Unlocking the biggest social and economic opportunity of our time.
Three billion people remain offline — disconnected from the digital economy and systems that drive global progress.
The Next 3 Billion is dedicated to exploring the forces accelerating economic and societal prosperity across the world’s most ascendant regions.
This full day of live journalism will feature candid, on-the-record conversations designed to spark collaboration, bold thinking, and actionable solutions — unlocking one of the greatest social and economic opportunities of our time.
When
September 24, 2025
Where
New York City
Time
Doors Open: 8:00 a.m.
Breakfast & Networking: 8:00 a.m.
Program Begins: 9:00 a.m.
Featured Speakers

Dr. Austin Demby
Minister of Health at Sierra Leone

Iván Duque
Former President at Colombia

Idris Elba
Award-winning Actor, Filmmaker, Musician, and Activist at Elba Hope Foundation

Cristina Junqueira
Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer at Nubank

Sangbu Kim
Vice President for Digital at The World Bank

Patrick Muyaya
Minister of Communications at Democratic Republic of the Congo

Peter Ndegwa
CEO at Safaricom

Josh Parker
Head of Sustainability at NVIDIA

Sasha Rubel
Head of AI Policy, Europe, Middle East and Africa at AWS

Petro Terblanche
CEO at Afrigen
Moderators

Yinka Adegoke
Africa Editor at Semafor

Alexis Akwagyiram
Managing Editor, Africa at Semafor

Reed Albergotti
Tech Editor at Semafor

Gina Chon
Executive Editor at Semafor

Tim McDonnell
Climate and Energy Editor at Semafor

Amna Nawaz
Co-Host at PBS News Hour and Semafor Contributor

Ben Smith
Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief at Semafor

Justin B. Smith
Co-Founder and CEO at Semafor