5th India - Africa Entrepreneurship & Investment Summit
India Africa trade and commerce goes back to a thousand years when Indian merchants using strong and predictable monsoon winds, regularly sailed to the east coast of Africa in search of mangrove poles, elephant tusks, and gold and precious stones to sell them in the bazaars of Calicut and Surat.
During colonial times, indentured labour was brought in from India to work on the railways as well as on sugar and other plantations in Kenya, Mauritius, Madagascar and Southern Africa.
In time, Indian diaspora, with deep family roots, became a key driver of export of African commodities such as tea, coffee and cotton and the import of manufactured goods and grains such as rice, pulses and textiles.
Why India Africa Entrepreneurship Forum?
There is a growing realization that despite deep historical, commercial, and cultural ties, the entrepreneurial ecosystems between India and Africa remain to be connected in a meaningful way. Doing so presents a tremendous opportunity to harness the creative capacity of entrepreneurs in both regions to work together to solve common and pressing problems and accelerate trade and investment in the process. This is the mission of the India-Africa Entrepreneurship Forum (IAEF). Africa's fifty-four states produced a combined GDP in excess of US$3.2 trillion - almost the same as India. The economic growth of the continent that is estimated to be 3.2 percent in 2023 also houses six of the world's fastest-growing economies.
With 57,000 startups valued at $450B, India is the Third largest entrepreneurial ecosystem in the world. Over 650 African startups on the other hand, received total funding of $5.2B in 2022 (a 1700 precent increase since 2015) raising the combined valuation of about 900 startups to roughly $50B.
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This gap presents an unprecedented opportunity for Indian and African entrepreneurs to partner with each other in their co-creating, co-founding activities, providing bilateral knowledge, funding and market opportunity to its early stage enterprises, thereby strengthening existing efforts in increasing trade and development between the two economies.
Collaboration between startups and large but entrepreneurial businesses, on the other hand can increase the reach and impact of innovation, according to Accenture Africa research, which increasingly correlates with higher economic performance at enterprise and economy-wide levels. By leveraging the power of ecosystems and open innovation, African economies can accelerate progress, unlocking Africa's abundance for all.
It is in this context, India Africa Entrepreneurship Forum (IAEF), has evolved to become the go-to platform that connects entrepreneurs and investors actively involved in the India Africa corridor. These dynamic ecosystems and subsystems have much in common, and much to gain from interacting.
IAEF has 3 objectives
Build bridges between Indian and African entrepreneurs.
Organize meetings and Focus Groups to encourage entrepreneurs in both continents to explore opportunities of mutual interest.
Help forge joint ventures and business partnerships for both capital and market access.
Roundtable Discussions
Energy/Sustainablity
AgriTech
Health/MedTech
EdTech/Skill Development
Smart Infrastructure
Critical Minerals
Important Contacts
Convener - Baljinder Sharma: [email protected]
Co-Convener - Nirmala Sankaran: [email protected]
India - Shubham Sharma: [email protected]
Africa - Emmanuel Okorwoit: [email protected]
5th India Africa Entrepreneurship & Investment Summit*
17th–18th July 2025 - Trademark Hotel, Village Market, Nairobi, Kenya
Day 1 : Thursday 17th July 2025
Registration of Delegates
Introduction
Welcome Address by Satyanarayan R - Chairman, CL Educate Group
Inaugural Address: Mr Vimal Shah - Chairman BIDCO
Keynote Address: Mr Ravi Venkatesan - Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship followed by Q&A Session
Panel Discussion: Building the India Africa Business Bridge - Challenges/Opportunites & Way Forward
His Excellency Mr. Sushil Prasad - Acting High Commissioner of India in Kenya, Sushil Jiwarajka - Chairman Infrastructure Corporation of Africa, Busisa Moyo - CEO United Refineries Zimbabwe
Keynote Address
Panel Discussion: Can India Help Africa Build its own AI?
Dr Shreeram Iyer - Founder Prisma.ai, Amb Philip Thigo MBS, Moderator : R Sreenivasan - Co Founder CL Educate Ltd
Tea Break and Networking
From Labour Arbitrage to Global Competency Centers - India's Outsourcing Journey : A Conversation with Mr Raman Roy
Hosted by Tomi Davies
Building Scale : How Government, Capital & Networks can enable the Next Generation of High-Impact Ventures.
Vipul Parekh - Co-Founder BigBasket, Dr Tonny Mwansa - CEO Kenya Innovation Agency, Anna Ekeledo - CEO AfriLabs : Moderated, TBD
Networking Lunch
Roundtable Groups
Green Energy/Sustainablity — Powering Partnerships : Co-creating Clean Energy Futures
Chair : Sushil Jiwarajka - Chairman Infrastructure Corporation of Africa, Moderator: Aarthi Ramasubramaniam - Founder DT Alpha. Keynote: TBD
AgriTech — Seeds of Innovation: AgriTech Solutions for Food Security and Prosperity
Chair : Bimal Kantaria - Managing Director Elgon Kenya, Moderator : Sheena Raikundalia - Chief Growth Officer Kuza Biashara. Keynote: TBD
Health/MedTech — From Ideas to Impact: MedTech Solutions for a Healthier India and Africa
Chair: Dr Jitendra Verma - Managing Director Lifecare Innovations India, Moderator : Kenneth Iloka - Biomedical Engineer Kenyatta University. Keynote: Dr. Ashwin Naik (Remotely)
Roundtable Groups (Contd.)
EdTech/Skill Development — Empowering a Billion Dreams: Education and Skills for Africa’s Next Leap
Chair: Dr Bimal Kantaria - Managing Director Elgon Kenya, Moderator : Sreenivasan R - Co-Founder, CL Educate. Keynote: Dr. Esther Thaara Muoria - PS State Department for Technical, Vocational Education and Training.
Smart Infrastructure — From Networks to Nations: Smart Infrastructure as a Growth Engine
Chair : Milan Ratilal Zatakia - Chairman Millennium Aero Dynamics Mumbai, Moderator : Shreyas Patel - Africa Head Axestrack. Keynote: Dr James Mworia - Group CEO Centum Investments
Critical Minerals — Mining the Future : Harnessing India-Africa Synergies in Strategic Minerals
Chair: TBD, Moderator: Sandeep Hamilton - Managing Director & Vice President Critical Minerals Association (India). Keynote: TBD
Coffee Break
India Africa Economic Partnership: The Next Ten Years
Bridging Aspirations : The Role of Capital and Policy for the Next Growth Wave for India and Africa
Presentation by Mr Shailendra Kumar - Co-founder Narnolia Group
Dr David Ndii - Chairperson, President’s Council of Economic Advisors, Government of Kenya. Facilitated by Mr Pradeep Gupta - Chairman Cybermedia Group
Panel Discussion: Backing Bold Ideas: Catalysing Growth Across the Indian Ocean
Mr Mehul Pandya - MD Care Ratings India; Mr Hanno de Vriend - Amicorp; Ms Temabye Vayavooree - Executive Vice President Global & International Corporates, Mauritius Commercial Bank
Special Address: Dr. Abraham Korir Sing'Oei, Principal Secretary, State Department for Foreign Affairs
Networking Cocktails followed by Dinner
Day 2 : Friday 18th July 2025
Registration of Delegates
Welcome Address & Review of Day 1
Keynote Speech
Connecting Entrepreneurial and Innovation Networks: What Can India & Africa Learn from Each Other?
Mr Akshay Grover - President TiE Africa, Ms Sheena Raikundalia - Chief Growth Officer Kuza Biashara, Dr Julius Kipngetch - Group CEO Jubilee Holdings, Ashish Patel - Managing Partner Aavishkar Capital, Moderator: Priya Arora, Founder Learning Village
Seed Money to Unicorns: How Government Fund of Funds is Shaping India's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem?
Presentation by Mr Pradeep Gupta followed by Panel Discussion: Mr Vipul Parekh - Big Basket, Mr RCM Reddy - Schoolnet India
Sustainable Finance for the Global South
Mr Harish HV - MD ECube Advisors Ltd, Thomas Abila - Founder Amboseli Energy Partners LLC, Benjamin Metho - Head of SMEs Co-operative Bank, Moderated by : Mr Saurav Chatterjee - CEO CARE Ratings Africa Ltd
Address by Hon. Abubakar Hassan Abubakar, Principal Secretary State Department for Investment Promotion
Followed by a Panel: Opportunities for Trade & Investment in East Africa (TBD)
Mr Sandeep Khapre - CEO BDO East Africa, Mr DP Mohanty - Regional MD Safal Group and CEO MRM Ltd, Stephen Jennings - CEO Rendeavour, Mr John Mwendwa - CEO Kenya Investment Authority, Mr Shainav Gupta - Director Amicorp Kenya
Networking Lunch
Open House Discussion: Looking Ahead, What Next?
Ms Utkarsha Kohli Former Head of Policy - InvestIndia, RCM Reddy Chairman Schoolnet India, Kinyua M'Mbijjewe AgCuity Consulting, Julius Opio ICC, Moderator: Baljinder Sharma - Convenor
Feedback from RoundTables: Presented by Moderators
Concluding Remarks & Closure
Sponsors
Partners
