In November, Cape Town hosts the first Africa Tech Festival built as a single, connected programme.
The 29th edition runs at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from Tuesday 17th to Thursday 19th November 2026, with VIP and partner events from Monday 16th November. The festival began life in 1997 as AfricaCom. Over the last 29 years the conversations on the continent have moved well beyond connectivity, into data centres, AI, cybersecurity, startups, and the way enterprises are rebuilding around cloud and fintech. This year the programme matches that: one name, one agenda, nine stages, more than 100 sessions and over 400 speakers.
What changed, and why
For years, AfricaCom, AfricaTech, The AI Summit Cape Town and AfricaIgnite helped us build distinct communities across the technology ecosystem. But the conversations have increasingly become interconnected.
So for 2026, we’ve brought everything together under one Africa Tech Festival, with a programme built around six pillars: Telecoms & Connectivity, Data Centres, AI, Cybersecurity, Startups and Digital Transformation.
That doesn’t make any of those sectors less important. It recognises that the biggest opportunities and challenges facing Africa’s digital economy can no longer be tackled in isolation. AI depends on connectivity, cloud and data infrastructure. Digital transformation raises questions around cybersecurity, skills and investment. Startups are building solutions that cut across all of these industries.
We’ve designed the programme to reflect those connections. You can explore one pillar in depth or follow a single business challenge across different stages and conversations.
What is new in 2026
- New stages. We’ve introduced four new stages for 2026: Next Gen Networks (satellite, 4G and 5G, and AI-driven network optimisation), Future of Fibre, Data Centres & Cloud Services and AI-Enabled Telco, plus a dedicated Fintech stage. Each answers a specific area of market demand, from financing and building digital infrastructure to creating new revenue from connectivity and digital financial services. The headline keynotes run in a separate auditorium.
- A hackathon. The M-PESA Innovation Safari is a new hackathon developed with M-PESA Africa. It gives developers and early-stage fintech founders a place to tackle real challenges, from expanding financial inclusion and simplifying cross-border commerce to using AI to build smarter mobile money services. For me, it reflects what we want the festival to be: somewhere people discuss the future of technology and somewhere new ideas and solutions take shape.
- New Masterclasses. Masterclasses move beyond high-level discussion into specific technologies, challenges and practical solutions. Each is a 60-minute session for a maximum of 30 people, led by one to three specialists, and you book your place in the event app. They run in two dedicated rooms: one on the expo floor for data centres, connectivity and telcos, and one in the Nerina Room for AI, digital transformation, cyber and startups.
- Forums, summits and meet-ups. Beyond the main stages, we’ve created more room for focused discussion and real connection. The Infrastructure Investment Forum brings investors and industry leaders together around the future of Africa’s digital infrastructure. The Connected Industries Forum looks at how connectivity is changing industrial operations. Women in Tech creates space for leadership, mentorship and career development. New ATF Community Meet-ups bring together professionals from banking, cybersecurity, fintech, data centres and connectivity for more informal, targeted networking.
- Curated formats. Roundtables bring operators, partners and investors into smaller rooms. MTN MoMo sponsors a fintech private briefing. Qualcomm’s Pitch Showcase and the Next Gen Talent track, backed by Naspers Labs, give founders and early-career talent a place in the programme alongside the CEOs.
The people on stage
With more than 400 speakers, I can’t credit them all. The six names below start to show the range onsite.
Hon. Solly Malatsi, South Africa’s Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, joins ministers from Ghana and Botswana, so policy sits in the same rooms as the businesses it affects. Charles Molapisi, Group Chief Technology & Information Officer at MTN Group, brings the operator’s view of the network. Abu Wole, Managing Director West Africa at Equinix, speaks for the data centres that carry it. Emmanuel Lubanzadio, Africa Lead at OpenAI, and Kerissa Varma, Chief Security Advisor for Africa at Microsoft, cover AI and the security that has to come with it. Mohammed Merej Khan, Group Chief Technology & Information Officer at Ecobank Group, speaks for the enterprises putting all of it to work.
Three conversations I’m looking forward to:
- Beyond Adoption: What Will Make Africa an AI Producer, Not Just a Consumer? (Headline Keynotes, Tuesday 17th November, 11:05–11:40). Carrol Chang, CEO of Andela, and Jade Abbott, Co-founder of Lelapa AI, take on a question I think matters more than any other in AI right now. We’ve spent a lot of time on how Africa can adopt AI. The harder question is what it takes for the continent to build its own capabilities, technologies and competitive advantage, and I want to hear how we move from using AI to creating it.
- Investor Spotlight: Mapping Out the Future of AI Infrastructure Investment. Investors from British International Investment, IFC, Verdant Capital and African Infrastructure Investment Managers discuss what it will take to finance Africa’s growing AI and data centre needs. We can talk about Africa’s AI ambitions, but without the infrastructure and investment behind them they will be hard to realise. I’m keen to hear where investors see the biggest opportunities and what has to change to unlock investment at scale.
- Reinventing the Telco: AI, New Business Models and Growth. Senior leaders from MTN, Vodacom, BTC and MTC explore how operators are rethinking their businesses in the age of AI. Connectivity remains fundamental to Africa’s digital economy, but the opportunity now goes further. I want to hear how these leaders are using AI to improve operations, develop new services and grow sustainably.
Where the conversation starts
One thing I’ve always valued about Africa Tech Festival is that we’re not simply bringing global technology conversations to Africa. We give the people shaping the continent’s digital future the stage to lead those conversations themselves.
The challenges are real and often complex. How do we finance the infrastructure AI needs? How do we make connectivity commercially sustainable while expanding access? How do African businesses adopt new technology in ways that deliver measurable value? There isn’t a single answer to any of them, which is why we bring different parts of the industry into one room.
That mix is what makes the festival work. Policymakers sit alongside investors, telecom operators alongside enterprise leaders, and startups alongside global technology companies. It’s where those perspectives meet, challenge assumptions and, we hope, turn into partnerships and practical solutions.
Attendees notice this. Jo Serekonyane, Founder of POV Brand Group, said: “A great event to attend if you are in the tech space. Fantastic for networking and learning about trends in tech on the African continent.”
Beyond the stages
Africa Tech Festival has always been about more than what happens on stage. Some of the most valuable conversations happen when people connect beyond the formal programme.
Our opening event is Afest, the opening party on the first night: a vibrant music festival right on the beachfront. We also host our third annual Ministerial Summit and the invitation-only Leaders In Africa Summit, which bring government and industry into closed-door discussions. Community meet-ups run throughout, and we celebrate the industry at our Awards evening on the Wednesday.
It’s an important part of what we’re building: a festival where relationships, partnerships and new opportunities develop alongside the content.
Who it is for
- Telecom and connectivity leaders looking to expand networks, improve coverage, explore new technologies and build more sustainable business models.
- Data centre operators, infrastructure providers and investors exploring where to invest, how to scale AI-ready infrastructure and how to address power, capacity and regulatory challenges.
- Enterprise and digital transformation leaders looking to modernise operations, scale AI adoption, improve customer experience and turn technology investment into measurable business value.
- Cybersecurity and risk leaders focused on protecting critical infrastructure, managing AI-driven threats, strengthening operational resilience and building trust.
- Financial services, fintech and commerce leaders exploring new opportunities in payments, embedded finance, digital platforms and customer growth.
- Founders, startups and investors looking for partnerships, investment opportunities and new markets.
- Government and policymakers working on digital infrastructure, AI governance, investment and the policies that shape Africa’s digital economy.
- Emerging technology talent looking to build practical skills, meet employers and explore career opportunities.
One festival, one room
What I hope you take away from Africa Tech Festival this year is a better understanding of where technology is heading and a clearer sense of what you can do next.
That might be a new partnership, an investment opportunity, a different approach to a business challenge or simply a conversation that changes how you think. That’s the value we want the programme to deliver.
We’ve built this year’s event to reflect how interconnected Africa’s digital economy has become, so the programme feels like one conversation. I’m looking forward to seeing it come together in Cape Town.
Here, we move.
Book your pass. Here
Explore the 2026 agenda. Here
This article was written by Kadi Diallo, Head of Content at Africa Tech Festival
