How amazing it is to have been deeply involved in an international summit that ended with investors having committed US$18-billion to developing African infrastructure.
It’s sorely needed. It is estimated that our continent needs to invest between $130-billion and $170-billion in infrastructure annually for the foreseeable future to ensure the level of economic growth that will secure a peaceful and prosperous tomorrow.
Flow worked with the African Union Commission (AUC) and African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) to present the III Financing Summit for Africa’s Infrastructure Development Investors, which ran in Luanda, Angola, from 28 to 31 October 2025.
It was a complex task that Flow account director Ayanda Siswana described as high-pressure and enjoyable in equal measure.
“It was one of the biggest events I’ve worked on and it really tested me in terms of my leadership skills and how much pressure I can take, but it was so enjoyable. I really thrive on events like this,” she says.
The summit saw heads of state from across Africa gather in Luanda alongside investors and development partners for three days of presentations and meetings. Co-hosted by the AUC and AUDA-NEPAD, the summit had the theme “Capital, Corridors, Trade: Investing in Infrastructure for the AfCFTA and Shared Prosperity”. (The AfCFTA is the African Continental Free Trade Area, aimed at creating a single continental market for goods and services.)
A large task, a big team
A team of 12 Flowstars worked on the summit, from developers who built the conference website, including a user login process, an interactive map and live streaming facilities, to a writer, a project manager and public relations experts. Flow developers maintained the website throughout the event, providing programme updates and schedules and other content management assistance.
We started work a few months ahead of the summit, collaborating with the AUC and AUDA-NEPAD online. A few days before the summit began, Ayanda touched down in Luanda to assist the development agency with logistics, including for the 23 members of the media who attended the event.
Flow head of social media Miliswa Sitshwele joined Ayanda in Luanda during the conference to provide social media support – LinkedIn was the top-performing platform for this particular event.
AUDA-NEPAD’s LinkedIn profile gained 492 new followers and a 62.7% increase in post views over the summit. In addition, we covered the conference on Facebook and X.
“The best part was seeing the conference come alive online. Watching people from across the continent engage with the content and join the conversation about Africa’s progress was amazing,” says Miliswa.
“Physically being in the room while people discussed billions of dollars being put into Africa’s future, and then sharing those moments with everyone online, felt really special,” she adds.
Ahead of the conference, Flowstars secured airline partners (TAAG Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines) and media partners (Africa.com and TIME Africa). We also kept the website updated and wrote opinion pieces in collaboration with AUC and AUDA-NEPAD officials to emphasise the event’s importance.
Just under a week after the summit ended, we counted 102 articles published via traditional media – 25 in print, 36 broadcast mentions and 41 online-only pieces, reaching just over 57-million people.
“There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing so much coverage,” says Ayanda.
Zipporah Maubane, head of communications and advocacy at AUDA-NEPAD, thanked Flow for our support. “Your dedication and teamwork made a real difference. Working together with you all was truly a pleasure,” she says.
Impressions of Angola
After the conference ended, Miliswa and Ayanda stayed on an extra day to take in some of the sights.
“I know we only visited a small percentage of the country, but from what we saw, Angola is beautiful and very clean,” says Ayanda.
The two young women explored the city and are still giggling over the language difficulties they experienced because Angola’s lingua franca is Portuguese, which they don’t speak.
They joined an organised tour of the National Museum of Slavery in Luanda, housed in a building alongside the 17th-century Capela da Casa Grande, where individuals were forcibly baptised before their journey into the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade.
“Our visit [to the museum] taught us a lot, but it was very, very sad. It was nice to learn, but very emotional,” says Ayanda.
The pair also visited Miradouro da Lua (View of the Moon), a spectacular valley where erosion from wind and rain over thousands of years has carved canyons and ridges out of weathered rock just footsteps off the main road.
“The Angolan government treated us to a beautiful lunch, with the most amazing views,” says Ayanda. “We also had an opportunity to visit the Museum of the Armed Forces, which boasts an impressive collection of military artefacts. What a treat, all in a day!”
Says Miliswa: “Luanda is stunning. It’s so clean and you can really feel the energy of a city on the rise. It was honestly a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and I loved every moment of it.”