(Posted 22nd November 2024)
Africa Tech Festival 2024 wrapped up last week, marking the most successful edition in the event’s 27-year history. Organised by Informa Tech, the event is Africa’s most extensive showcase of enterprise tech innovation, bringing together influential founders, business leaders, policymakers, investors, and startups.
Building on the momentum of the event’s first two days, the final day kicked off with an opening address by Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, City of Cape Town. Commenting on the host city’s standing as a leading tech hub hosting 51% of South Africa’s startups, he emphasised Cape Town’s focus on skills development in AI and tech in particular, reiterating his excitement at “making Cape Town a focal point for African innovation and setting an example of how tech can empower communities and social change.”
LeadersIn Africa Summit
Preceding the main event, the by-invitation LeadersIn Africa Summit was an exclusive VIP series of executive discussions designed to facilitate actionable dialogue between 100 of the continent’s most influential tech players. Panel sessions, fireside chats, networking events, and roundtables provided a platform for sharing insights and collaborating on solutions to Africa’s tech challenges. Topics ranged from emerging technologies to AI for startups, ESG, regulatory frameworks, fundraising strategies, and support for founders and investors.
Skills development and knowledge sharing
The final day of Africa Tech Festival 2024 also featured several keynote fireside discussions across the various event streams. Skills development was a theme of the day, including a masterclass session on AI content creation, a security fundamentals certification training session, and a technical workshop where participants worked in groups to develop scaling strategies for AI pilot projects.
Key Highlights
The USAID Young African Leaders Initiative(YALI) hosted the YALI Alumni Expo and Trade Show running alongside Africa Tech Festival. The YALI Expo connected and celebrated YALI alumni making positive change in their communities by creating these networking opportunities and showcasing innovations for sustainable impact.
One of the key topics focused on the gender gap and a panel discussion on day 4 centred around Empowering Female Founders: Narrowing the Gender Gap in Venture Capital. The challenge that female-founded companies face is that only 16% of tech funding and 8% of total funding go to these companies due to bias, lack of female representation among venture capital decision-makers or insufficient diversity in teams and investment criteria. It was proposed that female representation in venture capital leadership needed to be increased, more training and support was essential to encourage female founders to build networks and strengthen pitch preparation and business strategies.
The Africa Tech Festival Awards took place on the penultimate night, at the Bay Hotel in Camps Bay, Cape Town. The awards celebrated the exceptional technological advancements and expertise across the continent and highlighted the pioneering work that is transforming lives and industries across Africa, inspiring future innovation and growth. Some of the winners included:
- Telco of the Year: MTN Ghana
- Innovation for Impact: WIOCC Group
- CXO of the Year: Patrick Benon, Orange Cameroon
- Changing Lives Award: Orange Burkina Faso
- Creative Visionary Award: Brighton Mhlongo
- AIConics Award: GRIT – Gender Rights in Tech
“Africa Tech Festival 2024 exceeded our expectations in terms of engagement, active participation by key industry stakeholders, and the sheer scale of the event. As we wrap up the 2024 event, we’d like to express our gratitude to all our sponsors and supporters, with special mention to the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies and the City of Cape Town.
As the largest and most influential telecoms and technology event in Africa, with an audience that spans the entire ICT ecosystem, we’re proud of the progress made in opening dialogue, sharing insights, and working together to advance Africa’s digital transformation journey,” said Informa’s James Williams, Event Director of Africa Tech Festival.
