Full Overview

The Financial Times and the World Bank Group’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) have launched the third edition of the Africa Sustainable Futures Awards, a major annual programme that promotes innovative, private sector 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 challenges faced by many communities, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected areas, and to boost inclusive access to the energy, infrastructure, finance and technology that will support job creation, human development, and economic competitiveness.

The Africa Sustainable Futures Awards showcase commercially viable initiatives that provide transformative, resilient and scalable solutions, 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 last year’s programme, which drew more than 300 entries, special attention in this third year will be given to initiatives that move beyond traditional development models by effectively mobilising capital, mitigating risks, and driving commercial and operational excellence.  

Energy, infrastructure, agribusiness and manufacturing remain key areas of focus, underscoring the importance of private capital in building robust, localised ecosystems that forge paths out of poverty and create more and better jobs, ultimately leading to a more prosperous, self-sufficient and competitive Africa, with the potential to power global growth.

The Awards are open to all private sector 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 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 launched in 2016 or later will be eligible. Each category will require entrants to meet a specific minimum revenue level. 

The winners will be announced at a special Awards Dinner on October 22, 2026, concluding the FT’s 13th Africa Summit in London, a major event that brings together African government, business, and finance leaders with global investors and industry partners to discuss how to drive forward the continent’s economic transformation. 

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