For decades, Africa has exported critical raw materials to the rest of the world. But the African Continental Free Trade Agreement promises to help the continent capture more value from its natural resources. The AfCFTA will create a single market where goods and services flow freely between commodity-rich African nations and more industrialized ones. At the same time, Africa is poised to finally achieve universal access to reliable power. BCG’s Tolu Oyekan looks at what these developments mean for Africa—and for the rest of the world.

Learn More:

Tolu Oyekan: https://on.bcg.com/3KLu56U

Africa Unleashed: Powering Prosperity Through Energy Access: https://on.bcg.com/4pjj0ZK

Africa Unleashed: Bridging Africa’s Infrastructure Execution Gap: https://on.bcg.com/4rKhQbe

Chapters

00:00-02:10 The scenario: The value of Pan-African trade has exploded

02:11-03:01 Where does intra-African trade stand today?

03:02-03:50 How will Africa plug into future global supply chains?

03:51-05:10 What is the current impact of AfCFTA?

05:11-05:42 How to address skepticism

05:43-07:40 What could an African renaissance look like?

07:41-10:21 How will AI’s power be harnessed across Africa?

10:22-11:03 Bill and GENE Teaser

11:04-14:20 The future of Africa’s energy infrastructure

14:21-15:40 Where will investments come from?

15:41-17:11 Will red tape hold back advancing electricity in Africa?

17:12-19:20 What role will sustainable energy play?

19:21-20:34 How to innovate around existing infrastructure challenges?

20:35-22:07 Curveball: What could prevent this future?

22:08-23:19 What is one no-regret move CEOs can make now?

23:20-27:29 Bill and GENE: Creating a Pan-African battery company.

27:30-28:14 Outro

For more than a century, Western technology, media, and cultural exports have wielded outsized influence around the globe. But over the past decade, Asian entrepreneurs and artists have started to give their Western counterparts a run for their money. BCG’s Neeraj Aggarwal explores how Asia’s influence could evolve over the next decade to rival the West’s—and how companies can strategically position themselves now to seize new opportunities.

Learn More:

Neeraj Aggarwal: https://on.bcg.com/3LVoawo

The Five Forces Shaping Asia-Pacific’s New Powerhouses: https://on.bcg.com/4p5bGB4

Chapters

00:00- 02:16 The scenario: Asia’s influence is on near-equal footing with the West

02:17-03:24 What forces are converging to extend the global reach?

03:25-04:02 What about capital for creatives and entrepreneurs?

04:03-06:21 Where will rebalancing be most evident now and in the future?

06:22-07:33 Will entrenched legacy thinking slow the West?

07:34-09:00 What role does AI play in the impact of the East and West?

09:01-10:26 To what degree is the Asian diaspora driving the rebalancing trend?

10:27-11:37 What is the role of global native entrepreneurs in this rebalancing?

11:38-12:58 Does a multipolar world work for or against global natives?

12:59-13:32 Bill and GENE Teaser

13:33-15:54 Will companies see rebalancing in the flow of talent?

15:55-18:31 Implications for Western companies in this global rebalancing

18:32-21:28 Will we see more fracturing and censorship?

21:29-23:00 If AI ecosystems become siloed, what is the impact on cultural exports?

23:01-24:06 What could upend this future?

24:07-25:25 What is one no-regret move CEOs can make now?

25:26-27:52 Bill and GENE: Creating the next K-pop blockbuster

27:52-28:36 Outro

As regional trading blocs emerge, today’s multinational playbooks will become increasingly obsolete. Marc Gilbert, BCG’s Global Lead for its Center for Geopolitics, unpacks what every CEO needs to know to master the multi-polar world, from what winning looks like to navigating local rules, preferences and politics without losing the global edge.

Learn More:

Marc Gilbert: https://on.bcg.com/4p2KjqP

What’s in Your Tariff Response Toolkit?: https://on.bcg.com/47z0M03

Services Are the New Fault Lines in Global Trade: https://on.bcg.com/43hUsaM

BCG on International Trade: https://on.bcg.com/3JBZoAB

Bonus Content on Trade and Tariffs: https://youtu.be/08RH9rSjH5Y

Chapters

00:00-01:38 The scenario: The multinational has become regional

01:39-02:57 The current state of trade and tariffs

02:58-04:25 How are CEOs navigating geopolitical risk?

04:26-06:59 What are command centers and how are leaders using them?

7:00-08:11 How do CEOs focus on long-term value during turbulence?

08:12-10:18 What major trade blocs could emerge in the future?

10:19-11:54 Will companies need to restructure to thrive?

11:55-12:57 How will companies adapt?

12:58-13:53 Which industries are likely to be most disrupted?

13:54-14:33 Bill and GENE Teaser

14:34-16:39 How can companies acquire the best talent?

16:40-17:34 How can companies insure they have the best AI talent?

17:35-19:21 How would regulation develop in this new world?

19:22-20:10 How should companies think about their headquarters?

20:11-21:11 Will local wins cannibalize global value?

21:12-22:39 How will trade disputes be handled?

22:40-23:51 What scenarios could disrupt this future?

23:52-25:47 What is one no-regret move CEOs can make now?

25:48-28:34 Bill and GENE: Building apps with no experience using AI

28:35-29:18 Outro