At the Royal African Society, we believe the private sector is a key vehicle for achieving sustainable and inclusive growth in Africa. 

 

From the outset, the Royal African Society has maintained close links with British and African businesses operating on the continent. The private sector is critical to Africa’s future and an essential vehicle for achieving sustainable and inclusive growth in Africa. 

As part of our Corporate Membership, we provide a forum for in-depth and solutions-oriented debate and offer our corporate members the latest briefings on current African issues and the best access to visiting African leaders and economic actors. Leveraging our unique position and convening power, we bring in expertise from the worlds of business, government, civil society, academia, culture and media enabling us to offer uniquely valuable discussions for our corporate members and partners.

Our  African Conversations Lecture Series, held at SOAS are an opportunity for our corporate members to speak about the brilliant work they do. Recent lectures have featured renowned political economist Ronak Gopaldas and best-selling author of ‘The Fastest Billion’ Charlie Robertson.

Our Business Programme also features high impact public events, such as our flagship Annual Lecture, and cross-sector symposiums, bringing together business and academic insights.  Our well-celebrated Annual Lecture, which has featured influential leaders such as Benedict Oramah , the 3^rd President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and Ellen Eugenia Johnson Sirleaf the 24th President of Liberia from 2006 to 2018, Nobel Laurette and the first elected female Head of State in Africa.

We organise closed breakfast briefings, high-level roundtable meetings, podcast opportunities and exclusive lunch/dinner discussions, enabling our corporate members and partners to meet and network with like-minded business leaders, government representatives, and parliamentarians, including the members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Africa, which we administer.

As a charity, we rely on the support of our corporate partners and welcome new partnerships with companies that share our values and vision. Please contact Uchechi Eke, our Head of Operations via email to: ue3@soas.ac.uk for more information on opportunities for corporate partnership.