Yibrah Tesfazghi, former President and CEO of GE Africa, will bring nearly four decades of global corporate leadership experience to the African Entrepreneurship & Business Summit (AEBS) 2026, where he will lead a Masterclass on building African businesses and leaders for global impact.
His participation adds a significant leadership perspective to this year’s Summit, particularly at a time when African businesses are increasingly looking beyond domestic markets and seeking to compete, scale and build lasting relevance on the global stage.
His own career provides a case study in what that journey can look like.
During nearly four decades with General Electric, he rose through an international corporate environment to become one of the prominent African executives in the organisation. In 2003, he became the first Black African to hold a senior regional leadership position within GE International.
He later served as President and CEO of GE Africa, where he led a period of substantial expansion. Under his leadership, the business grew from $150 million to $3.8 billion, while Africa became one of GE’s fastest growing regions.
One of the initiatives associated with his tenure was the development of the “African Dream Team,” a leadership group that brought African professionals into senior positions and demonstrated the capacity of African talent to manage complex businesses within a multinational environment.
For him, developing people and building institutions have remained central to the question of African leadership.
He has also taken his experiences beyond the corporate boardroom through his memoir, Glass Ceilings & Hidden Walls. The book explores his journey through corporate America, the barriers he encountered and the lessons that shaped his approach to leadership and professional advancement.
At AEBS 2026, Yibrah Tesfazghi will draw from this experience for his Masterclass, “Leading Beyond Borders: Building African Businesses and Leaders for Global Impact.”
The session will examine the leadership principles, strategic thinking and talent development required to build businesses that can operate beyond African markets while developing leaders capable of carrying African enterprises onto the global stage.
His participation comes under the broader theme of AEBS 2026, “Made in Africa. Built for the World.” The Summit is scheduled to take place on November 5, 2026, at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.
Powered by TTYBrand Africa, AEBS brings together entrepreneurs, executives, investors, creatives and business leaders for conversations focused on enterprise, leadership, innovation and Africa’s position in the global economy.
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