PMI Summit Seeks $170Bn Solutions

The Project Management Institute is set to convene top project leaders, government officials, innovators, and emerging professionals at the PMI Global Summit Series Africa 2025, with a focus on tackling the continent’s project delivery challenges.

The event, scheduled for August 19 to 21 at the Kigali Convention Centre in Rwanda, will address the critical need to improve how projects are initiated, managed, and executed across Africa.

Africa faces growing infrastructure demands, digital transformation pressures, and a rising need for job creation, all requiring more strategic and impactful project delivery.

According to the African Development Bank, the continent needs as much as $170 bn annually to close its infrastructure gap, with a financing shortfall of up to $108 bn.

Managing Director of PMI Sub-Saharan Africa, George Asamani, said project management must be repositioned as central to Africa’s development agenda.

“Africa’s project economy remains vibrant yet vulnerable,” Asamani said in a statement to The PUNCH. “With so much at stake, project management can’t be an afterthought; it is the key to successful delivery. The Global Summit Series Africa responds to this urgency by bringing together the people who are directly shaping Africa’s transformation.”

The 2025 summit is themed ‘Africa on Purpose,’ reflecting PMI’s call for project success to be measured not just by timelines and budgets, but by long-term social impact, inclusive growth, and sustainable innovation.

A special address by the President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, will set the tone for the three-day gathering, which is expected to attract leaders from government, the private sector, development finance institutions, and the creative industries.

Among the confirmed speakers are Director of the Development Impact and Results Department at the AfDB, Armand Nzeyimana; Managing Director of Real Estate at Alitheia Capital Ltd., Olajumoke Akinwunmi; Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit, Government of Zambia, Kusobile Kamwambi; and former Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana, Samuel Dubik Masubir Mahama.

The summit will also feature perspectives from cultural icons such as Nigerian-American singer and entrepreneur Olubankole Wellington, popularly known as Banky W, and chess champion and Guinness World Record holder Tunde Onakoya, who will speak on innovation, creativity, and social impact.

Project management professionals from across the continent, including Stanley Iringe-Koko of MTN Nigeria, Grace Johnson of the Framework for AI Transformation, and Ancicalia Matizha of Old Mutual Zimbabwe, will share insights on building future-fit institutions and project systems that deliver tangible results.

Also participating are PMI Chapter Presidents from Ghana, Kenya, Angola, Togo, Namibia, and Rwanda, highlighting a peer-driven and community-grounded approach to Africa’s transformation.

Chief Information Officer of FNB Zambia, Billy Mwape, who is also a main speaker, said the summit is critical for moving Africa from planning to purposeful action.

“In Africa, the stakes are high; projects must deliver real outcomes under complex conditions. That’s why the summit matters. These conversations drive the collaboration and clarity we need to make Agenda 2063 a lived reality,” Mwape said.

PMI said the event will focus on redefining project success across sectors, from infrastructure and energy to education, technology, finance, and the creative economy.

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