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
Dr. Austin Demby
Minister of Health at Sierra Leone
Iván Duque
Iván Duque
Former President at Colombia
Idris Elba
Idris Elba
Award-winning Actor, Filmmaker, Musician, and Activist at Elba Hope Foundation
Cristina Junqueira
Cristina Junqueira
Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer at Nubank
Sangbu Kim
Sangbu Kim
Vice President for Digital at The World Bank
Patrick Muyaya
Patrick Muyaya
Minister of Communications at Democratic Republic of the Congo
Peter Ndegwa
Peter Ndegwa
CEO at Safaricom
Josh Parker
Josh Parker
Head of Sustainability at NVIDIA
Sasha Rubel
Sasha Rubel
Head of AI Policy, Europe, Middle East and Africa at AWS
Petro Terblanche
Petro Terblanche
CEO at Afrigen

Moderators

Yinka Adegoke
Yinka Adegoke
Africa Editor at Semafor
Alexis Akwagyiram
Alexis Akwagyiram
Managing Editor, Africa at Semafor
Reed Albergotti
Reed Albergotti
Tech Editor at Semafor
Gina Chon
Gina Chon
Executive Editor at Semafor
Tim McDonnell
Tim McDonnell
Climate and Energy Editor at Semafor
Amna Nawaz
Amna Nawaz
Co-Host at PBS News Hour and Semafor Contributor
Ben Smith
Ben Smith
Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief at Semafor
Justin B. Smith
Justin B. Smith
Co-Founder and CEO at Semafor