Business leaders and experts have called for urgent collaboration and succession planning to keep African companies thriving across generations.
The appeal came Thursday at the Convergence Africa 2026 summit in Abuja. The event was themed "Transgenerational Connection: Architecting Generational Capital Across Industries."
Patience Oluwatoyin Olusuyi convened the gathering and challenged African founders directly. She urged them to stop chasing short-term profits and build institutions that outlast them.
Africa has talented entrepreneurs and innovative startups everywhere, Olusuyi told the audience. But many businesses collapse because they depend entirely on their founders' personalities.
According to her, most companies lack the systems needed for long-term survival. They're designed to succeed today, not to endure tomorrow.
"Will what we are building outlive us?" she asked the crowd. "Because profitability is not permanent.
Growth is not sustainability. And attention is not strength."
Too many African enterprises rest on one person's energy, she stressed. They need reliable systems instead of relying on founder charisma.
Olusuyi explained why the summit matters for the continent's economic future. It pushes business leaders to intentionally design companies that transfer wealth and opportunities across decades.
She warned against businesses operating in complete isolation from other sectors. Law, finance, technology, real estate, and fashion must collaborate actively.
"We must move from isolation to collaboration," Olusuyi said firmly. "From ambition to alignment.
From short-term wins to long-term domination."
Niyi Adesanya delivered the keynote address as a strategist and consultant. He called conversations about generational wealth "critically timely" for Nigeria and Africa.
Adesanya noted that readiness for change happens continuously, not once. Businesses must stay flexible as economic realities shift rapidly.
He advised entrepreneurs against waiting for perfect conditions to act. Progress usually starts before anyone feels fully prepared.
Federal High Court Judge Mabel Segun Bello also spoke at the event. She emphasized that cross-industry collaboration now drives business sustainability.
Bello explained how the business landscape has transformed dramatically. Companies no longer operate as isolated competitors within their sectors.
Industries now integrate their operations to create innovative solutions together. Technology already connects sectors in ways previously thought impossible.
According to Bello, this shift requires business leaders to think differently. Cooperation has become essential for growth in today's global economy.
