
Africa’s economic reset requires moving from ambition to execution
The Africa Commerce Convergence Summit keynote address identified four elements that must converge if the continent is to achieve a meaningful economic reset.
MARKETING CONFERENCES
By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2025
The forum is a premier event that brings together marketing professionals, thought leaders and innovators from across the globe.
The 2025 World Marketing Forum has kicked off in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, and runs until Saturday, 15 November. The forum is presented annually by the Asia Marketing Federation (AMF), with the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing being this year’s host.
Colombo is hosting the World Marketing Forum. Photo: CAPRA Initiative via Flickr
The African Marketing Confederation (AMC) is a partner of the Asia Marketing Federation, and the AMC is being represented by its co-founder and President, Helen McIntee-Carlisle.
This year’s gathering will also ratify the formation of the new World Marketing Council, which has the AMC, AMF and European Marketing Confederation as founder members. The creation of the World Marketing Council was announced at the AMC’s annual conference held in Accra, Ghana recently.
Keynote speakers at the gathering in Colombo include Professor Philip Kotler, renowned as the ‘father of modern marketing’, and Professor Hermawan Kartajaya, founder and Chairman of the Asia Marketing Federation. Both men have previously been speakers at AMC events.
President and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka among the special guests
Among the special guests are the President of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Dr Harini Amarasuriya.
The World Marketing Forum is a premier event that brings together marketing professionals, thought leaders and innovators from across the globe.
It serves as a platform for sharing insights, discussing trends and exploring the future of marketing in an ever-evolving landscape.
The World Marketing Forum is a collaborative platform that brings together a range of projects and initiatives. It is widely regarded as the most prestigious marketing event in the Asian region.
The first forum was held in Kamakura, Japan, in 2021, followed by the second WMF in Indonesia the following year.

The Africa Commerce Convergence Summit keynote address identified four elements that must converge if the continent is to achieve a meaningful economic reset.

Vongani Mageza brings more than 20 years’ experience across financial services and FMCG) companies such as FNB and Diageo.

AI agents will influence shopping, algorithms will supersede social connections, and the clip economy will change how brands connect.

The brand partnership includes a new TV commercial featuring Kipchoge, digital storytelling, wellness initiatives and community programmes.

Modern retail in Africa is still dwarfed by the traditional trade. Marketers who dismiss this relationship-heavy retail model do so at their peril.

Research finds brands don’t just sell products. They can also provide employees with stories through which they feel their work is meaningful

Honesty must be demonstrated through transparency, accountability and action – shaping both reputation and future trust following a crisis.

In the funeral plan category, where most advertisements look like an obituary, Standard Lesotho Bank opted to ‘sell the cow’, not the policy.

Strategic Marketing for Africa, the publication for deep-thinking African marketing professionals, is not to be missed.

CEO of Scopen says the expansion into East Africa is a natural progression following the success of the research in South Africa.

Report says around 80% of Africa’s annual goods export potential to the Caribbean remains untapped.