RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Future Investment Initiative Institute annual conference begins today in Riyadh, bringing together world leaders, CEOs, and executives from various sectors including finance, energy, technology, and entertainment. This year's focus included two pre-summits on Investing in Africa's future and Women's Leadership in driving global economic growth, highlighting crucial topics.

Throughout the pre-summits, FII Institute demonstrated its commitment to fostering positive change and global collaboration. The New Africa facilitated vital discussions between investors and African leaders about the untapped potential and the need for cross-border investments. His Excellency Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Jaddan opened the summit. Industry leaders including Tony Elumelu, Adebayo Ogunlesi, and Sim Tshabala, among other titans of the industry shared insights on addressing underdevelopment and driving investment.

A key highlight was the Healthcare Innovation panel which is a key FII Institute focus area, participants' insights emphasized the importance of digital health access to over 400 million individuals in Africa with remote solutions. The message was clear: investing in healthcare by all stakeholders leads to improved outcomes and enhanced economic output. In addition, a panel featuring CEOs from major food sectors tackled food security proposing strategies for agricultural efficiency and eco-friendly practices to close the food security gap.

The Powering Africa panel including leaders from ARAMCO, ACWA Power, and Heirs Energy addressed the critical need for reliable electricity access, a cornerstone for economic growth, health care, education and job creation across the continent.

A special Conversation with H.E. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, President of Senegal described the importance of empowering African youths and sustainable development across all sectors. He noted "the African continent is awakening once again to aspirations and objectives. We are witnessing the democratization of the continent. This includes building and enhancing the energy sector and related infrastructure, and promoting the youth."

At the inaugural HERiizon Summit, H.R.H Ambassador Reema Bandar Al Saud underscored the vital role of women in leadership. She noted, "We should be looking cross-sectorally in the types of training that we are doing to create a well-rounded woman in the workplace.." Speakers like Cecilia Attias and Jenny Johnson discussed strategies to elevate women's representation in Board rooms while Ruth Porat, championed the empowerment of women in finance and technology noting "We are in an incredible place [as female leaders] undergoing incredible transformation and we have to recognize that" highlighting the importance of global conferences such as FII8 for networking, and continuous learning.

On women as game changers in a complex interconnected world, Noel Quinn, pointed out that women's leadership and unique perspectives are essential in addressing a more equitable and sustainable future, "an environment where people feel valued, have opportunities and can contribute."

With over 600 speakers and 8,000 leaders, investors and innovators participating in more than 200 panels, FII8 conference aims to address the pressing challenges facing humanity - from finance, energy, investment, policy, and artificial intelligence to business, climate change, and cutting-edge innovation.

Richard Attias, CEO of the FII Institute said, "Today, we witnessed firsthand, through our pre-summits, the transformative power of engagement and dialogue, especially for women who are increasingly stepping into leadership roles and driving change across the world. By harnessing investment and forging meaningful partnerships, we can propel sustainable growth and ensure that Africa thrives as a beacon of opportunity, innovation, and resilience for generations to come. We look forward to the opening day of the 8th edition of FII, which promises to deliver tangible solutions to world's pressing challenges."

About FII Institute

The Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute is a global non-profit foundation driven by data with an investment arm and one agenda: Impact on Humanity. Global and inclusive, we foster great minds from around the world and turn ideas into real-world solutions in four critical areas: Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Robotics, Education, Healthcare and Sustainability.