The third-annual Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa took place in Botswana’s capital city on May 5-8, 2024, focused on the continent’s economic growth through investment and entrepreneurship. The event brought together young entrepreneurs from around the world, including honorees of the Forbes 30 Under 30 lists, investors, aspiring founders, local government officials and business leaders for four days of networking, inspiration, impact and cultural excursions.
See event content on social media as well, using hashtag #Under30Africa.
Pan-African Welcome Celebration
To kick-off the four-day event, more than 2,000 local community members from Gaborone joined the summit delegates for an exciting Sunday evening in the city’s giant open air square, Main Mall. Local and international musicians, DJs and dancers including Mpho Sebina, Ezra Neethings, Han-C, ATI, DBN Gogo and headliner Omah Lay, plus a special DJ set by Nick Cannon, got the crowd dancing and singing.
Randall Lane of Forbes (second from left) enters the Pan-African Welcome Celebration alongside South African actress Nomzamo Mbatha and American entertainer and entrepreneur Nick Cannon.
Ilan Godfrey for ForbesNigerian award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Omah Lay headlines the Pan-African Welcome Celebration at the Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa.
Ilan Godfrey for ForbesHis Honour Slumber Tsogwane, Acting President of the Government of the Republic of Botswana (center) enters the Pan-African Welcome Celebration.
Ilan Godfrey for ForbesThe Engine Of Africa’s Economic Growth: Investment & Entrepreneurship
In the spirit of Under 30, Forbes Chief Content Officer Randall Lane kicked off a day of conversation with an important statistic: Africa is a continent with a population of 1.2 billion, and 72 percent of it is under the age of 30.
Monday marked the main day of programming with influential leaders and entrepreneurs taking the stage to talk about things like venture capital, emerging technologies and, most importantly, the advantages of young adulthood.
“Being young is associated with enthusiasm…and to distinguish oneself to be good at something on the journey to adulthood. And being an entrepreneur,” said Slumber Tsogwane, the Acting President of the Republic of Botswana.
The goal of the summit, His Honor said, is to engage in dialogue about entrepreneurship and chart the way forward for the next generation. This translated into some of the best tips and tricks from figures like Nick Cannon, who boasts titles like television host, actor, rapper, investor, philanthropist and more.
Cannon’s best advice to young people? “Don’t take anyone’s advice,” he said. “A lot of people told me I shouldn’t do certain things … if you believe in yourself, the sky’s the limit.”
A conversation between Forbes' Randall Lane and entertainer Nick Cannon begins the main programming day of the Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa, held in Gaborone, Botswana in May 2024.
Ilan Godfrey for ForbesIn conversation with Forbes’ Chief Content Officer, Cannon told the audience how he became a millionaire at 21 by following his own lead—where his peers were having fun, like most teenagers, he was breaking into the television industry as an 18-year-old. Even though he blew a lot of his money on “fashion, cars, experiences” in his younger days, Cannon said, the entrepreneur in him always sought out another opportunity and “never took no for an answer.”
The rest of the morning continued with people like Tevin Musara, actor and content creator, taking the stage to talk about how companies can trust creators to take their companies to the next level, and AI Fund’s Bola Adegbulu on how fintech is a major strength of Africa’s tech ecosystem. Judy Dlamini, doctor and founder of holding company Mbekani Group, talked about how women are taking over male-dominated industries in Africa. After nearly 20 years in the medical industry and then going on to found her own company, she told the crowd “the best way to break the stereotypes is by just being the best at it.”
Botswana and pan-African designers also brought varied content to the stage through the Under 30 Summit Africa Fashion Show, featuring colorful and designers from around the continent.
From dozens of applications, 30 entrepreneurs representing various industries were selected to present their businesses to a panel of judges during the Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa Pitch Battle, which Forbes co-organized in partnership with Johannesburg-based investment firm Alpha & Omega Group and its founder Brett Lyndall Singh, who is a Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 Lister. Fellow alumni of the 30 Under 30 list, along with startup investors, determined the top three contestants who would move forward to the final stage of the pitch competition. Dadirai Mushayandebvu showcased her tech and finance company, Skweeker Solutions (which aims to revolutionize Botswana’s security sector with mobile apps). And social impact entrepreneur Tutaleni Ilonga pitched his company Edu-Game Namibia. But it was Moagi Onkabetse of the Culture & Entertainment category who walked away with the top prize (a media package with Forbes) for his business, Aurora Media Group.
Finally, South African actress and humanitarian Nomzamo Mbatha closed the evening of panels by sharing her story from accountant to executive producer of one of the biggest and most expensive productions to come out of South Africa, Shaka iLembe. She shared that when the project first came to her a few years ago, she was just an actress vying for one of the roles. But through conversations throughout the creative process, she was brought on as a producer and starred as Queen Nandi KaBhebhe.
She also shared about her work beyond acting and producing. She’s been a supporter and Goodwill ambassador for the United Nations’ Refugee Agency and she works with Global Citizen to use pop culture and entertainment to galvanize young people from around the world, she said.
Up next: She’s excited about the future of African film and television, and their position on the global stage. While Shaka iLembe was just renewed for a second season, she doesn’t want to be the single success story from Africa.
“For so long the narrative has been that African stories can not sell globally, but African stories do have a global audience,” she says. “Continue to write, continue to put together those pitch decks and continue to put together something not only of a small scale, but also dream big. We deserve it.”
Community & Cultural Immersion; Amplifying Our Impact
Summit day three took global attendees around Gaborone for giving-back activities hosted at the University of Botswana, a special screening of the short film The Boy Who Never Falls, and a diamond polishing tour, building up to a Bush Party.
On the Gaborone campus of the University of Botswana, institution administrators welcomed guests to Service Day activities as part of the 2024 Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa.
Ilan Godfrey for ForbesAttendees of the 2024 Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa participate in Service Day activities at the University of Botswana, including a sewing lesson, led by local fashion entrepreneur Montle Rantatana of MET Designs, and a skill-a-thon led by Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 list honoree Bright Jaja.
Ilan Godfrey for ForbesRepresenting the Summit’s connectivity provider Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC), Managing Director Anthony Masunga welcomed the crowd to the Bush Party. Hosted in a green park space along the country’s river border with South Africa, the fun evening in nature allowed event attendees to taste local game in a traditional Botswana braai, while dancing and enjoying the sounds of one of Africa’s top music producers, Master KG.
BTC Managing Director Anthony Masunga welcomes the crowd to the closing night Bush Party of the 2024 Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa in Gaborone, Botswana.
Ilan Godfrey for ForbesExploring The Beauty Of Botswana
Closing out year three of the Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa, the final day offered attendees a fun day of excursions. About 60 of the attendees boarded flights with the event’s official airline partner, Air Botswana, for a daytrip to the magnificent Okavango Delta for a safari drive in search of the Big 5 game animals. The group enjoyed a buffet lunch and spotted dozens of elephants and impala throughout the experience in the Delta.
Summit guests board a flight from Gaborone to Maun, Botswana on Tuesday May 7, 2024 at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport.
Ilan Godfrey for ForbesSummit guests dine on a buffet lunch outside Maun, while a pack of elephants pass in the background in search of water.
Ilan Godfrey for ForbesMeanwhile, other guests participated in a game drive at Gaborone’s Mokolodi Nature Reserve, or experienced the process of diamond cutting and polishing at Okavango Diamond Company (ODC).
Also: Explore the inaugural and second-annual iterations of the Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa, which took place in Botswana in April 2022 and April 2023.
Additional content from the 2024 Forbes Under 30 Summit Africa:
What does the creator economy mean for African content creators? Hear the perspective of one of the continent’s leading creators, Tevin Musara, who counts 20 million followers across all platforms—and his advice for making this work into a full-time job.
