In just over a week, Nairobi, Kenya will welcome influential figures from across business, finance, technology, and creative sectors as Nkiru Balonwu, founder of The Africa Soft Power Group, hosts the 4thh edition of the Africa Soft Power (ASP) Summit.
The five-day event, scheduled for May 21-25, 2025, comes at a critical moment as stakeholders increasingly recognize the economic potential of Africa’s cultural and intellectual assets. Under the theme “Africa’s Growth Engine: Aligning the Flow of Money, Innovation, and Global Opportunities,” the summit aims to position the continent’s creative, digital, and knowledge industries as drivers of sustainable growth.
“Too often, Africa’s creative and digital sectors are overlooked in traditional economic policy and capital conversations,” said Nkiru Balonwu, Founder and Convener of Africa Soft Power in a statement. “But in an era shaped by AI, climate disruption, and shifting socio-political power, our creative and tech ecosystems aren’t just cultural or soft, they are strategic. They offer the world new thinking, new models, and new pathways forward. That’s what this summit is about: showing that Africa is not just participating in the future, we are helping shape it.”
Balonwu, who holds a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, has built a career focused on transforming African narratives on the global stage, the statement further said. Through her leadership of the Africa Soft Power ecosystem, she works to harness the continent’s innovative and cultural resources as catalysts for influence and development.
“We cannot leave the fate of our continent to our men alone. African women need to get on board to create a brighter future for Africa and our children,” she stated, reflecting her commitment to inclusive leadership.
The Nairobi summit will feature three integrated components: the Remarkable African Women’s Leadership Conference, the Creative & Innovative Industries Conference, and the Africa Soft Power Gala celebrating excellence across multiple creative fields.
This gathering follows Balonwu’s recent role in facilitating the prestigious CBN-NASDAQ event at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City on April 17, 2025, where she helped showcase the Central Bank of Nigeria’s transformative reforms to global financial leaders.
As an advisor on Stakeholder Engagement to the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Balonwu brings significant experience in shaping policies promoting financial inclusion and sustainable development. Her previous executive leadership includes serving as CEO of Spinlet, where she led Africa’s then-largest music streaming platform to serve over two million subscribers, according to the statement.
The Africa Soft Power Summit continues Balonwu’s work of creating platforms that elevate African discourse on the world stage. Under her leadership, The Africa Soft Power Group has featured at global events including the UN General Assembly, US-Africa Leaders Summit, and World Economic Forum in Davos.
