Trillions of dollars of under-invested capital in the developed world are seeking higher returns at the same time as developing countries seek capital as well as expertise, knowledge and implementation capacity to grow. What can we do now to accelerate these linkages in housing, agribusiness and tourism in East African Community (EAC) countries, three sectors with significant growth and job creation potential? This year’s Development Finance Forum (DFF) in Kigali will bring together business leaders, policy makers, thought leaders and financiers from private and public sectors in the EAC and beyond to drill down together on what can be done to start to address some of the biggest challenges to scaling up private investment in these areas.

The DFF aims to bring together the stakeholders that can change the risk-return landscape in developing countries - both to achieve clarity on the roles each has to play, and to explore promising ideas, initiatives, and partnerships that need extra impetus to become successful. Through its focus on action and the identification of specific constraints and opportunities in Africa, the DFF aims to offer a pre-investment platform for the public and private sector to explore market-building alliances and opportunities in Africa.