Speaking at the 2026 Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, the Amsons Group chief executive said African businesses must move beyond speeches and become active players in funding healthcare, industrial growth and infrastructure projects across the continent.
“We cannot continue depending on solutions from outside,” Nahdi told an audience of more than 2,500 business leaders, policymakers, and investors from across Africa.
“The roadmap for Africa’s growth depends on local industries, shared regional infrastructure and African companies participating directly in solving social challenges,” he added.
Nahdi made the remarks while participating in two high-level discussions focused on reproductive health and Africa’s growing urban infrastructure challenges.
During a session organized by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Tanzanian businessman called on the African private sector to help close the funding gap in healthcare as international aid continues declining.
The panel discussion, titled “The $7 Question: Why Africa Cannot Afford to Lose a Generation and What Business Can Do Now,” examined the economic risks African countries could face if investment in maternal and child healthcare continues weakening.
Citing data from the World Health Organization, Nahdi said every dollar invested in maternal and child health can generate up to seven dollars in economic returns.
“Protecting maternal and child health is not charity. It is protecting the economy,” Nahdi said.
“As children of Africa, we carry a greater responsibility to protect the health of our mothers and children than foreign donors do.”
His comments come at a time when several African governments and institutions are increasingly debating how to reduce dependence on Western aid and build stronger self-funded economies driven by local investment and regional partnerships.
The Africa CEO Forum has become one of the continent’s biggest business gatherings, bringing together heads of state, multinational executives, financiers and entrepreneurs to discuss Africa’s economic future.
