Alibaba’s Jack Ma expected to attend youth tech summit in Rwanda

Kigali, June 12 (IANS) Founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group Jack Ma is expected to attend the inaugural of YouthConnekt Africa Summit to be held next month here, Rwandan ministry of youth and ICT said on Sunday.

Rwanda hosts the meeting from July 19 to 21 that will primarily focus on youth entrepreneurship and to explore and exploit opportunities on the continent, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Jack Ma is scheduled to come to Rwanda and share entrepreneurial skills with our young people. We are in contacts with the Alibaba Group and we expect him next month in Kigali for YouthConnekt Africa Summit," Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Rwandan minister of youth and ICT, was quoted as saying.

He added the Chinese business magnate is among key guest speakers at the event, including Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Mukhisa Kituyi, secretary general of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Abdoulaye Mar Diye, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) assistant administrator and director of the Regional Bureau for Africa.

The summit is expected to attract more than 1,500 participants including top executives from multinational companies that operate in Africa, leaders of civil society organisations, Africa's development partners, members of the academia and most importantly successful entrepreneurs, artists and youth opinion leaders from across the continent, according to organisers.

The three-day meeting on "realising Africa's youth potential" will bring together government officials, entrepreneurs, investors, multinationals, and startups shaping the African technological ecosystem to interact and discuss on the methods of using technology to drive Africa's economic growth.