The eighth edition of the Africa CEO Forum, touted as the largest international gathering of the African private sector, will be held on 9 to 10 March 2019 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

According to a statement released to the media, the emphasis is on generating business opportunity and 'doing good' amid disruption in the sector due to growing inequality, the advent of climate risk, technological revolutions and resurgent protectionism.

"...at a time when these four major disruptions are turning the global private sector upside down and pointing to capitalism's fundamental transformation worldwide, the leaders of Africa's economy and largest companies have been slow to participate in the topical discussion surrounding 'capitalism and the common good'," reads an excerpt from the statement.

"Nonetheless, there is another side to the story of African business: on the continent, more than anywhere, the private sector is demonstrating that "doing business" and "doing good" can be one and the same. There, telecom providers are promoting financial inclusion, investors are developing distributed solar energy facilities, agribusiness is prioritising on-site supply and processing: such examples of "business for good" are gradually becoming commonplace in Africa," it continues.

The Africa CEO Forum 2018 covered the impact of digital technology, while the event in 2019 covered the best approach to take to ensure the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB) has confirmed its participation at the event.

"Convinced that the world's major companies must – and can – bring about a paradigm shift, MCB is proud to participate in the AFRICA CEO Forum's initiative to create a new movement promoting common-good capitalism. Painting a new horizon for the African private sector is a strategic priority at a time when the inequality gap continues to widen, imbalances remain significant and environmental risk grows. CSR is today a major issue for African companies who are increasingly being assessed on their actions in this area. We also believe that it is a tremendous source of opportunities for Africa's development, requiring a greater collaboration between public and private sectors. It is that dynamic that we want to significantly boost" commented Alain Law Min, chief executive officer of MCB.

A range of institutions and senior government ministers are scheduled to attend – they include the CEO of Bank of Kigali, the Minister of Economy of Senegal, Minister of Mines & Geology of Guinea, CEO Middle-East and Africa of Orange, CEO of Absa Group and the CEO of Emerging Africa Group, among others.