Charlene Chen, Director, Aza; Lutz Hegemann, COO Global Health, Novartis; Monika Puri, Head, Industrial Relations - Global Access, Roche; Sola

Yomi-Ajayi, country CEO, United Bank for Africa Plc. USA and António Nunes, CEO, Angola Cables.

Africa House 2021 will provide a dedicated platform for Africa at the WEF annual meeting, filling a gap that exists for African participants. "A number of African executives who regularly attend the WEF in Davos have indicated a strong interest in having more discussion about uniquely African topics", Michael Rheinegger, Managing Partner, rainbow unlimited added.

The World Economic Forum remains the most notable creative force for engaging the world's top leaders in collaborative activities  and the theme of this year’s meeting was ‘Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World’.