Africa Tech Week

13/05/2026

The stage is set. The finalists are ready. The pressure is real.

After an intense selection process, we’re proud to present the Finalists of the Pitching Den - bold founders with disruptive solutions and scalable vision.

Day 2 of the Africa Tech Week Conference 2026 brings a high-stakes live pitch battle where ideas are tested in real time and ex*****on takes centre stage.

🏆 Who will rise to the top?

💻 Join online and watch it live: https://hubs.la/Q04gpqmQ0

13/05/2026

🚀 Day 2 of the Africa Tech Week Conference 2026 is officially live!

We’re back with another powerful day of future-focused conversations, industry insights, groundbreaking innovation, and Africa’s brightest tech minds all in one place.

From AI and digital transformation to startups, scale-ups, and the future of business - today’s lineup is not to be missed.

💻 Join us live here: https://hubs.la/Q04gkRvM0

Get tickets to The Sentech Africa Tech Week Conference 2026, taking place May 12, 2026 to May 13, 2026. RingCentral Events is your source for engaging events and experiences.

11/05/2026

Innovation ecosystems are not built in isolation. They are shaped through strategic collaboration, partnerships, and ex*****on.

Joining us at Africa Tech Week 2026 is Mpho Mbonani, Head of Strategic Partnerships at The Innovation Hub.

Mpho is focused on building meaningful, outcome-driven partnerships that strengthen innovation ecosystems and support the growth of organisations positioned to lead in their industries.

His work sits at the intersection of collaboration, strategy, and ex*****on, connecting stakeholders across government, industry, and the innovation landscape to unlock practical and scalable impact.

He is known for a proactive and solutions-driven approach, consistently seeking opportunities to drive growth rather than waiting for them to emerge.

At Africa Tech Week, Mpho will be on the fireside chat, dissecting driving African manufacturing competitiveness through Industry 4.0.

11/05/2026

Digital transformation at national scale depends on more than technology alone. It requires policy, access, infrastructure, and long-term strategic thinking.

Joining us at Africa Tech Week 2026 is Thabiso Thukani, Acting Chief Executive Officer of USAASA and Executive Manager: Strategy, Research and Performance Monitoring.

With more than 25 years of experience across the digital communications sector, Thabiso has built a career at the intersection of technology, public policy, and digital transformation.

He previously served as Special Adviser to the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies and has played a key role in shaping conversations around ICT policy, regulation, and digital inclusion in South Africa.

His work focuses on enabling data-driven decision-making, expanding digital access, and supporting the development of inclusive digital economies that create meaningful opportunities across communities.

Holding a Master of Arts degree from the University of the Witwatersrand specialising in ICT Policy and Regulation, Thabiso brings both strategic and policy depth to conversations about South Africa’s digital future.

At Africa Tech Week, he will explore digital transformation, connectivity, public-sector innovation, and the role of policy in building inclusive digital economies.

11/05/2026

Some founders build companies. Others help define where technology is going next.

Joining us at Africa Tech Week 2026 is Michael Deon, Creative Technologist, serial entrepreneur, and Founder of ALYS TECH and SeaSalt Agency.

Michael has spent his career operating at the intersection of creativity, gaming, emerging technology, and digital innovation. From pioneering augmented reality gaming to building AI-driven businesses across design, development, and SaaS, his work consistently pushes beyond conventional boundaries.

As co-founder of Augmentors, he helped shape the future of AR gaming and, in 2016, made Shark Tank South Africa history by securing a landmark investment from Vinny Lingham and Gil Oved. He later raised $1 million in international seed funding, setting a global mobile gaming crowdfunding record at the time.

Recognised by Fast Company’s Top 20 Under 30 and African Independent’s Top 40 Under 40, Michael has become a respected voice on innovation, digital economies, fundraising, and emerging technologies.

Today, through ALYS TECH and SeaSalt Agency, he is focused on how AI can scale creativity, products, and business ex*****on in entirely new ways.

At Africa Tech Week, Michael will explore the future of AI-powered creativity, digital ownership, and innovation-led entrepreneurship.

11/05/2026

Innovation ecosystems do not happen by accident - they are built through strategy, collaboration, and long-term investment in entrepreneurship.

Joining us at Africa Tech Week 2026 is Dr Bangani Mpangalasane, Chief Executive Officer of The Innovation Hub.

As CEO of Gauteng’s innovation agency, Dr Mpangalasane leads initiatives focused on driving entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology-led economic growth across the province. His work sits at the centre of South Africa’s evolving innovation ecosystem, helping connect government, industry, startups, and emerging technologies.

With more than 20 years of experience spanning innovation leadership, strategic management, ICT, and corporate governance, he has worked across public and private sectors while contributing to regional and global innovation initiatives.

Academically, his work is grounded in the future of digital transformation. He holds a PhD focused on developing a diagnostic readiness framework for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), alongside qualifications in ICT, management, and business leadership.

Having engaged with entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems across the SADC region, Europe, Asia, and the United States, he brings a global perspective on how innovation can be used to solve societal challenges and unlock economic opportunity.

At Africa Tech Week, Dr Mpangalasane will explore innovation ecosystems, entrepreneurship, and Africa’s readiness for the next era of technological transformation.

11/05/2026

2 days to go.

In just 48 hours, the brightest minds in African tech will gather at the Africa Tech Week Awards 2026.
- Founders.
- Innovators.
- Industry leaders.
- Game-changers.

Celebrating the companies shaping the future of technology in Africa.
📍 CTICC, Cape Town - 13 May 2026

The stage is set. The countdown is almost over.

11/05/2026

Most conversations around AI assume enterprise budgets, specialist teams, and unlimited room to experiment.

But what about lean companies working with real constraints?

At 2026, this Tech Talk explores how smaller teams can use agentic engineering, human review loops, and modern coding agents to dramatically increase output - without sacrificing oversight, quality, or control.

Using real production examples built with OpenClaw, Codex, and computer-use tooling, this session focuses on practical leverage: where AI agents create value, where humans remain essential, and how to build workflows that actually hold up in the real world.

Rather than replacing teams, the focus is on designing systems where smaller organisations can scale capability intelligently - turning limited resources into operational advantage.

Speaker:
Byron Rode, CEO, Ignis Labs

🎟️ Secure your seat at : https://hubs.la/Q04g2GZh0

11/05/2026

As Africa rolls out next-generation connectivity, trust in the infrastructure powering the digital economy is becoming just as critical as speed and coverage.

At 2026, this Panel Discussion explores how AI is being embedded within telecom networks - transforming how infrastructure is managed, optimised, and secured across the continent.

From intelligent traffic routing and spectrum optimisation to predictive fault detection and strengthened cyber resilience, AI is becoming a core layer in the operation of modern telecom systems. But with this evolution comes a critical question: how do we build networks that are not only fast and intelligent, but also trusted, stable, and resilient?

This session unpacks the balance between innovation and reliability, and what it takes to ensure Africa’s digital backbone can support long-term economic growth and connectivity at scale.

Moderator:
Dumisa Ngwenya, Head of Research and Innovation, Sentech

Panellist:
Naeem Seedat, Group Executive: Digital Strategy & Venturing, Telkom

🎟️ Secure your seat at : https://hubs.la/Q04g2RK20

11/05/2026

AI alone will not solve Africa’s challenges. Context will. 🌍

At 2026, Zoho Corporation will host a powerful Tech Talk exploring one of the biggest questions facing the continent’s digital future: “AI Is Not the Advantage - Context Is: How Africa Can Avoid the Big Mistake.”

As organisations rush to implement AI, many risk adopting systems that fail to reflect local realities, workflows, infrastructure challenges, and customer behaviour. This session examines why Africa’s competitive advantage will not come from simply deploying global AI tools, but from applying intelligence within the right economic, operational, and cultural context.

Leading the conversation is Andrew Bourne, Regional Head: Southern Africa at Zoho Corporation, who will unpack how businesses can build more relevant, resilient, and impactful AI-driven ecosystems across the continent.

From digital sovereignty and data governance to customer-centric innovation, this session challenges conventional thinking around AI adoption in emerging markets.

🎟️ Secure your seat: https://hubs.la/Q04g2HsK0