Standard Bank to Host African Markets Conference Focused on Mobilizing Capital for Growth

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking will host the second edition of its African Markets Conference later this month, bringing together global investors and African policymakers to accelerate capital flows into the continent’s priority sectors, writes Winston Mwale.

The conference, scheduled for Feb. 22–24 in Cape Town, is expected to convene institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, development finance institutions and senior government officials at a time when Africa faces widening infrastructure and financing gaps.

Luvuyo Masinda, chief executive of Corporate and Investment Banking at Standard Bank Group, said the 2026 conference builds on last year’s inaugural event, which sought to reposition Africa from a high-risk investment destination to one defined by resilience and opportunity.

“This year’s engagement bridges the gap between policy ambitions and market realities,” Masinda said. “Africa urgently needs practical measures to deepen capital pools, improve market liquidity and strengthen regulatory frameworks that give investors confidence to deploy capital at scale.”

Africa is projected to add one billion people by 2050, more than half of them in urban areas, yet the continent invests only about $75 billion annually in infrastructure—roughly half of what is required, according to Standard Bank. Organizers said the conference aims to keep African development priorities central to global financial discussions.

The program is structured around five investment pillars: positioning infrastructure as an investable asset class through public-private partnerships; accelerating the energy transition and renewable investment; deepening African capital markets and mobilizing private capital; enabling intra-African trade and capital flows through regional integration and the African Continental Free Trade Area; and addressing sovereign debt sustainability by shifting the focus from access to affordability and credibility.

Standard Bank said the conference will host a high-level delegation of decision-makers, including finance ministers, infrastructure ministers and central bank governors from key African economies, as well as global asset managers seeking both returns and development impact.

Senior executives from Standard Bank Group, including Sim Tshabalala, the group’s chief executive, are expected to lead technical discussions on market liquidity and investment frameworks.

Organizers described the conference as a call to action for both the public and private sectors, aimed at translating dialogue into commitments that support Africa’s long-term growth and development.