The ANDE Pan Africa Conference is the region’s leading convening for entrepreneurial ecosystem leaders dedicated to advancing inclusive and sustainable development through entrepreneurship. It brings together stakeholders from across the continent to foster collaboration, share insights, and drive forward solutions that support small and growing businesses (SGBs).
Designed to accelerate collective action, the conference features interactive sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities that highlight innovative approaches, elevate local voices, and promote cross-sector partnerships. Participants work together to co-create strategies that address systemic challenges within the SGB ecosystem.
To reflect the continent’s diversity and ensure local relevance, the conference is held in a different African city each cycle. This rotating format grounds discussions in regional context while encouraging broader knowledge exchange across borders.
Agenda
The ANDE Pan Africa Conference agenda is designed to be dynamic, inclusive, and member-driven. Sessions are shaped through an open call for proposals, allowing ANDE members and partners to lead workshops, panels, and roundtable discussions. The program includes thought-provoking plenaries, interactive breakout sessions, and hands-on learning opportunities, all curated to reflect the most pressing issues and emerging trends in the SGB ecosystem.
Participants can expect a highly interactive experience focused on collaboration, peer learning, and meaningful networking. The conference offers a unique platform to:
- Share and discover innovative approaches to ecosystem building
- Connect with funders, practitioners, policymakers, and entrepreneurs
- Build cross-sector and cross-border partnerships
- Gain practical tools and insights to support small and growing businesses
Whether you’re looking to spark new ideas, form partnerships, or influence policy, the ANDE Pan Africa Conference offers a space to engage deeply with the challenges and opportunities shaping Africa’s entrepreneurial future.
The 2022 conference themed “Accelerating SGB Growth in Africa” will focus on critical talent challenges in the SGB sector, as well as how SGBs can help developing economies achieve the U.N. SDGs.
This report provides an overview of the 2025 Inaugural Pan Africa Conference, hosted by the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), held in Dakar, Senegal, from February 11–13.
Thanks to the incredible efforts of our team, the unwavering dedication of our members, and the generous support from our esteemed sponsors, the ANDE West Africa Conference was a resounding success! Held for the first time in Accra, Ghana, the conference brought together over 150 participants from across and beyond the region. Together, they explored how the growth of West Africa's Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs) can be effectively facilitated by the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Thanks to an incredible team effort, Creative Metier, the Center for International Private Enterprise and the continued dedication of our members, we consider the first virtual West Africa Regional Conference a success! This year, we welcomed around 140 participants across 69 organizations and 18 countries to discuss solutions to common challenges in the West African Small and Growing Business (SGB) sector.
In 2019, 119 participants from 66 organizations and 17 countries attended the ANDE West Africa Regional Conference to discuss key issues in the West African SGB sector.