Africa Tech Festival 2024 celebrates the trailblazers shaping Africa’s tech future
African Science and Technology Festival (www.AfricaTechFestival.com) 2024 concluded last week, the most successful edition in the event’s 27-year history. Hosted by Informa Tech, the event is Africa’s broadest showcase of corporate technology innovation, bringing together influential founders, business leaders, policymakers, investors and start-ups.
Building on the momentum of the first two days of events, the final day kicked off with opening remarks from Alderman James Vos, member of the City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee for Economic Growth. Referring to the host city’s status as a leading technology hub, with 51% of South Africa’s start-ups based here, he highlighted Cape Town’s particular focus on skills development in the areas of artificial intelligence and technology, and reiterated his interest in “making Cape Town The excitement of being the focal point for innovation and environment in Africa.” This is an example of how technology can empower communities and social change. “
african leaders summit
Prior to the main event, the invitation-only Africa Leaders Summit is a series of exclusive VIP executive discussions designed to foster actionable dialogue among 100 of the continent’s most influential technology companies. Panel sessions, fireside chats, networking events and roundtables provide a platform to share insights and collaborate on solutions to Africa’s technology challenges. Topics cover emerging technologies, AI for startups, ESG, regulatory frameworks, funding strategies and support for founders and investors.
Skills development and knowledge sharing
The final day of Africa Tech Festival 2024 also featured multiple themed fireside discussions across various event streams. Skills development was the main theme of the day, which included a masterclass on AI content creation, a Security Fundamentals certification training course, and a technical workshop where participants worked in groups to develop scaling strategies for AI pilot projects.
Main highlights
USAID’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) held the YALI Alumni Expo and Trade Show in conjunction with the Africa Tech Festival. The YALI Expo connects and celebrates YALI alumni making positive changes in their communities by creating these networking opportunities and showcasing innovations for sustainable impact.
One of the key themes was the gender gap, and the panel discussion on Day 4 centered on Empowering female founders: Closing the gender gap in venture capital. The challenge for women-founded companies is that only 16% of technical funds and 8% of total funds Going to these companies due to bias, There is a lack of female representation among venture capital decision-makers, or a lack of diversity in teams and investment criteria. It has been argued that there is a need to increase the representation of women in venture capital leadership, with more training and support being critical to encourage female founders to build networks, enhance pitch preparation and business strategy.
The Africa Tech Festival Awards Ceremony was held on the penultimate evening at the Bayfront Hotel in Camps Bay, Cape Town. The awards recognize excellence in technological advancement and expertise across the continent and highlight the pioneering work that is transforming life and industry across Africa, inspiring future innovation and growth. Some of the winners include:
- Telecom Company of the Year:MTN Ghana
- innovation impact: WIOCC Group
- Best CXO of the Year:Patrick Benon, Orange Cameroon
- Changing Lives Award: Orange Burkina Faso
- Creative Visionary Award: Brighton Headquarters
- AIConics Award: GRIT – Gender Rights in Technology
“The Africa Tech Festival 2024 exceeded our expectations in terms of engagement, active participation from key industry stakeholders and the scale of the event. As the 2024 event comes to a close, we would like to express our gratitude to all our sponsors and supporters, especially Thanks to the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies and the City of Cape Town.
As Africa’s largest and most influential telecoms and technology event, with audiences across the entire ICT ecosystem, we are proud of the progress we have made in opening dialogue, sharing insights and working together to advance Africa’s digital transformation journey. ” Informa’s James Williams, Event Director, Africa Tech Festival.
Visit the Africa Technology Festival website (https://apo-opa.co/4hPy9P7) for more details.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Tech Festival.
About the Africa Science and Technology Festival:
The Africa Tech Festival, which includes flagship events AfricaCom, AfricaTech, AfricaIgnite&AI Cape Town Summit, is part of the Informa Tech Connecting Africa event series. Africa Tech Festival is Africa’s largest tech and digital connectivity conference and exhibition, a vibrant celebration of Africa’s diverse community of tech champions, attracting hundreds of exhibitors, over 450 speakers and over 15,000 delegates.
