Prominent African leaders gathered at the World Trade Center in New York City for Africa Breakfast Convos, a high-profile event held on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly. Co-hosted by global communications firm Allison Worldwide and African public relations company BHM, the breakfast meeting brought together executives from various African nations and across the U.S. to discuss strategies for sustainable development and economic growth across the continent.

L-R: Matthew Della Croce, Chief Growth Officer, Global Client Experience, Allison; Claudine Moore, Managing Director, Africa, Allison; and Ayẹni Adékúnlé, Founder and CEO, BHM.

The event commenced with opening remarks from Claudine Moore, Managing Director, Africa, Allison Worldwide.

She emphasised the importance of leveraging communication and stakeholder engagement for Africa’s sustainable development agenda.

“By harnessing the power of communications and innovation, we can accelerate Africa’s socio-economic progress towards achieving its sustainable development goals,” she stated.

The discussions at the event highlighted Africa’s youthful population as a significant driver of future growth, with 70% of sub-Saharan Africa under 30. Projections indicate that by 2030, one-fifth of the global population will be African, underscoring the continent’s increasing importance on the world stage.

A panel on technology and finance featured insights from Iyin Aboyeji of Future Africa; Tobe Okigbo of MTN Nigeria and Anie Akpe of African Women In Tech (AWIT).

Okigbo expressed how impressive the business landscape on the continent has become saying, “African businesses are not just solving local problems; they’re turning billion dollar problems into billion dollar opportunities.”

Speaking about the opportunities available for Africa’s diaspora, Aboyeji added, “There is an opportunity for Africa’s diaspora to better orchestrate impact on the continent by facilitating its major inflows to deliver value on the ground.

“The diasporan community can, for example, leverage aggregated remittances as capital to establish sustainable infrastructure on the continent.”

The creative economy took centre stage during a discussion led by media executives Sam Onyemelukwe, Senior Vice President of Global Business Development, TRACE and Ayo Animashaun, Founder & CEO at Smooth Promotions, Hip TV, and The Headies.

Onyemelukwe highlighted the global impact of African pop culture and how African creatives are shaping global trends and narratives.

Animashaun spotlighted the economic potential of the creative industries, noting that the creative sector is a powerful engine for job creation and economic growth in Africa.

Speaking on the event’s significance, Ayeni Adekunle, Founder and CEO of BHM, asserted, “this gathering is an opportunity to have the right conversations about our continent – the opportunities and the challenges.

“We’re providing guests with a space where conversations can flow freely, turning ideas into impactful initiatives that foster sustainable growth across Africa.”

Throughout the event, speakers highlighted Africa’s potential for investment and collaboration. Recent data from the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) shows that although 2023 was a challenging year, foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to the continent remained relatively stable at $48 billion, although this represented just 3.5 percent of total global FDI.

Claudine Moore, Managing Director for Africa at Allison, added, “The Africa Breakfast Convos represents a unique opportunity to bring together influential voices and decision-makers from across Africa, the U.S. and beyond.

“We’re facilitating meaningful dialogue that will drive sustainable growth and social impact across the continent.”

The Africa Breakfast Convos aligned with UNGA79’s broader theme of global progress and sustainable development. Participants stressed the importance of public-private partnerships and engaging the African diaspora to drive economic growth on the continent.

As the event concluded, there was a palpable sense of optimism about Africa’s future and its potential to lead in sectors like renewable energy and technology, setting the stage for more productive collaboration and continued investment in the continent’s sustainable development.

The import bills on used vehicles, popularly known as tokunbo, into Nigeria fell by 83 percent year-on-year, YoY, to N138.62 billion in the first half of the year (H1’24) from N819.15 billion in H1’23 according to the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS.

Quarter-on-quarter, QoQ, breakdown of the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, ‘Commodity Price Indices’ and Terms of Trade, ToT, report for the review period showed that in Q1’24, no used vehicle was imported compared to N69.23 billion worth of used vehicles that were imported in Q1’23.

In Q2’24, the value of imported used vehicles stood at N138.62 billion, representing an 81.5 percent decline YoY from N749.92 billion in Q2’23.

The report adds that the used vehicles were imported mainly from the United States of America, stating: “On the other hand, total imports from America in Q2’24 stood at N971.84 billion.

Recall that last year, the federal government introduced a new set of taxes on imported vehicles, and the new tax law stipulates that imported vehicles between 2000 capacity (2 litres) and 3999 capacity (3.9 litres) engine will pay an additional charge known as Import Adjustment Tax (IAT) levy of two percent of the value of the vehicle, while vehicles with 4000 capacity (4 litres) and above engines will attract IAT of four percent of their value.

The new levy is in addition to the 35 percent import duty and 35 percent levy being paid by importers of vehicles but vehicles below 2000cc, mass transit buses, electric vehicles, and locally manufactured vehicles are exempted from the IAT levy.

World Bank has approved three operations for a total of $1.57bn to support Nigeria in strengthening human capital through better health for women, children, and adolescents and preventing the effects of climate change by improving dam safety and irrigation.

The new fund includes $500m for addressing governance issues that constrain the delivery of education and health (HOPE-GOV), $570m for the Primary Healthcare Provision Strengthening Program (HOPE-PHC) and $500m for the Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria Project (SPIN).

In support of FG’s newly launched reforms in the health sector, the World Bank said under the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, the HOPE-PHC project will improve the quality and utilisation of core reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health and nutrition services to substantially reduce maternal and under-five mortality and to improve the resilience of the health system— benefiting 40 million people, especially vulnerable populations.

The project is financed by a concessional $500m International Development Association (IDA) credit and an additional $70m in grant financing from the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (GFF).

“Effective investment in the health and education of Nigerians today is central to increasing their future employment opportunities, productivity, and earnings while reducing poverty of the most vulnerable.

“This new financing for human capital and primary healthcare will help to address the complex difficulties faced by Nigerians, especially women and girls around access and quality of services, but also the governance arrangements that also explain these difficulties” said Dr. Ndiamé Diop, the World Bank Country Director for Nigeria.

“The SPIN program is timely and will protect Nigerians from floods and droughts in the areas where it will be implemented while enabling an increase in hydropower generation.

“The direct positive impact of this project on people and livelihoods is enormous, The World Bank is pleased to work with the government and other stakeholders to deliver this program,” Diop added.