Johannesburg, South Africa, 03 September 2025: Africas greatest obstacle is not a shortage of capital but a shortage of bankable projects. That was the central message from the PMI Global Summit Series Africa in Kigali, where African Development Bank leaders and nearly 1,000 delegates emphasised that poorly prepared projects remain the biggest barrier to the continents transformation. The Summit, the largest of its kind on the continent, served as a powerful platform to discuss how Africa can turn its vast potential into reality through bankable projects, professional project management and strategic partnerships that deliver long-term impact.
In his special address, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President now former of the African Development Bank AfDB , emphasised that Africa is at a pivotal moment in history. The world is becoming more African, he said, noting that one in four people on the planet will soon be African. With 65 of the worlds uncultivated arable land, abundant critical minerals for the green transition and 13 of the worlds fastest-growing economies, Africa is poised to drive global prosperity.
Yet to realise this potential, he stressed, Africa must close its infrastructure gap, estimated at 70 billion annually, and ensure that projects deliver real impact. Projects must not just exist on paper, Adesina said. They must change lives. As one Kenyan beneficiary told me, We once were in darkness. Now we have light. That is the true measure of success.