Until about 1750, economic growth was too slow to notice in a lifetime. Then places like England began to grow by 1% per year. You can still read in the letters of the time how this felt like a technological explosion.
Several African economies have now grown at 5–10% for most years of the past quarter-century. And the technology that should amplify this is getting better by the week.
The economist Alex Imas asks ‘what will be scarce when intelligence becomes cheap?’ His answer is the relational economy: trust, presence, the parts of the economy where the human element is the value.
We think he is right. Machines may draft the contracts, but trust is physical.
We set the table. A private dining room, decision-makers from two neighbouring continents who may otherwise not meet. Three hours, good food, no slides, no agenda. Just conversation.
This may seem banal, but it is real: When makers dine together, they find ways to help each other. This is the bedrock of growth and innovation.
So far, we have seen friendships emerge at dinners in Accra, Addis Ababa, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Gdansk, Kigali, Munich, Nairobi, Prague and Warsaw.
Leaders will shape the future the way they always have: together, in person, over food.
Join us in your city.