Organisation moves to connects MSMEs with mentors, investors for sustainable growth

The organisers of the Convergence Africa Summit say the CEOs Portal is connecting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with mentors, investors and industry leaders to strengthen governance, strategic partnerships and institutional structures needed for sustainable business growth across Africa.

Speaking during a press briefing on Friday in Abuja, on the just-concluded Convergence Africa Conference, Patience Olusuyi, Convener of the Convergence Africa Summit, said the initiative was created in response to the growing concern that many African businesses remain overly dependent on their founders and often collapse once leadership changes.

According to her, the Convergence Africa platform was conceived to bring together founders, investors, executives, and industry leaders to promote governance, collaboration, and systems capable of helping businesses outlive their owners.

“The Convergence Africa was born from the realisation that many African businesses are growing, but very few are structurally designed to endure. We have ambition, talent, innovation, and even financing, but most businesses still revolve around the founder. We must deliberately build businesses that can outlive us,” she said

Olusuyi explained that the summit focused on “architecting generational capital across industries,” noting that wealth creation should go beyond finances to include systems, structures, knowledge transfer, values, and institutional continuity.

She added that the CEO’s Portal seeks to create a platform where entrepreneurs can stop building in isolation and instead embrace strategic partnerships across sectors.

“It should not be a situation where a CEO needs legal services and cannot afford them, thereby facing the consequences of non-compliance. The CEOs Portal is helping businesses understand the importance of collaboration and synergy with other industries,” she added

She noted that many businesses fail due to a lack of mentorship, access to capital, and poor governance structures, despite the abundance of talent and entrepreneurial ambition across Africa.

According to the organisers, the platform currently has over 100 registered MSMEs and more than 50 “captains” established investors, mentors, and business leaders who are supporting the initiative through mentorship and strategic guidance.

Also speaking, Ben Oailkloma, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The CEOs’ Portal Ltd, said the organisation remains committed to promoting sustainable business structures and institutional growth across Africa.

He added that the platform was established to help entrepreneurs strengthen governance, mentorship, strategic partnerships, and succession planning within the African business ecosystem.

The organisers stated that the long-term vision of the initiative is to nurture a generation of African entrepreneurs who will build structured enterprises, lead with integrity, and create institutions capable of delivering value long after their founders are gone.