Boma of Africa 2025 : Corridors to prosperity
On 4 and 5 July 2025, the coastal city of Benguela in Angola will become the epicenter of African integration and strategic dialogue. On those dates, political leaders, visionary entrepreneurs, Pan-African institutions, and innovators from all walks of life will gather for Boma of Africa 2025, one of the continent's main events dedicated to economic unity, intra-African trade, and structural transformation.
Organized by AfroChampions, in partnership with the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the African Union, and the African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank), Boma of Africa has established itself, since its earliest editions, as a high-level forum to catalyze African solutions to African challenges.
In 2025, the theme “Corridors to Prosperity” will highlight the growth axes represented by trade, strategic infrastructure, and cross-border cooperation. At the heart of the discussions: how to connect African economies in a concrete and inclusive way, fully leveraging the potential of the AfCFTA, while investing in commercial, railway, port, and digital corridors.
Benguela, a symbolic crossroads
Chosen as the host city, Benguela is much more than a meeting point. Located on the Atlantic coast of Southern Africa, this port city in Angola represents a nerve center for continental connectivity ambitions. A natural extension of the Lobito Corridor, it is part of regional projects aimed at linking the interior of the continent to global markets through integrated infrastructure.
This geographical positioning reinforces the Boma 2025 message: for an integrated Africa to emerge, spaces must be opened up, trade eased, and investments made in the junctions that connect people, ideas, and markets.
AfroChampions: a catalyst for African economic sovereignty
The AfroChampions Initiative, founded in the late 2010s by African economic leaders such as Paulo Gomes (Guinea-Bissau) and Edem Adzogenu (Ghana), positions itself as an influential network mobilizing the African private sector in favor of continental integration. Born from a simple observation—without the proactive involvement of African economic elites, the AfCFTA would remain a technocratic project—AfroChampions acts as a bridge between public decision-makers and African industry leaders, embedding integration within concrete projects.
Since its inception, the initiative has launched several structuring actions: strategic contributions to AfCFTA negotiations, development of the Pan-African digital identity card (AfCFTA Number), advocacy for regional special economic zones, support for SMEs, and promotion of cross-border investments. It has also highlighted African champions in various sectors (telecoms, agribusiness, fintech, logistics) through the “AfroChampions Tracker” program.
Today, AfroChampions is acknowledged as a strategic partner of the African Union and the AfCFTA Secretariat, and plays a facilitator’s role between member states, financial institutions, and the private sector. Boma of Africa is the public expression of this discreet but effective economic diplomacy, aimed at empowering Africans to drive their own development.
An experience unlike any other
Unlike traditional conferences, Boma of Africa stands out with its uninhibited and creative approach. Here, less PowerPoint, more power moves. The atmosphere favors collective intelligence, interaction, and candid exchanges. Organizers set the tone from the start: “Less jargon, more jam sessions.” A deliberate nod to the cultural wealth of the continent, where ideas resonate like drums.
It is in this spirit that Paulo Gomes, President of Orango Investment Corporation and former senior World Bank official, will lead the debates. A committed figure of economic Pan-Africanism, he embodies the desire to combine strategic rigor and political boldness for an Africa that invests in itself.
A platform for entrepreneurial innovation
Alongside high-level discussions, the 2025 edition will also host the new edition of the Boma Prize for Africa, a contest by Boma Consult LLC aimed at supporting African startups, SMEs, and entrepreneurs. The goal: to highlight “borderless” innovations that can cross linguistic, geographic, or regulatory barriers, generating transcontinental impact.
The contest’s theme, “Borderless Innovation”, echoes Boma’s mission: to promote a continent where ideas flow freely, talents connect, and innovation serves economic sovereignty. Winners will benefit from strategic support and networking with influential investors and decision-makers.
A crossroads to build the future
More than an event, Boma of Africa 2025 is a platform for collective building. It addresses political leaders as well as young leaders, academics, funders, regional organizations, and on-the-ground entrepreneurs. Everyone is invited to contribute to the vision of an integrated continent structured around corridors of prosperity, where the real economy, infrastructure, economic diplomacy, and inclusion form a coherent whole.
With its assertive tone and original format, Boma of Africa 2025 aims to transcend the physical, mental, and administrative borders that still hinder the continent’s full rise. In Benguela, the call is to bridge-builders, corridor pioneers, and pragmatic visionaries.
“Seats are limited, excuses are infinite. It’s up to each of us to choose to be part of the movement.”
