10th Annual Summit — Congo

Activating Industry
Corridors & Intercontinental
Cooperation

The TROPICS SUMMIT & COUNTRIES SHOWCASE brings governments, investors, and industry captains to Brazzaville to turn a host nation into a structured, sector-based investment narrative.

Brazzaville, Republic of Congo · November 17–21, 2026
Aerial view of Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
10 YearsOf Impact
USD 2–3BnFacilitated Deals
10,000Participants
500+Incubated Startups
Jan 1, 2027Congo Borders Open
Institutional Summary Note

I.Context and Purpose of the Summit

This edition marks ten years of the TROPICS SUMMIT & COUNTRIES SHOWCASE: ten editions that have consolidated, geography after geography, a unique methodology for turning a host country into a structured, sector-based investment narrative sustained over time — seven editions in South Africa, one in Cabo Verde, one in Congo-Brazzaville, and now this tenth, Congolese edition. This methodology has been tested and officially recognised since 2022 in Cabo Verde, where the Cabo Verdean Government itself validated the Summit as a catalyst for investment, networking, and financing mobilisation for small and medium-sized enterprises.

A High-Leverage Sequence

The TROPICS SUMMIT & COUNTRIES SHOWCASE Brazzaville Summit (November 17–21, 2026) would precede by just six weeks the opening of the Republic of Congo’s borders, announced for January 1, 2027 — making the Summit the tipping point between ambition, structuring, and execution of the Congo Nation Branding Diplomacy programme.

Who It’s For

One place, one week, every decision-maker

The Summit brings together the full range of stakeholder categories whose joint decisions determine the shift from ambition to execution.

Governments

Heads of State, Prime Minister’s Office and sector ministries shaping the corridor’s regulatory path.

Institutional track →

Investors

Family offices, multi-sector funds, and commercial & investment banks sourcing dealroom opportunities.

Dealroom access →

Partner Countries

Country Showcases from CEMAC, Africa, and international markets presenting bilateral cooperation.

Country Showcase →

Startups

An accredited cohort of Congolese startups connected to the continent’s leading incubators.

Startup diplomacy →

Industry & Trade

Employers’ federations, chambers of commerce, and industry captains choosing Congo and Africa.

Industry corridor →
The High-Level Legacy

Speakers & Keynotes — 10 Years of Impact

A retrospective of the dignitaries, keynote speakers, and industry leaders who have graced the Tropics Summit stage over the past decade, representing nations and institutions from across the globe.

H.E Ameenah Gurib-Fakim

H.E Ameenah Gurib-Fakim

The Former President, First Female President

(Republic of Mauritius)

H.E Francisco Carvalho

H.E Francisco Carvalho

The Prime Minister

(Republic of Cabo Verde)

H.E Debora Katisa Carvalho

H.E Debora Katisa Carvalho

The First Lady

(Republic of Cabo Verde)

H.E Ana Dias Lourenço

H.E Ana Dias Lourenço

The First Lady

(Republic of Angola)

H.E Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi

H.E Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi

The First Lady

(Democratic Republic of Congo)

H.E Jean-Pierre Ossey

H.E Jean-Pierre Ossey

The Ambassador Plenipotentiary

(Republic of Congo to South Africa)

H.E Rod Rembendambya

H.E Rod Rembendambya

The Ambassador Plenipotentiary

(Republic of Congo to South Africa)

H.E Ulisses Correia e Silva

H.E Ulisses Correia e Silva

The Former Prime Minister

(Republic of Cabo Verde)

H.E Jacqueline Lydia Mikolo

H.E Jacqueline Lydia Mikolo

Minister of Trade, Supplies and Consumer Affairs, responsible for the implementation of the AfCFTA

(Republic of Congo)

H.E Amadou Kone

H.E Amadou Kone

Minister of Transports

(Republic of Cote d’Ivoire)

H.E Michrist Kaba Mboko

H.E Michrist Kaba Mboko

Minister Delegate for Youth and Civic Education

(Republic of Congo)

H.E Prince Bahamboula

H.E Prince Bahamboula

Minister Delegate for the Tourism Industry

(Republic of Congo)

H.E Elisabeth Moreno

H.E Elisabeth Moreno

Former Minister Delegate for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities

(Republic of France)

H.E Pinky Kekana

H.E Pinky Kekana

Minister in the Presidency

(Republic of South Africa)

HRH Anibal Rei Mondlane

HRH Anibal Rei Mondlane

Royal King

(Mozambique)

HRH Phyllis Malope

HRH Phyllis Malope

President & Founder, Philani Development Centre

(Republic of South Africa)

H.E Wamkele Mene

H.E Wamkele Mene

Secretary General, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

(Republic of South Africa & Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia)

H.E Dr Ngone Diop

H.E Dr Ngone Diop

Director of Sub-Regional Office for West Africa, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)

(Senegal & Niger)

HRH Tiguidanke Mounir Camara

HRH Tiguidanke Mounir Camara

Chairwoman & CEO, Tigui Holding

(Guinea, Cote d’ivoire & Guinea-Bissau)

Maître Gisèle Ngungua Sangua

Maître Gisèle Ngungua Sangua

Former Provincial Minister & Congolese lawyer, admitted to the Lubumbashi Bar

(Democratic Republic of Congo)

Cecilia Akintomide

Cecilia Akintomide

Former Vice President and Secretary General of the African Development Bank Group & Africa expert, skilled in Strategy, Development Finance, International Law, Project Finance, and Corporate Governance

(Nigeria, Togo & UK)

Maître Annick Patricia Mongo

Maître Annick Patricia Mongo

Managing Director, API-Congo – National Investment Promotion Agency

(Congo)

Melvin Foote

Melvin Foote

President, The Constituency for Africa

(USA & Global Africa)

Josielle Rafidy

Josielle Rafidy

Managing Director, The Economic Development Board (EDBM)

(Madagascar)

George Khoza

George Khoza

Senior Strategic Relations Manager, Brand South Africa

(South Africa)

Samba Bathily

Samba Bathily

President & Founder, ADS Group

(Mali, Burkina Faso & Cote d’Ivoire)

Roll Stephane Ngomat

Roll Stephane Ngomat

Diplomat, Expert in international relations, and a staunch advocate for peace, security, and sustainable development

(Gabon)

Khady Evelyne Denise Ndiaye

Khady Evelyne Denise Ndiaye

Directrice du Secteur Privé, Commission de l’UEMOA

(Senegal & Côte d’Ivoire)

Pilisiwe Twala-Tau

Pilisiwe Twala-Tau

Gauteng PDO, SALGA

(South Africa)

Amadou Gallo Fall

Amadou Gallo Fall

President, Basketball Africa League (BAL)

(Republic of Senegal)

Sylvere CJ Youmbah

Sylvere CJ Youmbah

Founder, Afrika Synergies

(South Africa & Congo)

Rene Ralph

Rene Ralph

CEO & Founder, XEGARA

(South Africa)

Secure Your Place

Partner & Delegate Tiers

Commercial sponsor tiers referenced in the concept note (Startup, Enterprise, Investor) are open for this edition. Enquire to confirm allocation and delegate passes ahead of the Brazzaville dates.

Startup Pack — Startup Diplomacy Track

Your seat in Africa’s fastest-growing investment corridor.

  • Pitch your product or service on the same stage as Heads of State, ministers and industry captains shaping the Brazzaville–Pointe-Noire Corridor
  • Get matched with Pan-African incubators, accelerators and startup studios actively sourcing Congolese and African founders
  • Access dedicated Dealrooms built to connect startups with investors, family offices and multi-sector funds
  • Position your venture six weeks before Congo’s historic border opening on January 1ST 2027, a rare first-mover window into a $2–3Bn deal-flow market
  • Join a startup diplomacy cohort connected to a decade of Tropics Summit impact: 10,000+ participants, 500+ startups incubated, USD 2–3Bn facilitated deals
Enquire →

Enterprise Pack — Industry & Trade Corridor

Bring your whole team into Africa’s next big investment story.

  • Register your company as a delegation and negotiate as one voice across 20 mobilized investor categories — from Industry & Agro-processing to GovTech and AfCFTA trade
  • Unlock Dealroom access built for employers’ federations, chambers of commerce and industry captains choosing Congo and Africa
  • Group registration means group leverage: strengthen your brand visibility across the Summit’s plenary sessions and sector-based side events
  • Connect directly with Special Economic Zone mappings, PPP infrastructure projects, and the Brazzaville–Pointe-Noire logistics corridor
  • Be in the room when the Congo Nation Branding Diplomacy programme and its industrial investment pacts are signed live
Enquire →

Investor Pack — Dealroom & Capital Access

Source your next African deal before the market fully opens.

  • Priority Dealroom access engineered for family offices, multi-sector investment funds, and commercial & investment banks
  • Direct line to bankable projects across 20 investor categories and 10 cooperation zones spanning CEMAC, AfCFTA and beyond
  • VIP access to the Summit’s Gala evening — where the real deal-making happens beyond the plenary stage
  • First-mover positioning ahead of Congo’s border opening on January 1, 2027, inside a corridor already validated by governments and institutions since 2022
  • Direct exposure to Heads of State, ministers, investment promotion agencies and Country Showcases from 10 global cooperation tiers
Enquire →
The Founding Story

II.The Sovereign Brazzaville–Pointe-Noire Corridor

Before projecting itself toward the continent, Congo Nation Branding Diplomacy would anchor itself in what the country already owns outright: a fully national corridor linking its political capital, Brazzaville, to its economic capital, Pointe-Noire, entirely under Congolese sovereignty. Between the two: the Congo–Ocean Railway, 510 kilometres of logistics sovereignty.

  • National industrial corridor — controlled end-to-end, from land to export.
  • Maritime gateway — CEMAC hinterland: Gabon, Cameroon, CAR, Chad.
  • Dual tourism offer — Brazzaville, UNESCO Creative City; Pointe-Noire, coastal tourism.
  • Startup diplomacy — national scale first, continental scale next.
  • Phase 2 projection — toward Brazzaville–Kinshasa, CEMAC, SADC and international markets.
Brazzaville, Republic of Congo — the corridor and the Congo River
Brazzaville, Republic of Congo — the corridor and the Congo River
The Proposed Resolution

III.Congo Nation Branding Diplomacy

This edition could devote its most structuring resolution to the launch of the signature Congo Nation Branding Diplomacy programme, driven by the Nation Branding Consortium chaired by Tropics Group of Companies Ltd., alongside employers’ federations, investment promotion agencies, tourism boards, chambers of commerce and startup incubators, in a partnership envisaged with the Government of the Republic of Congo.

  • Intra-African corridors — extension toward CEMAC via Pointe-Noire, then toward SADC via the Brazzaville–Kinshasa axis in phase 2.
  • International corridors — opening investment routes with focus countries outside the continent, across twelve reference sectors.
  • Startup diplomacy — representation of an accredited cohort of Congolese startups, connected to the continent’s leading incubators.
Multisectoral Side Events

Industrial Corridors and Market Competitiveness (Day 1 afternoon)

  1. Blue Economy, Infrastructure and Transport (Day 2 morning)
  2. Energy and Water Resources (Day 2 afternoon)
  3. Entrepreneurship, EdTech, Talent Mobility and City Twinning (Day 3 morning)
  4. SME/SMI and Artisans Diplomacy, Trade and AfCFTA (Day 3 afternoon)
  5. Creative Economy and Tourism & Media Industries (Day 4 morning)
  6. Next Generation, Sports and Health (Day 4 afternoon)
Industry as the Lever Cluster

IV.Twenty Investor Categories Mobilised

The TROPICS SUMMIT & COUNTRIES SHOWCASE organises its action around a lever cluster — Industry — broken down into industrial development, special economic zones, and private sector promotion. Each category is connected to a dedicated dealroom.

Industry & Agro-processing
Intra-African Trade (AfCFTA)
International Cooperation
Infrastructure & PPPs
Vocational Training & EdTech
SMEs & Crafts
Transport & Logistics
Tourism & SEZs
Creative Economy
Startup Diplomacy
Human Capital
Blue Economy & Value Chains
GovTech, Digital, AI & Cybersecurity
Youth & NextGen
Health
Energy & Renewables
Environment & Congo Basin
Women’s Leadership
Banks, Funds & Family Offices
Business Law & LegalTech
Pointe-Noire, economic capital — aerial view of the coastline
Pointe-Noire, economic capital — aerial view of the coastline
Cross-Continental Cooperation

V.Ten Zones Mobilised

The global cooperation guide structures, across twelve reference sectors, the full range of Congo’s potential partners. Each participating country organises its own Country Showcase — public sector, private sector, banks, investment promotion agency, chamber of commerce, tourism board.

TierCountries & Markets
Tier 0 — Top PriorityDemocratic Republic of Congo: Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Matadi
Tier 1 — CEMACCameroon, Gabon, CAR, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe
Tier 2 — East AfricaKenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda
Tier 3 — West AfricaNigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Guinea, Benin, Togo, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger…
Tier 4 — Southern AfricaSouth Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Mauritius, Madagascar…
Tier 5 — North AfricaMorocco, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia
Tier 6 — EuropeFrance, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom…
Tier 7 — Middle EastUnited Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Turkey
Tier 8 — AmericasUnited States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Barbados, Dominican Rep., Trinidad and Tobago…
Tier 9 — Asia-PacificChina, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam…
Identified Cooperation Gaps
30–40%Intra-CEMAC logistics overcost
<5%Startups connected to East Africa
<2%Trade flows toward West Africa
≈0North American venture capital in Congo
Congo Basin — floating village on the river
A National Trajectory Already Underway

Vision Congo 2063

Congo opens its borders on 1st January 2027, six weeks after Brazzaville hosts the TROPICS SUMMIT’s 10th edition, creating a rare window to shape the market before it fully opens. Banks, funds, asset and wealth managers, family offices, and strategic sponsors are invited to partner now across five plenary blocks and seven side events spanning industry, energy, trade, and creative sectors. Partnership means direct access to bankable projects, G2B/G2G dealrooms, and a founding seat at the table as the Congo Destination takes shape.

Border Opening, January 1, 2027

In line with Vision Congo 2063 and the pan-African commitment championed by President Denis Sassou N’Guesso in favour of the African Continental Free Trade Area, the Republic of Congo has announced visa exemption for African nationals and the opening of its borders on January 1, 2027 — just six weeks after the close of the TROPICS SUMMIT & COUNTRIES SHOWCASE Brazzaville 2026.

Institutional Network

The Premium Sponsors & Partners

The Summit’s cooperation network spans the institutions and mechanisms already engaged with the Republic of Congo — plus the commercial partner tiers open for this edition.

Institutional references confirmed in the concept note. Commercial sponsor tiers (Startup, Enterprise, Investor) are open — send your logo to be added to the strip.

Ten Editions of Impact

VI.Expected Resolutions: a New Chapter for Congo

Since its creation, the TROPICS SUMMIT & COUNTRIES SHOWCASE has held nine consecutive editions — seven in South Africa and two across Cabo Verde and Congo-Brazzaville — building a recognised track record in networking, financing mobilisation and SME support, officially validated by the Cabo Verdean Government since 2022. In a context where the January 1, 2027 border opening and Vision Congo 2063 open a narrow window to capture structuring investment, participation in this edition would be decisive for stakeholders wishing to position themselves ahead of the dealrooms, SEZ mappings and bilateral agreements expected to be announced at the Summit.

Resolutions Expected From This Edition

  • Official adoption of the Congo Nation Branding Diplomacy programme as a lasting framework.
  • Signing of an industrial investment pact with at least three investors.
  • Publication of an official mapping of priority special economic zones.
  • Launch of the industrial and technology talent hub and the flagship entrepreneurial incubator.
  • Signing of a memorandum projecting toward the Brazzaville–Kinshasa corridor.
  • Commitment to documented twelve-month follow-up for every agreement reached.

Why Participation Is Imperative

The Summit brings together, in one place and one week, the full range of stakeholder categories whose joint decisions determine the shift from ambition to execution — from Heads of State to industry captains, family offices to local cooperatives.

  • Head of State, Prime Minister’s Office, Deputy Prime Minister’s Office and Government members
  • Employers’ federations and professional associations
  • Family offices and multi-sector investment funds
  • Trade, commerce and industry chambers
  • Incubators, accelerators and startup studios
  • Industry captains and African, Caribbean and international entrepreneurs choosing Congo and Africa
  • Partner countries — Country Showcases and bilateral cooperation
  • Sector ministries
  • Commercial and investment banks, insurance companies
  • Investment promotion agencies
  • Universities and technical/vocational training centres
  • Congolese and global African diaspora
  • Mayors and local cooperatives, sustainable development stakeholders
Brazzaville at dusk — the Congo River corniche
Brazzaville at dusk — the Congo River corniche
Timeline & Contacts

VII.From Sourcing to Twelve-Month Follow-Up

T−3 months
Project sourcing, outreach to Congolese institutions.
T−1 month
Dealrooms prepared, corridor positioning validated.
Nov 17–21, 2026
Brazzaville Summit.
Jan 1, 2027
Opening of the Republic of Congo’s borders.
M+12
Documented follow-up of commitments, subject to agreements reached.
Brazzaville by night — the illuminated tower and the bridge
Brazzaville by night — the illuminated tower and the bridge