Ayeni Adekunle, CEO of BHM Holdings, said Africa’s ability to capture its next wave of economic opportunity will require a willingness to imagine beyond the limits of the present. Speaking at the fourth edition of Africa Breakfast Convos (ABC) 2026 in New York, Ayeni said he remains a “fervent believer in the power of possibilities” and in what can happen when Africa chooses to imagine bigger, build boldly and act on opportunity. His remarks came as investors, business leaders and policymakers gathered in New York to examine how the continent can translate its economic potential into trade, investment and global influence.
“I like to look into the future and imagine what is possible if we build 10 or 20 global companies out of Nigeria,” Ayeni said. “Despite the challenges in Nigeria, South Africa, and across the continent, I choose to focus on the power of possibility. If we keep building and investing for the next 5, 10, or 20 years, the global landscape will look completely different.”
The scale of the opportunity Ayeni described is reflected in the flow of capital into the continent. Africa attracted about $70 billion in foreign direct investment in 2025, according to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the continent’s third-highest annual inflow since 1990 and about one-third above its long-term average. The African Development Bank projects Africa’s economies will grow 4.2% in 2026 and says sustaining faster growth will require mobilising and deploying capital at scale.
There is also a significant opportunity in making Africa’s markets work more closely together, particularly if the continent is to build companies with the scale and reach Ayeni described. A recent World Bank report estimates that deeper liberalisation of transport, telecommunications, financial and professional services could increase services trade within the AfCFTA area by 60% to 64% by 2035, while intra-regional trade currently accounts for roughly one-fifth of Sub-Saharan Africa’s exports. For businesses, that points to a market where regional integration, investment and the development of cross-border production could make it more feasible for African companies to grow beyond their home markets and, over time, become the kind of globally competitive businesses Ayeni believes the continent can build.
Now in its fourth year, Africa Breakfast Convos (hosted by BHM in partnership with Allison Worldwide) has grown into a forum for African and global business leaders to discuss the economic and political issues shaping the continent’s next phase of growth. Previous editions have brought together figures including Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Tobe Okigbo, Iyin Aboyeji and senior leaders from Goldman Sachs, Citi and NBA Africa, reflecting the breadth of business, finance and policy interests the platform has attracted since its launch in 2022. This edition, focused on the theme “Africa’s Next Chapter: Trade, Partnership, Investment and Global Influence,” took place in New York during UNGA81 and brought that conversation into a more explicitly commercial focus, examining the trade, investment and partnerships that could shape Africa’s position in the global economy.
Ayeni’s argument is that imagining bigger only matters when it changes what businesses, investors and institutions are willing to do. That means entrepreneurs building companies at greater scale, investors committing capital for the long term and institutions creating the conditions for African businesses to compete across borders. The opportunity, ultimately, is not simply to imagine a larger African economy, but to build the companies, markets and infrastructure capable of making that economy larger.