Converting Momentum into Outcomes for Africa's Retirement Members

In July, the IRFA joined regulators and industry leaders at the Africa Pension Supervisors Association (APSA) Conference in Marrakech. The discussions were clear-eyed and practical: Africa’s retirement systems must simultaneously widen coverage and strengthen adequacy, modernise supervision, and channel more local capital to productive investment—without compromising member protection. That agenda now meets its implementation lab at the IRFA 2025 Conference in Cape Town from 24-26 August 2025, where trustees, principal officers, and service providers will move from principles to practice. The programme at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) is purpose-built for this moment and for our community.

- By Wayne Hiller van Rensburg, Executive Officer, Institute of Retirement Funds Africa (IRFA)

From Marrakech to Cape Town: A coherent reform arc

APSA Marrakech (10-11 July 2025) foregrounded the realities we all know: low pension coverage across the continent (with the informal sector particularly underserved), the need to mature risk-based supervision (RBS), and the urgency of Africa-relevant sustainability standards and decision-useful data. Delegates also emphasised practical steps to mobilise local currency capital into assets that support growth and resilience—housing, infrastructure, climate adaptation and SME finance—so long as fiduciary guardrails and reporting remain robust. These priorities culminated in a Marrakech Declaration that lays out a common reform pathway for supervisors and industry alike.

The declaration’s pillars mirror IRFA’s own agenda: deepen and modernise regulation; embed risk based supervision (RBS); foster regulator-industry-development-partner collaboration; protect members’ purchasing power; integrate responsible and sustainable investment with African-relevant definitions; enable cross-border portability; and accelerate inclusion—particularly for informal workers through digital rails and simple, trusted products. That alignment is not accidental; it is the product of years of engagement between IRFA and supervisory peers, and it sets up Cape Town as the forum for “how” rather than “why.”

IRFA 2025: Designed for implementation

The IRFA 2025 theme—“Building Resilience: Leading Change for Positive and Lasting Impact”—captures both our obligation to members and our opportunity to shape capital markets for the better. The programme is built around three pillars: Investing for Economic and Social Impact, Operational Resilience for Stability, and Landscaping for Future Reforms—each translating the continental agenda into boardroom decisions and day-to-day practice.