Participants will be welcomed with an opening cocktail at the African Leadership University Campus  

An inspiring and interesting virtual fireside chat between the African Leadership Group Founder, Fred Swaniker and UN Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity, Edward Norton.
 

A presentation on SOWC’s wildlife economy research, including the Wildlife Economy Investment Index, looking at national rankings, ways to use the index in practice, and how the index can inform policy- and decision-making.

An in-person fireside chat between His Excellency the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame and the African Leadership Group Founder, Fred Swaniker

This session will include three ignite talks on innovative topics related to the wildlife economy and conservation aimed to spark enthusiasm and interest in diverse topics.

Gus le Breton - African plant hunter & African Baobab Alliance will speak about "When BioTrade Booms, Africa Benefits"
Africa is home to some of the world’s largest BioTrade value chains (e.g. Shea butter, Gum Arabic). But it barely registers at the policy level. Gus Le Breton (African Baobab Alliance) highlights key benefits to people and conservation in Africa from a more robust BioTrade sector. 

Joseph Mwakima - Community Relations Officer/WWCT Trustee.  Wildlife Works
Forests changing lives.
It is high time we cut down our carbon footprint and not trees.  Forests are the lungs of our planet and we have to protect them. Save a tree, Save a life.
 

Dr Mike Musgrave, ALU SOWC 
Asset value of Landscapes: The missing piece in conservation and biodiversity finance?
Will explore the ways that asset value can be accumulated in landscapes so that investments are not only dependent on revenue streams, and how the Biodiversity Investment Research and Advisory Group (BIRA) is facilitating this aspect of biodiversity finance

Moderator: Tumiso Kevin Mokakangwe, ALU

Stakeholders from different sectors and countries will discuss the impact of politics on conservation: a rarely discussed topic with a massive impact on business, conservation and sustainability.

The What if......? sessions are aimed at generating new, innovative, out-of-the-box thinking.  This session aims to unlock creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial thinking to imagine and co-create new ways of looking at and doing things.

• Bea Karanja, Natural State 

What if Africa’s possibilities are endless? A continent rich in resources above and below ground but yet Africa efforts towards transformative change are staggered. Is conservation and the business of the conservation, the needle-shifter to transform Africa into the superpower it is?  Beatrice will explore the “How” of the “What If“ of Africa’s possible trajectory to being a global leader for conservation.

• Candice Stevens, Co-Chair Sustainable Finance Coalition, Co-Chair IUCN WCPA Sustainable Finance 

What if we valued nature like we value money? A true understanding of risk and return
 

• Chanda Mwale, Wildlife Producers’ Association of Zambia (WPAZ)

What if we looked back in order to propel us forward?
Sustainable utilization of flora and fauna in many African cultures is a tale as old as time. What if we looked back into this history, our cultures, traditions, and values to ensure our landscapes are restored? What role can wildlife ranching as an economic activity that incorporates African values play in turning the land degradation tide?

• Milka Chepkorir, ICCA Consortium 

Where is the place and view of indigenous people in Business and Conservation?

Indigenous Peoples territories are rich in biodiversity and natural resources conserved by Indigenous Peoples. What is the implication of venturing into business with these ancestral resources?

Moderator: Tumiso Kevin Mokakangwe, ALU

Limited opportunities remain for large, connected and intact productive systems in Africa. African Parks have been managing Chinko in eastern Central African Republic for just under 10 years and have recently signed management partnerships for two large national parks in South Sudan. Join us as we unpack the complexities of working in such remote and conflict-ridden landscapes, but also the astounding opportunities that these areas hold. And importantly, how the insights gleaned from Chinko are paving the way in South Sudan. 

Limited opportunities remain for large, connected and intact productive systems in Africa. African Parks have been managing Chinko in eastern Central African Republic for just under 10 years and have recently signed management partnerships for two large national parks in South Sudan. Join us as we unpack the complexities of working in such remote and conflict-ridden landscapes, but also the astounding opportunities that these areas hold. And importantly, how the insights gleaned from Chinko are paving the way in South Sudan. 

Participants in this fireside chat will look at the enabling environment from the perspective of government, the private sector, communities and NGOs

Conservation is not always regarded as a sought after and worthwhile career in many parts of Africa.  Yet many regard the absence of an obvious pipeline of high quality African conservation leaders as a "mission critical" issue that the sector must attend to as a matter of some urgency.  The question is "how"?  This session will examine how we must and can work together to develop the African conservation leaders so critical for the future of our sector

A dynamic session and discussion on how the conservation industry can adopt and incorporate the latest product management practices and frameworks in developing products that address problems that should be solved, and create value for the industry. 
 

Hear from various investors as to why they invest in the wildlife economy and conservation in Africa, what they are looking for, what improvements need to be made and what is working and what is not.

The BioTrade sector (i.e. trade in products sustainably derived from biodiversity, including Non Timber Forest Products) is booming. Consumers love the idea of products harvested sustainably from the wild, brands are capitalizing on this trend with growing numbers of new product launches, and policy-makers are waking up to the opportunities for positive conservation and economic outcomes. But what does it take to make a successful BioTrade business in Africa? In this Expert Clinic, Gus Le Breton, serial BioTrade entrepreneur and chair of the African BioTrade Advisory Group, shares some secrets for building BioTrade businesses gleaned from a lifetime in this sector.

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