Today, the interplay of politics and economy will be laid bare in Lagos at an august conference to be addressed by many eggheads from both the public and private sectors.
To say that government policies drive the economy is to emphasise the obvious. The BusinessDay CEO Forum is attracting the crème de la crème of practitioners in the public and private sectors to point the way to a robust economy.
While the public officers would be explaining the policies of the government and how they promote ease of doing business, the private sector players would be telling the government, from their rich experiences, the need to put human faces in their policies at all times.
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Apart from the array of speakers expected at the event from Nigeria, some others are coming from other countries in Africa. In fact, they have since arrived for the event.
The theme of the premium event is ‘Leadership in Tough Economic Times.’ The organisers are in tune with the economic challenges being faced by many countries around the world, even beyond Africa. They have coached the sub-titles in such a way that they mirror what is happening elsewhere and the lessons that must be learned for better outcomes in Nigeria.
The buzz words across the world nowadays are innovation and reinvention. Every successful nation or business must learn to innovate in order to thrive. So, the audience would be taken through a section dubbed “Thriving in an Age of Continuous Reinvention.”
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, will be at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, the venue of the event, to emphasise that the Federal Government is on the right track with its monetary policies, which would lead to economic recovery.
He would be on a hot seat called “Fireside,” where he would be engaged in a profuse chat with Frank Aigbogun, the publisher of BusinessDay himself. The discussion would centre on ‘Revitalising Nigeria’s Economy: Strategic Monetary Policies for Sustainable Growth.’
We had told you earlier that the experts from other African countries are already here. For instance, Patrick Njoroge, a former governor of the Central Bank of Kenya, is one of the keynote speakers.
Njoroge would be speaking on ‘Africa’s Moonshot to 2050: Adopt and Innovate.’ He would be sharing with the audience what he has seen about Africa having peeped into the future through his leadership binoculars.
“It is difficult to lead these days, either in the public or private sector, without adapting to new strategies.”
It is difficult to lead these days, either in the public or private sector, without adapting to new strategies.
Robert Allen Iger, an American businessman who served as the CEO of The Walt Disney Company between 2005 and 2020, as well as the chairman of the board and executive chairman, said: “If you don’t innovate, you die.”
Innovation has become a buzz word in all sectors of the economy. That explains why business owners constantly seek ideas on how to keep their businesses on a thriving path.
You may ask, What concerns the Nigerian Legislature with the CEO Forum? The answer simply is, ‘a lot’! Do you know why? All the laws and acts that enable or disable businesses emanate from the Nigerian bicameral National Assembly chambers, as well as the state Houses of Assembly across the country.
So, it does matter a lot that those who make such laws not only speak as they see things but must also listen to those who wear business shoes in the private sector.
For this reason, essentially, the Legislature would be represented by one of its big guns, the Senate Leader, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, who would deliver a goodwill message on “Charting a Path Forward: A Message of Resilience and Unity.”
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Catharine Duggan, a professor and director of the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, would address the participants on ‘Lessons from the Draggon: The Role of Government and Elite in China’s Economic Growth and Insights for Nigeria.’
You may want to know what concerns leadership and partnership with a nation’s economy. This insight would be provided by Yomi Ademola, chairman, West Africa, Rendeavou/managing director, Alaro City.
Others are Killian Khanoba, senior partner, Kreston Pedabo; Ayotunde Coker, CEO, Open Access Data Centres Limited; and Chukwuma Nwanze, CEO, Credit Direct Limited, a member of the FCMB Group.
They would be speaking on ‘Leadership and Partnership: Driving Value in a Challenging Economy.’
Some state governors would be in the room to share their experiences on the business of governance and to make the audience understand what is going on in their individual states.
These governors would be led by Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Umar Namadi of Jigawa State, and Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, among others.
There is a session that would feature all females. The panellists in this section were not selected simply because the organisers thought it would be nice to do gender balancing for the sake of it.
These panellists made the list on their own merit, given their vast experiences and the great work they do that impacts the Nigerian economy.
These Amazons include Olubunmi Oluwaseun Keku, managing director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN); Stella Okotete, executive director, Business Development Nigeria Export and Import Bank (NEXIM); Bolanle Austen-Peters, founder/CEO, Terra Kulture; Juliet Ehimuan, executive in residence, Lagos Business School (LBS); and Funmi Ogube, co-founder, Zigma.
They will be addressing the audience on ‘Adaptive Strategies: Leading Through Economic Challenges.’
By the time the curtains were drawn on the CEO Forum 2024, the nexus between politics and the economy would have been explicitly established.
