Agenda Design and Facilitation of Multilateral Summits for Attracting Foreign Direct Investment in Africa

The article examines the challenges of agenda design and facilitation for multilateral investment summits in Africa, considering them as a strategic mechanism for attracting foreign direct investment. The topic’s relevance is driven by an unprecedented surge in FDI to the continent: in 2024 alone, investment flows reached 97 billion US dollars, representing 6% of global flows (UNCTAD, 2025). This boost doesn’t just remain a reputational gain, but rather translates into faster total factor productivity and real GDP growth, demonstrating the institutional role of investment forums as primary pathways for gathering long-term funds. The goal of the study is to identify the structural and organizational elements that transform summits from isolated events into institutional tools for economic integration. The originality of this work stems from its effort to organize the multi-layered setup of investment forums, where high-level coordination with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 plan and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) meets detailed planning of transactional steps — covering everything from initial project checks to post-forum deal tracking. The main results show that summit success comes from the mix of three things: (i) plan match with top-level wants, cutting rule risk; (ii) a mixed group setup where fast digital and money plans plant trust and cash flow while big spending on buildings and green steps add to the portfolio’s depth; and (iii) a shut help loop taking in smart matching, sample deal rooms, and after-forum checks which builds strong trust links and cuts deal costs. The article will be helpful to researchers in international economics, organizers of investment forums, and practitioners involved in attracting and stewarding foreign direct investment.