• Our History

    The foundations of Africa’s Ubuntu Think-Do Tank

The Africa Private Sector Summit (APSS) was conceptualised in March 2020 and incorporated on September 30, 2021 under the Ghana Companies Act 1991, to bring the African Private Sector together and support the successful implementation of the continent’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) protocols and principles, already signed by African Heads of States. APSS works to achieve the collective aspiration for Africa’s economic integration as part of a journey to the Africa We Want using an Ecosystem based approach based on the African philosophy of UBUNTU.

To accelerate progress to a realization of the continental vision, APSS operates as a private-sector organization that is pan African, nonpartisan, and nonprofit. APSS aims to use projects generated from discussions on the African agenda during annual summits as its pivotal mechanism of engagement towards the implementation of desired outcomes.  These outcomes take the form of Action Plans, Programs, Projects, and Initiatives that contribute to Africa’s transformation.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) provided initial financial support to APSS, which led to APSS Series 1 and 2, as well as the consultancy for the drafting of the Framework on Africa Private Sector Bill of Rights. Other organizations that gave APSS financial support in its early days are the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA) and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). APSS has enjoyed strong partnerships with the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PACCI), the African Business Council (AfBC), and other established regional and continental bodies that support AfCFTA and the AU Agenda 2063 over the years.

A few individuals at the center of the APSS vision over the years to date include:

Judson Wendell Addy, Founder and Chair Emeritus of APSS

Ben Acheampong, Co-Founder and Founding Vice Chair of APSS

Prof. Samson Ndoga, Co-Founder

A New Dawn for APSS

Prof Moghalu Receives Gavel Of Office As Chair Of APSS From Mr Wendell Addy the Outgoing Chairman and Founder

To scale up and deliver on its mandate while looking to the future, the APSS decided to restructure itself. This process was aimed at boosting APSS internal capacity and a planned regional and continental vetting and validation of the Charter on PSBoR as a viable accompanying instrument for the successful implementation of the RECs and AfCFTA protocols to achieve the African Union’s Agenda 2063. This is in anticipation of an adoption at the AU Heads of States Summit, led by AfBC.

Therefore, steps taken include:

  • A new corporate structure that enabled the Founder and Co-Founders transition to Advisory Board and Executive Board respectively
  • Creation of APSS Advisory and Executive Boards along Africa’s five geographic regions [North, East, West, South and Central Africa] and African Diaspora.
  • Appointments of a CEO and an Executive Director to enhance APSS Executive capacity.
  • Creation of three Director positions to strengthen APSS internal operations capability.
  • Appointment of a new Chairperson to provide strong corporate leadership of APSS in line with global best practice and make APSS a viable corporate partner to existing African Union Agencies representing Africa’s private sector on the continent.
  • Updates to the APSS Constitution, and the creation of Board Charters for both the Advisory and Executive Boards.
  • Design of role accountabilities and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for members of both Boards, the Executives, Directors, and Staff.
  • Regional and Continental vetting and validation of the Charter on PSBoR in partnership with the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PACCI) and adoption at the AU Heads of States Summit, led by the Africa Business Council and AfCFTA Secretariat, using:
    • An Ecosystem based Private Sector Response
    • Project Based Approach
    • Strategic Partnerships
    • Transformative Agenda
    • Continuous Improvement

The first APSS summit, held from 8-12, March 2021 had the theme ‘Righting the Wrongs of Doing Business in Africa,’.  This first Summit led to the call for Private Sector Bill of Rights (PSBoR) and the African  Education Trust Fund (AETF. The first summit additionally called for a direct linkage between Academia/TVETs and the National Private Sector (Chambers or Federations) to align skill sets to business, service, industry and public sector needs.

What are now known as the Charter on the Private Sector Development, Rights and Protection Environment in Africa [a.k.a Private Sector Bill of of Rights (PSBoR) for an Enabling Business Environment in Africa] and the African Educational Trust Fund (AETF) were refined from a weeklong virtual summit and was attended by three AU Member State Presidents namely Botswana, Rwanda (represented by the Minister of Trade) and Niger (represented by a Minister) and opening statements by President of the Africa Business Council (AfBC), Secretary General of the AfCFTA, the President of Pan-African Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PACCI) and prominent institutions. This APSS source summit also had support of Continental bodies as partners – PACCI, Federation of West Africa Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FEWACCI), East Africa Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Agriculture (EACCIA), International Chamber of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), AfCFTA Policy Network (APN),  Global Institute for Strategic Planning and Development (GISPD), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), European Union (EU), Coalition of Dialogues in Africa (CoDA), Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), Corporate Council of Africa (CCA), and the Academia.

The second summit, held in October 2022 in Accra Ghana, under the theme ‘Awakening Africa’s Sleeping Giants in the Implementation of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): Leveraging Strategic Opportunities for Africa’s Turnaround,’ identified 13 project areas. The summit again prioritized the establishment of the Africa Education Trust Fund (AETF) as a critical focus area.

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