After four insightful days and several interesting sessions the World Economic Forum 2014 came to an end in Davos, Switzerland on 25th January. The big question at this year’s event was centred around reshaping the world and how slow growth, high unemployment, rising inequality, and climate change were some of the issues that must be addressed to truly achieve a reshaped world.

The African continent is recognized as one of the last frontier markets, consequently its potential as a foreign investment destination; as such particular sessions were devoted to the continent with specific focus placed on the acceleration of developed market gross domestic product (GDP) and its impact on emerging market economic growth.

While the narrative on Africa is evolving, more and more Africans are joining the conversation and taking ownership of the issues that impact the continent.

Such can be said of the session Population, Poverty and Prosperity led by Friends Africa’s CEO, Dr Akudo Anyanwu Ikemba- which focused on how the small differences in family planning can have a dramatic effect on population numbers over time and drastically improve the quality of life for millions of people around the world; with speakers such as President of Senegal; Macky Sall, Precious Moloi-Motsepe, Executive Chaiperson, Motsepe Foundation South Africa; Global Agenda Council on Population Growth, Karita N. Ramdas, Rep. Ford Foundation India, Global Agenda Council on India, David E. Bloom – Clarence James Gamble Professor of Economics and Demography in the Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, Helen D. Gayle – President and CEO, CARE USA; the session highlighted what new approaches can change the course of this trajectory to break the cycle of poverty, poor health and lack of education in Africa.

Friends Africa: Driving the Business Case for Health Care in Africa

The World Economic Forum 2014 made health one of it’s top priority topics and CNBC’s Gugu Mfuphi in a session with Friends Africa’s assiduous CEO, Akudo Anyanwu Ikemba, discussed how the organization is making a business case for health in Africa.

Highlighting the challenges facing Africa and the need for increased private sector partnership and engagement, Dr Akudo Anyanwu Ikemba elucidated on the fact that “there is a new wave of African indigenous corporates who are becoming more committed to the discuss of health on the continent and we are glad to have led this discuss; however, we cant continue to do business in Africa without the corporates being held accountable for the health of its workforce”.

Please click here to watch full interview.

HuffPost Live @ Davos: We Need to Create an Africa that is Free of AIDS, TB & Malaria

Africa’s leading health advocacy organisation, Friends Africa was again in the spotlights at this year’s World Economic Forum in a live interview session with HuffPost Live on Friday, January 24th to discuss the major health challenges facing Africa today.

Joining Ahmed Shihab-Eldin of Host Huffpost Live during the the interview; Dr. Akudo Anyanwu Ikemba, CEO and founder of Friends Africa highlighted that innovation will play a crucial role in overcoming infrastructural and developmental challenges in Africa as these are major challenges impeding the fight against these diseases. She stated that “People around us are constantly dying, there’s no time to wait until economic growth is high enough to finance health care.Thus civil society groups, governments and organizations must become innovative in addressing the challenges facing Africa” and this is what Friends Africa seeks to achieve.

Please click link to watch full interview.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Geneva-based non-profit organization best Davos, Switzerland, the Annual Meeting of please click to read more