PITYANA NAMED TO COCHAIR WEF AFRICA BOARD

THE WORLD Economic Forum (WEF) has named South Africa’s Sipho Mila Pityana as the co-chairperson of its Africa board. Business leader Pityana has been appointed co-chairperson of the WEF’s prestigious new Africa Regional Stewardship Board (RSB). The RSB is a multi-stakeholder group which will provide strategic advice to shape the forum’s regional programme in Africa. It comprises eminent leaders on the continent, including African government ministers, business leaders, leaders of regional organisations, and civil society organisations. An immediate task for the RSB is to deliver on the Africa Growth Platform (AGP) which was launched at WWEF on Africa 2019 in Cape Town. Pityana, who is president of Business Unity South Africa and chairperson of AngloGold Ashanti, co-chaired WEF on Africa 2019 and participated in the conceptualisation of the AGP. “I’m honoured and humbled by this opportunity,” Pityana said. “I look forward to working with like-minded stakeholders to achieve greater African economic integration while addressing environmental, sustainability, governance and humancapital shortcomings in Africa.” The AGP aims to address Africa’s job creation crisis by scaling 100 million SMEs and start-ups across the continent by 2025, bringing together governments, investors and entrepreneurs to enhance funding prospects, create better enabling environments for business growth and help Africa’s community of start-up enterprises grow and compete in international markets. Two thirds of Africa’s 420 million young people are currently unemployed.