ACT Foundation Convenes African Leaders to Address Funding, Skills Gaps Facing Young Entrepreneurs

The Aspire Coronation Trust (ACT) Foundation is bringing together business executives, development experts, financial institutions and other stakeholders for its 2026 annual Breakfast Dialogue, focusing on building sustainable ecosystems to support the growth of young African enterprises.

The virtual conference, scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2026, is themed “From Skills to Scale: Building the Ecosystems Africa’s Young Enterprises Need to Thrive.”

The Dialogue will examine the challenges facing young African entrepreneurs, particularly gaps in access to capital, relevant skills and market opportunities, while exploring how stakeholders can develop interconnected support systems to help small businesses grow beyond survival.

According to the foundation, the event is designed to encourage collaboration among government institutions, corporate organisations, financial institutions and development partners to strengthen the infrastructure required for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to thrive across Africa.

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Renowned executive coach and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gemstone Group, Fela Durotoye, will deliver the keynote address, focusing on building the next generation of sustainable African enterprises.

He will be joined by other industry leaders, including Mezuo Nwuneli of Sahel Capital; Dr Chinyere Almona of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Abiodun Olubitan of Access Bank Plc; Andrew Tarazid-Tarawali of Small Foundation; Tochukwu Ezeukwu of Capital As A Force; and Andrew Olowude of Xenet AI.

The sessions will be moderated by Chinonso Clark of Lead For Good Africa and Em Ekong of Urban Inclusion Community Ltd, while Omoye Oriaghan, Chief Executive Officer of CO Communications Limited, will host the event.

A major highlight of this year’s conference will be the introduction of the 2026 Opportunity Compact, an initiative designed to secure actionable and measurable commitments from stakeholders across government, corporate organisations, financial institutions and the social sector.

The compact is expected to provide a framework for strengthening SME growth infrastructure across Africa by encouraging stakeholders to translate discussions into practical interventions and commitments.

Through the annual Breakfast Dialogue, ACT Foundation aims to promote cross-sector partnerships and identify practical solutions to challenges limiting the growth and sustainability of young enterprises across the continent.

Registration for the virtual event is free and open to interested participants through the foundation’s official website: https://actrustfoundation.org/breakfast-dialogue-2026.