Full Overview
Private sector-led solutions for job creation and growth
The Financial Times and the World Bank Group have launched the second edition of the Africa Sustainable Futures Awards, a major annual programme that promotes innovative, long-term solutions to development challenges in Africa.
Africa has one of the fastest-growing regional economies, backed by an abundance of natural resources, and a vibrant and youthful population that is rapidly expanding. Yet much still needs to be done to counter the deep development challenges faced by many communities, particularly in conflict-affected areas; address the growing impact of climate change on food, water, and other critical sectors; and boost inclusive access to the energy, infrastructure, education, skills training, healthcare, finance and technology that will support job creation, human development, gender diversity, and economic competitiveness.
The Africa Sustainable Futures Awards will again showcase commercially viable initiatives that provide transformative, resilient and scalable solutions to these issues, and address not just current needs but also the well-being of future generations, at a time when it is more important than ever to build self-sustaining models for growth.
Building on the success of the inaugural programme, which drew more than 200 entries, special attention in this second year is given to initiatives that move beyond traditional development models by actively creating more and better jobs, fostering commercial excellence, and building resilient local economies. Energy, infrastructure, healthcare, agribusiness, manufacturing and tourism are key areas of focus, underscoring the importance of private capital in building robust, localised ecosystems that forge paths out of poverty and foster self-sufficiency, ultimately leading to a more prosperous and competitive Africa, with the potential to power global growth.
The Awards are open to all public and private sector financial and non-financial organisations.
The focus is on specific projects and transactions and the impact those initiatives have or promise to have on the problems they are targeting. The aim across all categories is to recognise and showcase innovation, impact, replicability, financial viability, and sustainability. The judging panel will also look at operational models, and how organisations are harnessing disruptive technologies to manage risks and achieve impact and scale.
Only initiatives that have been implemented since 2015, and have annual revenues of at least US$3 million or investment of at least US$5 million, will be eligible. Those criteria are waived for the Innovation Showcase, a special category designed to promote exciting new ideas from Africa’s start-ups that do not yet have adequate funding.
The winner in each category will be announced at a special awards dinner on 22 October 2025 that will conclude the FT’s 12th Africa Summit, a major event in London that will gather African government, business, and finance leaders, together with global investors and industry partners, to discuss how to drive forward the continent’s economic transformation.