Dr James Mwangi, CEO of Equity Group Holdings, has been named to the Global Board of Advisors for the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).
This think tank, based in the United States, focuses on shaping foreign policy and fostering international cooperation.
The board includes policymakers, academics, business leaders, and media figures from around the world. Dr Mwangi’s appointment signals a step towards bringing Africa’s perspectives into global discussions.
I am honoured to join CFR’s Global Board of Advisors and to bring a positive African narrative to these discussions. Africa has much to contribute to the world, and this platform offers an opportunity for more sustainable partnerships between Africa and the rest of the world.
The CFR plays a significant role in analysing global issues, offering policy insights, and facilitating dialogue between US leaders and their international counterparts.
Dr Mwangi’s inclusion is seen as a move to highlight Africa’s potential in areas such as trade, development, and innovation.
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Dr Mwangi's appointment to World Bank Group’s High-Level Advisory Council
This new role follows another appointment. Dr Mwangi was recently named to the World Bank Group’s High-Level Advisory Council on Jobs.
The council was launched during the 2024 World Bank Group-IMF Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, with a focus on creating employment opportunities in developing economies, particularly for youth and women.
According to Dr Mwangi, over the next decade, Africa will see a sharp rise in its working-age population, yet the available jobs may fall short of the demand by nearly 800 million.
One in four people globally will be African by 2030, with more than a third of the world’s young people on the continent.
The council, chaired by Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Chile’s former President Michelle Bachelet, brings together 14 global leaders to tackle this challenge.
They aim to develop policies and programmes to address unemployment, turning the demographic surge into an opportunity for growth.
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Dr Mwangi views his participation as a way to contribute practical solutions. “Young people are the key to Africa’s future. At Equity, we aim to create 50 million jobs by 2030, and I hope to use insights from the council to strengthen this initiative,” he said.
With Africa’s youth population expected to surge in the coming decade, the council will focus on creating scalable solutions to close the gap between job demand and availability.