NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 8 – Equity Group Holdings Chief Executive Officer James Mwangi has been appointed to a global commission tasked with examining how developed and developing economies can reshape cooperation on trade, investment and development.
Mwangi is among 20 commissioners appointed to the South-North Commission on Development, an independent body launched by the German government to rethink relations between the Global North and South.
He is one of two business representatives on the commission and the only African business leader.
The membership includes World Bank President Ajay Banga, World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Denis Mukwege.
The commission is co-chaired by former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and former Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla, with a majority of its members drawn from the Global South.
Mwangi said Africa’s role in global development should increasingly be viewed through investment and economic partnerships rather than aid.
“Willy Brandt’s Commission gave the world the language of interdependence. Fifty years on, our task is to turn that language into partnerships that work.”
“Africa should no longer be seen through the lens of aid. It is a source of growth, talent, innovation and investment.”
The commission builds on the work of the North-South Commission chaired by former German Chancellor Willy Brandt in 1977, which examined economic relations between industrialized and developing countries.
It will hold its first meeting in Bangkok on October 16 and 17, alongside the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings. It is expected to issue interim findings in 2027, with a final report due by the end of 2028.
Its recommendations are expected to contribute to discussions on the global development framework that will follow the UN Sustainable Development Goals, whose 2030 deadline is approaching.
Mwangi brings experience in financial inclusion and private-sector financing to the commission. Equity operates across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, serving 23.3 million customers, according to the group.
The bank says 98 percent of its customer transactions now take place outside branches, reflecting the growing role of digital financial services in expanding access to banking.
Mwangi will serve on the commission in his personal capacity, meaning his appointment is separate from his role at Equity.
The commission will also examine broader questions around mobilizing domestic resources, private investment and international financing to support development, as governments face tighter fiscal conditions and declining aid flows.
For Kenya and other African economies, the discussions come as countries seek to attract more private capital while reducing dependence on concessional financing and strengthening domestic sources of investment.
