World-renowned American economist, Jeremy Rifkin, will be speaking at the third edition of the AFRICA CEO FORUM in Geneva on 16 and 17 March.
Rifkin, professor at the prestigious Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and President of the Foundation on Economic Trends, is a regular speaker at top events around the world. He has written 19 books on future trends and developments in economics and science which have been translated into more than 35 languages. Rifkin’s theories have become well known all over the world and attracted the interest of numerous CEOs and heads of state in Europe and Asia, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang.
The American “disruptor” is known for his cutting-edge ideas on global economic trends and on the advent of the Third Industrial Revolution (TIR). The latter will see a shift to renewable energy with new technologies and the development of a communication network to distribute them and, for example, the introduction of a 3D printer that will promote consumers to the rank of “prosumer” (producer-consumer). In his latest opus, The Zero Marginal Cost Society, Rifkin again outlines the fundamental aspects of the TIR and then goes further by predicting the dawn of a new era in which today’s productivist system will collapse and be replaced by new, more collaborative business models, along the same lines as Uber, Airbnb, Lending Club or MOOCs (massive open online courses).
Jeremy Rifkin will be sharing his ideas and vision of the future with 800 delegates at the 2015 AFRICA CEO FORUM, including almost 500 top African CEOs. While growth in Africa is set to hit a record high, will he be able to convince the audience that capitalism will collapse within the next fifty years? Can he convince participants that the emergence of a new economic model based on “less financial capital and more human capital” is an exciting opportunity for the African continent? In a paradigm where consumers become producers, what changes will Africa’s private sector have to make? These questions will all be answered on 16 March in Geneva.
AFRICA’S NEW ECONOMIC SITUATION AT THE TOP OF THE AGENDA
A broad range of topics will be covered at the 2015 AFRICA CEO FORUM, including new growth paths in African economies, the competitiveness of top African companies, investment opportunities, the challenges raised by the urban explosion amongst others. These carefully-chosen topics will be addressed by a roster of world-class experts and speakers which make the forum an annual event not to be missed.
About Africa CEO Forum
The AFRICA CEO FORUM was established in partnership with the African Development Bank. It is hosted by Groupe Jeune Afrique, which publishes ‘Jeune Afrique’ and ‘The Africa Report’ , and by Rainbow Unlimited, a Swiss company that specialises in organising economic development events.
Following the success of the 2014 edition, which was attended by over 700 prominent figures from Africa and all over the world, including 500 CEOs from 38 African countries and 85 high-level speakers, the AFRICA CEO FORUM has established itself as the foremost meeting on the development of the African private sector.
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