Industry leaders such as Frederick Teo, CEO of GenZero, a Singapore-based investment firm focusing on generating sustainable returns, will share perspectives on how carbon markets can bridge the funding gap for Africa’s sustainable development, drawing from his experience of building Climate Impact X, a global marketplace and exchange for carbon credits. Randhir Juddoo, managing director of CarbonCap, will share ground-level insights from implementing nature-based carbon projects across Africa, highlighting practical approaches to align community benefits with investor returns.

There is much potential for collaboration between both economies, which are digitally driven. Some of Singapore’s approach for its digital policies and infrastructure, including regulatory sandboxes for pilots and trials, could offer a reference model for African policymakers. 

On the other hand, African innovators bring agility and creativity to the partnership. The continent’s startup ecosystem is a crucible of creativity, with fintech giants in Kenya, startup unicorns in Nigeria, and e-commerce innovators in South Africa rewriting economic narratives. 

Some of these tech and digital solutions form the backbone of unlocking consumer potential and meeting growing population needs in Africa. ASBF 2025 will therefore not only explore key trends in African consumer markets but also look into the role of fintech and mobile money, as well as solutions in transport, logistics and supply chain as enablers for commerce across the continent. 

The forum will also spotlight companies such as Singapore’s Ezra, a fintech firm using alternative data and non-conventional scoring algorithms to provide business-to-business (B2B) credits in emerging markets, exemplifying the potential for fintech solutions to bridge the credit gap and promote economic opportunity in Africa. 

Beyond the plenary sessions, delegates can deep-dive into specific dialogues, workshops and site visits hosted by ASBF’s partners. These cover a myriad of topics, including access to green financing, investing into Africa, small and medium enterprise (SME) development, and more. Business matching sessions, a hallmark of ASBF, will continue as Enterprise Singapore taps its networks to facilitate one-on-one meetings. Past forums have yielded partnerships across different sectors, and 2025 promises to build on this legacy. 

“For example, ASBF 2023 saw a manufacturing partnership between Singaporean industrial solutions provider NivéSal and Ghanian company Sky 40-40,” says Rahul Ghosh. “Two years on, this partnership has successfully materialised into a state-of-the-art polymer-based building materials factory in Takoradi, serving not only the Ghanaian market but also neighbouring regions. With discussions already underway for a second project, this collaboration exemplifies the long-term tangible outcomes of Singapore-Africa business partnerships fostered through ASBF.”

ASBF 2025 will play a role in driving Africa’s green economy and digital transformation through partnerships with Singapore, empowering communities and small businesses, and unlocking the continent’s renewable energy and tech potential.

By working together, Africa and Singapore can redefine progress, and leverage collaborations to overcome challenges.