FII initiatives raise the bar for human prosperity 
The eighth Future Investment Initiative conference concluded last month under the theme “Infinite Horizons: Investing Today, Shaping Tomorrow.”
Over four days, more than 600 speakers and 8,000 delegates — including world leaders, ministers, CEOs, investors and policy experts — discussed key challenges in AI, robotics, sustainability, health, energy, business and education.
Visionaries explored how nonlinear thinking can direct capital toward solving critical global issues, from infrastructure gaps to environmental threats, aiming to balance consumption and regeneration.
For the first time, the conference featured two dynamic pre-summits: The New Africa Summit and the HERizon Summit. The Africa Summit focused on fostering cross-border investment and highlighting Africa’s particular opportunities, while the HERizon Summit aimed to advance women’s leadership across the Global North and South.
This year’s event brought together global decision-makers to address humanity’s critical challenges, particularly in the Global South. It also launched groundbreaking initiatives, including an international effort to enable AI in emerging markets and the Ocean Central project.
Numerous investment initiatives were announced to support renewable energy, health care and technology projects, aiming to improve lives through free health checks, reduced health care costs and sustainable practices.
The World Bank’s 2024 annual report highlights a range of global challenges, including climate change, pandemics and conflict. Simultaneously, many developing nations face shrinking growth, declining investment and rising debt.
Nearly 700 million people live in extreme poverty, while almost half the global population survives on less than $6.85 a day.
Additionally, the UN digital technologies agency reports that 2.7 billion people — about one-third of the world’s population — still lack Internet access.
The imbalance in basic human needs among individuals living across the globe requires institutions such as the FII Institute to play a pivotal role in breaking traditional boundaries and expanding the potential of human achievement.
The imbalance in basic human needs among individuals living across the globe requires institutions such as the FII Institute to play a pivotal role in breaking traditional boundaries and expanding the potential of human achievement.
Richard Attias, CEO of the FII Institute, has emphasized the importance of addressing urgent global priorities such as governance, health care and the cost of living.
The institute also released several reports, including the FII PRIORITY Compass and the Global Future of Work Compass, which provide valuable insights into global trends and challenges.
The FII PRIORITY Compass, based on the opinions of more than 22,000 individuals from 21 countries, highlighted global priorities such as governance, health care and the cost of living.
The Global Future of Work Compass surveyed more than 1,300 individuals and 200 companies from the MENA region. The report indicates that 50 percent of respondents find advanced technology disruptive, and 46 percent believe youth tech training is insufficient, underscoring the need for proactive education reform and upskilling.
It is worth noting that during the four days of the FII 8 conference, more than 30 announcements totaling $70 billion were made, focusing on promoting sustainable development and innovative solutions for humanity.
Total announcements for the eight events from 2017 to 2024 amounted to $198 billion.
I was honored to attend this year’s FII conference at the invitation of the institute and greatly benefited from the rich sessions and discussions.
• Talat Zaki Hafiz is an economist and financial analyst. X: @TalatHafiz
