By Sarata KONE-THIAM
Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has reaffirmed its commitment to Africa’s economic prosperity as it seeks to address the continent’s pressing infrastructure financing challenges.
Speaking during a high-level panel discussion in Accra at the Africa Prosperity Dialogue 2025, Regional CEO for UBA West Africa Sarata Kone-Thiam, emphasised the need for sustainable and bankable projects to attract investment and drive development across the continent.
Africa Prosperity Dialogue 2025: A platform for transformational change
The panel discussion was part of the Africa Prosperity Dialogue 2025 – a premier gathering of policymakers, business leaders, and development partners focused on accelerating economic integration and sustainable growth across Africa.
With the theme “Delivering Africa’s Single Market through Infrastructure: Invest. Connect. Integrate”, the event, which was well attended by government officials, business leaders, financial experts, and development partners, united stakeholders in their goal to shape Africa’s economic future. Through innovative financing and strategic partnerships, the platform facilitated discussions on solutions to bridge the continent’s infrastructure gap.
Addressing investment challenges in Africa
In her remarks, Sarata Kone-Thiam stressed the importance of fostering trust among African investors and international stakeholders to encourage long-term investment. She highlighted the critical issue of limited bankable projects, noting that Africa must prioritize structuring investment-ready proposals to attract both global and local investors.
A call for regional collaboration and innovative financing
Kone-Thiam further emphasized that Africa’s economic growth hinges on fostering cross-border infrastructure and regional collaboration. She drew focus to the untapped potential of Africa’s pension funds and remittances as she explained that Africa’s pension funds and the $100 billion in annual remittances from the diaspora represent a significant source of capital which if structured properly, could be channelled into transformative infrastructure projects.
Insights from industry leaders: Building a sustainable future
Also on the panel, was CFO of MTN Ghana, Antoinette Kwofie, who echoed the need for a more stable regulatory environment to attract investment. Partner at Argentina Capital, Olumide Ogun, reinforced the need for Africa to look inwards for funding solutions. “Africa is not poor; Africa’s resources are simply underutilized.
We have nearly $1 trillion in pension funds, yet less than 1.5% is invested in infrastructure. If we strategically allocate just 1% of this capital, we could unlock $10 billion in financing annually for critical projects,” he stated.
Partner at Latham & Watkins LLP, David Ziyambi, also emphasised the importance of legal and regulatory reforms. He expressed that the continent’s financial laws must be modernized to accommodate large-scale infrastructure investments, highlighting the need to create the right legal environment to make infrastructure projects more attractive to investors.
UBA’s commitment to Africa’s growth
While wrapping up her presentation, Kone-Thiam reiterated the need for action – for Africa to take control of its development, leverage our own resources, build investment-ready projects, and create an ecosystem of trust that will attract both local and international investors.
She emphasized that as Africa’s global bank, UBA remains dedicated to the continent’s long-term prosperity by championing sustainable financing solutions and supporting both educational and infrastructural development. The bank has been instrumental in financing major projects that stimulate economic growth and enhance living standards across the continent.
