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The event will convene ministries of finance, sovereign debt management offices, corporate issuers, banks, institutional investors, development finance institutions, export credit agencies, and legal and financial advisers. The discussions will focus on fund domiciliation and investment structuring, bond issuance, lending, local and international currency financing, debt markets and the development of deeper domestic and regional capital markets.
Following its previous edition in Cape Town, the event comes to Kigali at a time when the conversation around Africa’s financing needs is increasingly moving beyond attracting international capital towards strengthening the markets, institutions and connections that enable capital to move more effectively across the continent.
Explaining the decision to bring the event to Kigali, Aveen Prasad, Managing Director at Global Banking & Markets, highlighted Rwanda’s ambition to develop as an international financial hub and its growing role in connecting investors with opportunities across Africa.
“We chose Kigali because it is a market that is deliberately building itself to connect capital with opportunity. Rwanda combines a clear strategy for becoming an international financial hub with credible regulation and an ecosystem, through KIFC, that is designed to link African and international investors. For a conference about how capital is raised and deployed across the continent, there is no better place to have that conversation, and we look forward to working with our official co-hosts KIFC to turn it into lasting market relationships.”
For Rwanda, hosting the event is about more than bringing the industry together. It is an opportunity to engage directly in conversations shaping how capital is raised, mobilized and deployed across Africa.
“Our partnership with Global Banking & Markets and the decision to bring the Bonds, Loans, & ESG Africa event to Kigali shows Rwanda’s growing role in Africa’s evolving financial ecosystem. This year’s agenda extends beyond traditional debt-market discussions to the issues shaping the continent’s financial future, from intra-African investment and digital
market infrastructure to sustainable finance, local and international currency financing, and cross-border capital flows. These priorities align closely with the continent’s ambition to deepen investment and strengthen local capital markets. Together with GBM, we are creating a platform for meaningful dialogue, stronger partnerships, and greater capital flows.” Hortense Mudenge, CEO, Kigali International Financial Centre (KIFC)
The programme places particular emphasis on strengthening intra-African capital flows alongside attracting international investment. The discussions will explore the barriers to cross-border investment and practical solutions that can support sustainable capital formation across Africa, alongside emerging opportunities in African debt markets, digital market infrastructure, tokenization and the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS).
This choice aligns with Rwanda’s broader economic ambitions. The Financial Sector Development Strategy 2025–2029 identifies stronger capital mobilization and the development of Rwanda as an international financial hub as important priorities.
Beyond attracting capital
Africa’s financing needs are expanding. Governments require funding for infrastructure and development; businesses need longer-term capital to grow; investors are seeking new opportunities; and development finance institutions are looking to mobilize more private investment.
The question, therefore, is not simply whether Africa needs more capital.
It is whether the continent has the markets, institutions and infrastructure to ensure that capital reaches the opportunities where it can have the greatest impact.
For years, much of the conversation has been centered on attracting international capital. That remains important. But an equally significant opportunity lies in mobilizing the capital already available within Africa.
Pension funds, insurers, banks and asset managers represent significant pools of capital, yet cross-border investment can remain constrained by differences in regulation, currencies, tax regimes, investment rules and market infrastructure. Reducing these frictions will be critical to building deeper and more connected African markets.
Kigali’s opportunity
This is where financial centres play an important role.
They bring together the legal, regulatory, professional and institutional capabilities required to structure, manage and deploy capital across markets. Building an ecosystem that can support investment management, capital markets, sustainable finance and other financial services while providing a platform through which African and international investors can access opportunities across the continent.
The ambition is not simply to attract institutions to Kigali. It is to create the conditions for greater interaction between capital and opportunity.
Building more connected markets
Africa’s next phase of financial development will depend increasingly on stronger links between its markets and the adoption of financial technology. That means making it easier for investors in one African country to access opportunities in another, strengthening cooperation between regulators and financial institutions, developing investment structures that can operate across jurisdictions, and improving the infrastructure that supports crossborder transactions.
These issues will be central to this year’s programme.
The value of bringing the market together
Financial markets thrive on relationships, information and trust. Bringing investors, issuers, policymakers and financial institutions together creates opportunities to better understand market needs, explore financing solutions and build partnerships that can support crossborder investment.
As Africa seeks to deepen its capital markets and mobilize more capital for growth, Rwanda’s opportunity is to translate these engagements into stronger market capabilities, new business opportunities and greater participation by its financial institutions in regional and international markets.
Join us at Bonds, Loans and ESG Kigali, taking place on 16-17 November in Kigali, to explore emerging financing opportunities, connect with key decision-makers and gain insights into the region's evolving investment landscape.
We are the world leader in global markets-focused financing events in emerging markets. We bring complex markets together in one place at one time, facilitate informal networking & organise meetings which accelerate deal-flow. Connecting you with business partners and counterparties is at the heart of everything we do.
