Cristina Morelli
Cristina Morelli
Speaker
Head of Sovereign, Financial Institutions & Corporate - International Cooperation and Development Finance

Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP)

Italy

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Stage 3 - Uxolo Development Finance

The Biggest Opportunity in History: Mobilising $2 Trillion Infrastructure Investment into Africa to Reverse Mass Migration

Ed Harkins
Director, Trade and Export Finance Ambassador/Vice Chair,
GKB Ventures
Leandro Fernandez
Managing Director | CEO,
INZAG Germany GmbH
Loic Perret
Head of Infrastructure,
Proparco
Robert Besseling
CEO,
Pangea Risk
JJ Stegmann
Global Head: Export & Agency Finance,
Investec
Asanda Tsotsi
Head: Structured Export & Agency Finance,
Standard Bank
Cristina Morelli
Head of Sovereign, Financial Institutions & Corporate - International Cooperation and Development Finance,
Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP)
Moderator
Frederik Hsu
Chairman,
Diaward International Group

By 2035, Africa will be home to one-third of the world’s youth and represent the planet’s last major growth engine. Yet the continent faces a paradox: a booming population alongside declining access to jobs, education, energy, and basic services - driving one of the largest internal and external migration waves in modern history.

This session presents a transformative vision: how $2 trillion in blended finance investment can reverse mass migration, regenerate both rural and urban economies, and power inclusive growth through coordinated infrastructure development across energy, water, agriculture, and social services.

As advanced economies enter demographic decline, AI displaces labour, and productivity gaps widen, the world’s long-term stability and prosperity increasingly hinge on Africa’s success. The discussion asks: how can ECAs, DFIs, sovereigns, institutional investors, commercial banks, insurers, and private innovators work together to deploy blended finance at scale, volume, and pace?