The world’s largest Africa-focused technology and telecommunications event turns 25 this year and is set to return to Cape Town, South Africa in November after a 2-year digital hiatus. Africa Tech Festival, home of AfricaCom, will welcome exhibitors, delegates, and policy makers from all over the world from 7 – 11 November 2022, to continue shaping the continent’s digital transformation and progress.

The event has come a long way from its beginnings as a purely telecommunications event. In 2019, AfricaCom welcomed the AfricaTech arena before in 2020 becoming the Africa Tech Festival to incorporate AfricaCom, AfricaTech and a series of allied sessions – all under one umbrella enhanced with a festival flair.  In 2022, telecommunications, still a core of the event, has broadened to include the full spectrum of technological advancements that are making a connected life across Africa and around the world, a reality.

Of what to expect a quarter of a century on, James Williams, Director, Events | Connecting Africa | Informa Tech, shares that: “As we know, COVID-19, sparked a rapid adoption of technology and telecommunications across the world, with digital transformation and inclusivity across Africa being no exception. 

We are excited to be back in person this year, as are our exhibitors and speakers who look to continue the advancement of the African continent as a connected digital powerhouse. The agendas for AfricaCom and AfricaTech thus reflect the optimism and opportunity that a connected continent can bring not only to its inhabitants, but the world at large.”

Africa Tech Festival has a well-deserved reputation for facilitating business, agreements, and an array of developmental advancements, as well as attracting key decision makers.  Underlining this, and the keenness to be back on the ground, Williams confirms that over 70% of the exhibition space for this year’s event has already been sold out.  This reinforces the interest of participants in getting back to face-to-face engagement as well as the continued importance and influence of this event.  

Headliners due to speak at this year’s conference include, Funke Opeke, CEO at MainOne, Nika Naghavi, Executive Director of MFS, Kuseni Dlamini, Chairman of Massmart and Dr Olufunso Somorin, Regional Principal Officer - Climate Change & Green Growth Program, African Development Bank. 

Some of the exhibitors who will be on the show floor to welcome visitors in 2022 are

Liquid Telecom, PCCW Global, Intelsat, China Mobile, Yahsat, Motorola Solutions

Key themes and topics to look out for include the following:

AfricaCom
Uniting telecoms, infrastructure, and policy to leverage the disruptive power of technology and position Africa as a global 4IR leader

 

Headline Keynotes
Exploring the most impactful topics across Africa’s tech ecosystems, with the biggest names in the industry

 

Connecting Africa’s Next Billion
Joining the dots in Africa’s connectivity ecosystem to deliver on the promise of affordable, reliable, and sustainable digital connectivity for all 

 

Digital Infrastructure Investment
Ensuring infrastructure investment remains at the top of Africa’s tech agenda, as the centrepiece of the continent’s digital transformation journey

 

The Real Value of Africa’s Fourth Industrial Revolution
Tracking the continent’s pursuit of an equitable Fourth Industrial Revolution that creates equitable, tech-enabled digital economies

 

Telcos of Tomorrow
Exploring the evolving trends in one of the continent’s most vital sectors, African telecoms - from critical connectivity & hardware innovation to superapps and beyond

 

Green ICT: Building a Sustainably Powered Continent
Prioritising sustainable energy as a route to affordable and reliable electrification for all, as a central pillar of Africa’s 4IR

 

AfricaCom Ministerial Summit 2022
Championing African governance, regulation & leadership that drives fair and progressive development

AfricaTech

 

Africa Tech Centre Stage

Designing and running a better, more inclusive digital world - with equal opportunities for all 

 

Industry 4.0
Unpacking the biggest enterprise transformation topics, tech integration and business trends across sector - from AI to IoT

 

Visions of the Future

Charting impact from Africa’s most exciting tech evolutions - Web3, The Metaverse ClimateTech, HealthTech and beyond

 

Cloud Services & Data Centres

Discover new opportunities in Africa’s booming cloud and data centre space

Cyber Security & Data Protection

Addressing the growing threat of cybercrime in Africa, and the evolution of one of the continent’s fastest growing sectors, Cybersecurity

 

Fintech, MFS & Crypto

Examining the biggest trends, and how they are shaping the future for enterprise and consumer in the world’s hottest fintech market

 

Technology in Action

The biggest tech stories and case studies from two of Africa’s most vital sectors - Agriculture and Healthcare

 

4IR Talent & The Future of Work

Investing in talent and skills to build an intelligent and resilient African workforce

 

Economy and the Future of Work
Embracing technology transformation to build a more resilient, capable, and productive workforce

AHUB: Scaling Start-Ups               
Scale start-ups to scale economic impact: entrepreneurship as an engine for growth

 

Building a Better Digital World

Design, build and run a better, more inclusive, digital world with equal opportunities for all