What We Do

We provide access to education and training for family-specific and general business development and generate opportunities for families in business to learn and grow by networking and sharing with their peers.

COMMUNITY BUILDING

AFF connects a community of like-minded peers by organizing series of local and regional gatherings where our members have opportunities to meet, learn, exchange and network with other family business owners in a safe and confidential environment.

AFF organizes exclusive, by-invitation-only events, summits, and roundtables across different African cities. All events explore either core topics on ownership, governance and succession planning or emerging topics of importance to the continuity and positive impact of family businesses. We aim to have our events involve local, regional or international family case studies and expert panel discussions, all conducted under Chatham House rules. These events provide a unique opportunity to meet like-minded families in order to share their experiences and openly discuss challenges related to the family business in a safe confidential environment. They also serve as a networking platform for families to integrate into the AFF community and for the Next Generation to meet and identify potential mentors.

Events hosted are strictly for the community of well-established AFF family business owners. Non-family-executives are invited to partake in activities in their capacity as speakers, moderators and C-executives of family businesses.

Our community is made up of family business leaders, the next generation, family members and independent directors and advisers from a multitude of different businesses from all industries. AFF provides the opportunity to connect with this network, share knowledge and stories and better understand what it takes to be a successful family business.

To view AFF’s upcoming events, visit our Events Calendar Page. The AFF calendar is packed with events throughout Africa including Family Business Insiders, National and International Conferences, Conversation Series, Workshops, Webinars and more.

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SUPPORT & NETWORKING

We actively support family businesses on their journey to multigenerational success by understanding their needs, providing them with relevant learning and connecting them with fellow business owners and advisors. We work closely with families and senior managers to understand the needs and challenges that are unique to family businesses.

Our understanding of family businesses allows us to guide each member business to the learning pathway that is most relevant to them and their family journey. The support family businesses can get in our community is key to help them solve important challenges and remain successful across the generations.

Connections have always been at the heart of our work. They were the reason AFF was founded and will continue to be a pillar of what we do to support family businesses to thrive.

Families often feel they are going through a lonely journey, but the support family businesses can get in our community is key to help them solve important challenges and remain successful across the generations.

FAMILY BUSINESS ADVISORS

Are you looking for family business help, support, and advice? AFF is building a network of Accredited Advisers who can help you reach your family business goals, build a body of knowledge and guide your family to work together more effectively.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

The key driver of sustainability for Family Businesses is the empowerment of the next generation as shareholders, managers and leaders of their family business.

AFF has developed multiple educational programs and activities that are delivered through, channels such as peer education and academic and mentorship initiatives.

The exchange of knowledge and experience among peers at AFF events is what makes our peer education unique and one that our members value immensely. AFF also offers academic, experiential and mentorship activities where programs are developed by leading global educational partners and family business advisors.

We provide a safe and supportive space for family businesses to share and learn together.

Learning and sharing experiences is crucial for many family businesses to transition through the generations, productively and in harmony.

The AFF’s learning pathways, insights and publications support members on their journey to excellence, and offer guidance to the wider African family business community. We work closely with family business experts, academics and relevant bodies to deliver the best possible learning tools and educational information to all family businesses across the African continent.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

AFF holds a range of courses and programs over the calendar year to assist family business individuals, their advisers, directors and employees create a sustainable and professional family business. Course presenters and facilitators selected have had significant work and academic experience in the field of family business, providing participants’ access to deep understanding and practical lessons that can be taken back to their own business.

RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS

AFF’s research objective is to generate cutting-edge insights and enable effective decision-making on African family business issues. Our research objectives are to generate fresh insights and enable effective decision-making on key family business topics such as strategy, governance, ownership, and succession. We endeavor to collect and draw on a body of quantitative and qualitative data to identify issues specific to the region and to source best practice solutions from within and outside the region. To deliver our research, we commission studies or collaborate with leading researchers, practitioners and academics across the globe.

Strategic Research Initiatives: We pursue strategic research to study and raise awareness of the crucial role family businesses play in the continental economy. Our research initiatives include surveys, sector and ecosystem reports, legal white papers, and book endorsements on topics of high importance to family businesses.

Educational Reports and Publications: We develop educational reports and publications on core topics related to family businesses such as governance, legal structures, shareholder exit and valuation, and conflict resolution. We collaborate with leading universities, financial institutions, professional service firms, and seasoned practitioners to deliver our reports. Our educational publications help raise awareness and provide knowledge toolkit that enable family businesses to plan effectively and address their key challenges proactively.

Family Stories and Case Studies: We document and share inspiring family stories and best-practice case studies among family businesses in an effort to facilitate peer-learning and knowledge transfer across different families and generations.

THE VOICE OF

AFRICAN FAMILY BUSINESS

Family business is the backbone of African economies and the bedrock of its communities. We are the voice of the African family business sector.

The AFF is politically neutral and the organization is uniquely equipped to contribute constructively and positively to policy debates on family business issues.

We meet regularly with Government Ministers, MPs and Officials to ensure that the needs of family business are understood and considered as policy is developed. We regularly respond to consultations and make submissions to Government.

The primary activities of the AFF Influence and Championing are:

Developing an understanding of the importance of the family business sector so that the African Union and African Governments retain and adopt policies that encourage family businesses to continue to grow, invest and create employment.
Build an evidence base on the strengths of the family business sector and its vital contribution to the various African economies.
Raise awareness of the family business sector through the media and opinion formers.

We also work with our colleagues across the globe to ensure that the voices of African family firms are heard at an international level.

CHAMPIONING

We work to raise awareness of the contribution and scale of the African Family Business sector to the Governments, the media and the public as a whole. We are working to become the primary source of evidence on the impact of African Family companies that is relied upon by governments, family businesses (as well as their advisers), academics and researchers to help underpin their decision making.

INFLUENCE

We provide a powerful voice for family businesses to influence all levels of Government.

Africa is evolving and the world is now eyeing the content as the next frontier. Our focus is to through the noise to increase the influence of family business voice, raise awareness of the unique contribution family firms make to our continental economy, and ensure that the regulatory environment supports, rather than damages, family businesses.

We aim to engage with Governments, and policymakers to deliver policies that support family businesses in their long term ambitions to thrive and grow.