Africa’s place in a global economy where machine learning is starting to rival manpower and prosperity is built on the ingenuity of people rather than natural resources, will be the focus of the twenty-sixth World Economic Forum on Africa in Kigali, Rwanda, from May 11 to 13.

The event will convene more than 1 200 participants from at least 70 countries under the theme Connecting Africa’s Resources through Digital Transformation. Leaders from government, business, civil society, academia, media and the arts will take part in discussions exploring Africa’s prospects and priorities as the world enters the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Discussions will take up where the WEF’s annual meeting in Davos-Klosters in January, which was themed Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution, left off. According to WEF, the Kigali meeting will seek to identify priorities and actions for Africa’s leaders as they look to build economies that are able to flourish in the increasingly digital, convergent marketplaces of tomorrow.

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution presents a unique opportunity to build stronger, fairer, more prosperous societies, but this can only be achieved through strong institutions, greater regional integration and investment in key areas such as infrastructure, education and industries,” said Elsie Kanza, head of Africa and member of the executive committee for the World Economic Forum.

“There is vast scope for public-private cooperation to help realise these goals.”

Claver Gatete, Rwanda’s minister of finance and economic planning, added: “An entrepreneurial, knowledge-intensive economy is the foundation for inclusive growth in Rwanda and beyond. The World Economic Forum on Africa allows us to take this conversation further and identify opportunities for public-private partnership that will generate more jobs and higher living standards in Africa as a whole.”

South Africa’s deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, will lead the South African delegation at the event, which will be attended by numerous regional and world leaders, including a number of heads of state and other senior government ministers, leaders of multinational organisations and business.