(L-R) Premier of Gauteng, David Makhura; President of the Africa Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina; President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, hold up their Toronto Raptors NBA championship jerseys, presented to them on Day 1 of 2019 Africa Investment Forum (AIF) by Masai Ujiri, the president of basketball operations for the 2019 NBA champions, the Toronto Raptors. The Africa Investment Forum (AIF) was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from November 11-13.

In his opening speech, president of the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) highlighted some of the "good news" from the continent since the last Africa Development Forum (AIF). He applauded the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, H.E. Abiy Ahmed, winning the Nobel Peace Prize; South Africa’s Springboks winning the Rugby World Cup; Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya running the marathon in under 2 hours; and Masai Ujiri, President of the Toronto Raptors, winning the NBA championship trophy.

2019 Africa Investment Forum was held in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, from the 11th to the 13th of November. Shortly after the opening ceremony and plenary, Masai Ujuri, President of the 2019 NBA champions, the Toronto Raptors; Ashish J. Thakkar, CEO of Mara Group and Tokunboh Ismael Managing Partner of Alitheaia IDF Fund shared their views on the progress made on the continent since 2018 Africa Investment Forum.

On a Day 1 panel about institutional investors and perceived risk, the discussions were about the potential for leveraging assets under management by institutional investors worldwide to support investment in Africa. Participants included (L-R) the moderator Hubert Danso, Chief Executive Officer, Africa Investor Group; Uche Orji, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority; Adam S. Boehler, Chief Executive Officer, United States International Development Finance Corporation; Sola David-Borha, Chief Executive Officer, Africa Regions, Standard Bank; Akinwumi A. Adesina, President, African Development Bank (AfDB).

President of the Republic of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo (middle) and African Development Bank (AfDB) president Akinwumi Adesina at the signing of a $600 million syndicated receivables-backed term loan to boost cocoa productivity in Ghana - the world's second-largest cocoa producer. The multi-million dollar loan, made possible by AfDB partnering with Credit Suisse and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, represents a milestone for Africa Investment Forum, which took place in Sandton City, Johannesburg, South Africa from November 11-13.

Joe Ghartey, Ghana's minister for railway infrastructure, signing the concession agreement for the construction of the Accra Skytrain project, a $2.6 billion high speed rail system that is completely automated and cost-efficient, using pneumatic propulsion technology. The system will transport more than 380,000 passengers annually and create some 5,000 jobs during its implementation phase. The signing took place on Day 1 of the Africa Investment Forum (AIF), which took place in Johannesburg, South Africa from November 11-13.

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) President Prof. Benedict Oramah speaking at the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement panel session at the 2019 Africa Investment Forum (AIF), which took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, Nov 11-13. On Day 2 of the forum, Afreximbank signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Thelo DB, opening up the opportunity for both parties to develop, finance and operate railway projects for the upcoming free trade area.

Mrs. Elysée Munembwe Tamukumwe, Deputy Prime Minister of Planning of the Democratic Republic of Congo, at the signing of an agreement to accelerate the construction of the interstate road-rail-bridge project linking their capitals, Brazzaville and Kinshasa. The signing took place during the 2019 Africa Investment Forum, which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Mozambique's Prime Minister Agostinho do Rosário announced at a media briefing on Day 3 of the 2019 Africa Investment Forum (AIF) that Mozambique's state oil and fuel company Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos (ENH) has tabled a $24.6 billion transformative project for Mozambique's economy. The project includes the development of the Golfinho and Atum fields and the nation's first onshore liquefied natural gas plant.-The deal was the largest deal to feature at the 2019 Africa Investment Forum, which has grown to become the continent's premier investment marketplace organized by the African Development Bank and its partners.

The European Investment Bank (EIB), the lending arm of the European Union, announced a $1.1 billion lending programme to help women entrepreneurs on the continent. EIB Vice President, Ambroise Fayolle, dubbed "SheInvest" and it is expected to be a gender-lending initiative to allow women to play a more active role in economies as well as gender investment related to climate change.The announcement was made at the Africa Investment Forum (AIF) held in Johannesburg from November 11-13.

African Development Bank (AfDB) president Akinwumi Adesina and the European Union Commissioner Neven Mimica shook hands at a news conference held on the sidelines of the 2019 Africa Investment Forum(AIF) in Johannesburg, South Africa. Both institutions announced a renewed commitment to unlock hundreds of millions in financing for African infrastructure and development needs. Collaboration between the two institutions would focus on de-risking the business environment in Africa, providing equity, guarantees and other types of non-grant support.

The 2nd African Investment Forum ended on a high note on Wednesday November 13th, with 56 boardroom deals valued at $67.6 billion tabled - a 44% increase from last year. Fifty-two deals worth $40.1 billion secured investor interest compared with $37.8 billion dollars last year. Presiding over the closing session: “Unveiling the Boardroom Deals”, African Development President Akinwumi Adesina said that was the spirit of the Africa Investment Forum: “transactions, transactions, transactions. Deals, deals, deals!”