The Government of Mauritius and the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) have formally announced that the 2026 U.S.-Africa Business Summit will take place from July 26-29 in Mauritius.
Hosted for the first time in Mauritius, the Summit is expected to convene over 3,000 high-level U.S. and African government officials, private sector executives, investors, and multilateral stakeholders. The four-day gathering will feature plenaries, high-level dialogues, sector-focused sessions, B2B and 82G engagements, and networking events designed to catalyze new partnerships and deepen commercial ties.
In a statement, Dr the Hon. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, GCSK, FRCP, Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius, welcomed the announcement, stating:
“Mauritius is honored to host the 2026 U.S.-Africa Business Summit. Our nation has long served as a bridge between Africa and the world, and this Summit reinforces our commitment to advancing strategic partnerships that drive business, investment, and mutually beneficial economic collaboration between the United States and the notions of Africa. We look forward to welcoming global leaders and showcasing the opportunities that Mauritius and Africa have to offer.”
Hon. Dhananjay Ramful, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, highlighted the significance of the event:
“Today’s announcement marks a major step in our collaboration with the Corporate Council on Africa. The Summit will further elevate Mauritius as a hub for African regional and continental integration, trade facilitation, and investment. We are committed to working closely with CCA to deliver a successful and impactful Summit that benefits not only Mauritius, but the wider African region as well as American partners.”
Florie Liser, President and CEO of the Corporate Council on Africa, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership:
“CCA is delighted to partner with the Government of Mauritius to host the 2026 U.S.-Africo Business Summit. Mauritius offers a dynamic and business-friendly environment that reflects the future and potential of U.S.-Africa commercial engagement. Together, we aim to convene U.S. and African public and private sector leaders at the highest levels to drive meaningful dialogue, forge partnerships, and amplify opportunities to enhance U.S.-Africa trade, investment and business.”
A joint press conference was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and CCA in Port Louis to mark the occasion, with the participation of Hon. Dhananjay Ramful, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Hon. Sayed Muhammad Aadil Ameer Meea, Minister of Industry, SME and Cooperatives, H.E. Henry V. Jardine, U.S. Ambassador to Mauritius and Seychelles, Ms Florie Liser, President and CEO of CCA, and Jean-Raymond Boulle, Vice Chairman of CCA.
Elaborating on the planning for the event, Hon. Dhananjay Ramful explained that Mauritius and the CCA would be working closely on all aspects of the Summit programme, as well as the themes that were yet to be finalised, which would take into consideration the priorities of Africa in general, Mauritius, the business plan of the private sector in Mauritius, and also the needs of the American business community. He saw that the US-Africa partnership was important and that digital trade should also be at the heart of the agenda. He also mentioned that the technical team had made a number of visits, looking at possible venues on the east coast and in the north of the island.
Commenting on the opportunity to reposition both Mauritius and Africa in the global economic landscape, Hon. Sayed Muhammad Aadil Ameer Meea remarked: “For Mauritius, the Summit is an opportunity to demonstrate our industrial transformation agenda, our strong governance and regulatory frameworks, and our status as a reliable, connected, and investment-friendly nation. We want every delegate from CEOs to policymakers to see Mauritius not only as a host country, but as a partner in shaping the future of industry and sustainable development. For Africa, this summit comes at a moment when the continent is moving from the narrative of potential to the reality of capability.”
Sharing her perspective on the high level participation at the event, which is set to welcome African heads of state, senior U.S. and African government officials, CEOs, investors, SMEs, and thought leaders to explore opportunities, address challenges, and build impactful partnerships, Florie Liser saw that “with its strong institutions, strategic location, and longstanding commitment to openness and collaboration, Mauritius exemplifies the kind of environment that enables business to thrive and partnerships to grow between the United States and the nations of Africa”.
Asked about issues facing CCA’s members in Africa, Ms Liser stated that “sometimes, in our view, the perception of risk in Africa is overblown. There’s risk in all emerging economies, but Africa offers so much, and there are tools to mitigate risk. This is what organisations like DFC does, and so many others, and some of our members who are in the banking sector, and the banks that are in trade finance here also do that. We want to make sure that people understand, especially American companies and businesses and institutional investors and private equity firms and so many others who will participate in the Summit, that this is a good place to invest. Mauritius is a good place to invest, and Africa is a good place to invest”.
Offering his perspective from the U.S. Embassy in Mauritius, H.E. Henry V. Jardine, congratulated Mauritius on being selected as the host for the Summit in 2026, which he saw as a reflection on how much Mauritius has to offer, and thanked CCA for their consideration. He emphasised that the Summit “will be a wonderful opportunity to give greater visibility to U.S. businesses, to Mauritius businesses either in the United States but also businesses – U.S. businesses already operating in Africa. And there’s a lot of potential to highlight what Mauritius can do for them,” he underlined.
Asked for his views on what success would look like at the Summit, given his key role in bringing the event to Mauritius, Jean-Raymond Boulle responded that “success looks like 3,000 people attending the conference, 15 delegations, perhaps six, eight heads of state, many, many ministers, and lots of contracts signed, not just between America and Mauritius, but also between various African countries. We still need to get more and more intra-Africa trade, so this will also be conducive to having more trade between Mauritius and Africa and between African countries”.
“That looks like success, and then we will have President Trump’s top people here, and that does put Mauritius on the map, and it really brings us closer to America, and we need more American involvement here. We’d love to see a lot more tourists here, we’d love to see more big American banks here, so that’s what success looks like in my book, speaking as a Mauritian,” he concluded.
