Africa Tech Festival 2025: Everything You Need to Know

The Africa Tech Festival 2025 will be back as the most impactful event of its kind on the continent, featuring tech leaders, tech entrepreneurs, tech policy makers, and tech innovators. The festival, which will be held on 10-13 November 2025 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), is bound to become the ultimate end-of-year gathering space of the African tech ecosystem.

The festival is expected to have over 15,000+ attendees, 300+ speakers, and 200+ exhibitors, and represents much more than a tech conference, where partnerships are established, deals are made, and the digital future of Africa is created.

Why the Festival Matters

Africa Tech Festival has experienced the changing digital world of Africa throughout the course of three decades. Since its inception, the festival has expanded to become one that not only presents innovative technology but also encourages viable solutions to the most significant issues in the continent.

It is known as a place of deal-making, collaboration and policy influence all around the world making sure that Africa is not left off the list of technological transformation of the world. One of its parts, Africa Startup Festival, has been referred to by Business Insider as the most impressive deal-making and networking event in Africa, which has contributed to enhancing innovation and investment.

Programme Highlights

The Africa Tech Festival 2025 has a full agenda that is aimed at attracting every aspect of the tech ecosystem. Here’s what to expect:

1. Main Stage and Leadership Keynotes

Image Credit: Africa Tech Festival

Industry leaders, policymakers and innovators talk visionarily about Africa as a competitive region, and the digital revolution as well as collaboration between the government and the business.

2. Industries of the Future

Industry-specific sessions highlighting the way banking, healthcare, retail, and manufacturing are changing due to emerging technologies.

3. Cybersecurity & Cloud

An exclusive session during which professionals talk about the safety of the digital infrastructure in Africa, the use of the cloud, and the establishment of cyber resilience.

4. The AI Summit Cape Town

Specialised in enterprise AI, ethical applications, and innovations born in Africa, including demos and case studies of AI in action.

5. Market Square & Startups

The event will feature a live session where SMEs, fintechs, and startups present their products and connect with investors and other members of the broader tech ecosystem in Africa.

6. NextGen Talent Day

A special initiative to give Africa a mandate to power its future labour force, match young technology minds with the employer, and opportunities to enhance digital skills pipelines.

7. Tech Demos & Live Expo

Image Credit: Africa Tech Festival

Practical exhibitions, at which the recent achievements in the field of AI, HealthTech, smart industries, and others are introduced to thousands of visitors.

8. Formal Networking & Matchmaking

Events such as breakfast meetups, socials and VIP round tables which are curated to bring the right people together and create meaningful partnerships.

Central Themes for 2025

The festival is based on several thematic areas, which are responsive to the urgent needs and desires of Africa:

• Responsible Innovation – Technology development is responsible and sustainable.

• Inclusive Investment – Filling funding gaps of underrepresented areas and businesses.

• Connectivity Development – Delivering more connections to digital infrastructure.

• Policy Harmonisation – Facilitating cross-borders innovation through regulations.

Image Credit: Africa Tech Festival

Notable Names to Watch

As hundreds of powerful voices get the stage, here are notable figures in the tech industry to look out for:

Odunayo Eweniyi, Co-Founder and the COO of PiggyVest and General Partner at First Capital. She will provide insights in the fintech industry, startup funding, and the African capital markets.

Solly Malatsi, the Minister of communications and digital technologies in South Africa, will provide some government insights into digital policy and infrastructures.

Emmanuel Lubanzadio, OpenAI Head of Africa, will provide details on how artificial intelligence could change industries and enable local innovation.

These voices and others like Ravi Bhat, CTO Microsoft Africa, Lunga Siyo, CEO, Consumer at Telkom, and Bunmi Adeleye, Chief Strategy Officer, Retail Supermarket, Shoprite Nigeria, are joined by others from international firms, African startups, and policymakers, which demonstrates the originality of the festival in terms of the composition of opinions.

What is Unique About the Africa Tech Festival?

Africa Tech Festival is not just any of the numerous technology conferences:

Legacy & Reach– This has been one of the oldest and most massive tech events in Africa.

Cross-Sector Collaboration – Uniting startups, corporates, governments and investors.

Real Results – Curated networking means that ideas are translated into real dealings and collaborations.

Startup/Talent Amplification – Programs such as Market Square and NextGen Talent Day provide visibility to start-up level innovators and future leaders.

Policy Impact – Roundtables bring regulators, CxOs, and innovators into direct contact to shape the future of the African tech.

The Bottom Line

The Africa Tech Festival 2025 is not just a conference, but more of a catalyst to the digital transformation of Africa. As a policymaker trying to influence regulation, as a startup struggling to find an investment partner, or as a business trying to innovate, the festival is a rare chance to get in contact with the brightest minds and boldest ideas on the continent.

Register here: African Tech Festival 2025 Registration.