• Africa Tech Festival 2025, set for November 11-13 in Cape Town, will feature 25 top speakers, including UN, Mastercard, and OpenAI leaders, to drive Africa’s digital transformation.
  • The event’s four tracks—AfricaCom, AfricaTech, AfricaIgnite, and The AI Summit—focus on responsible innovation, inclusive investment, connectivity, and policy harmonization.
  • With a refreshed brand, the festival aims to foster collaboration and shape the continent’s tech future through diverse, high-impact discussions.

Cape Town is set to host the Africa Tech Festival 2025 from November 11 to 13, unveiling a dynamic roster of 25 headline speakers poised to shape the continent’s digital economy. This showcase, a cornerstone for Africa’s tech ecosystem, brings together global tech luminaries, government officials, and business leaders to drive innovation, investment, and policy alignment.

The forum will be featuring voices from the United Nations, Mastercard, OpenAI, and more, the festival promises to spark transformative conversations on Africa’s digital frontier.

Africa Tech Festival 2025: Global and local innovators converge

The 2025 speaker line-up is a testament to the festival’s ambition, blending global expertise with African innovation. Bernardo Mariano Junior, Assistant Secretary-General and Chief Information Technology Officer at the United Nations, will offer a global governance perspective on digital development, emphasizing strategies for inclusive growth.

Mark Elliott, President for Africa at Mastercard, is set to share insights on advancing financial inclusion, a critical driver of economic empowerment across the continent. Meanwhile, Emmanuel Lubanzadio, Senior Director and Head of Africa at OpenAI, will dive into the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, addressing AI adoption and policy readiness in African markets.

Local trailblazers also take center stage. Odunayo Eweniyi, Co-Founder and COO of PiggyVest and General Partner at First Capital, will spotlight fintech’s meteoric rise and the funding ecosystems fueling African startups. From the telecom and enterprise sectors, Tumi Chamayou, Chief Enterprise Business Officer at MTN South Africa, and Ravi Bhat, Chief Technology and Solutions Officer at Microsoft Africa, will explore how strategic partnerships and cutting-edge infrastructure are reshaping enterprise innovation.

Joining them are executives from African Bank, Transnet, Cell C, Telkom, South Africa’s Department of Public Service and Administration, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, ensuring a diverse range of perspectives on technology’s role in Africa’s growth.

Read also: Nigerian fintech Raenest readies to headline 2025 Africa Tech Summit Nairobi

A platform for transformation

Africa Tech Festival 2025, held in Cape Town, is structured around four core tracks: AfricaCom, AfricaTech, AfricaIgnite, and The AI Summit Cape Town. Each track is designed to tackle critical areas of technological advancement, from connectivity to AI-driven innovation.

The festival’s agenda is anchored by four central themes: Responsible Innovation, Inclusive Investment, Connectivity for Development, and Policy Harmonisation. These themes reflect the event’s commitment to addressing both the opportunities and challenges of Africa’s digital evolution, fostering dialogue that bridges public and private sectors.

“We’re excited to share a speaker roster that truly represents the diversity of experience shaping Africa’s tech future,” said Kadi Diallo, Portfolio Manager for Africa Tech Festival. “These are individuals who are actively working to improve systems, close gaps, and build digital infrastructure that works for everyone.” Diallo’s remarks underscore the festival’s mission to drive tangible progress through collaboration and innovation.

Africa Tech Festival enters third decade

This year’s festival introduces a refreshed branding, signaling a new chapter for Africa Tech Festival as it enters its third decade. The updated look mirrors the scale and ambition of Africa’s thriving tech ecosystem, aligning with the continent’s growing influence in global technology.

Building on the success of 2024, which saw robust policy dialogue with senior government officials, the 2025 event aims to deepen discussions on national digital strategies, economic growth, and infrastructure development. While a formal partnership with South Africa’s Department of Communications and Digital Technologies is still under consideration, the festival’s history of fostering public-private collaboration remains a cornerstone of its impact.

Driving Africa’s digital destiny

By uniting global tech giants, African innovators, and policymakers, the event creates a vibrant platform for shaping the continent’s digital transformation. From fintech and AI to telecoms and governance, the diverse speaker line-up and thematic tracks will tackle pressing issues like digital inclusion, infrastructure scalability, and regulatory harmony.

As Africa positions itself as a global tech contender, the festival’s focus on responsible innovation and inclusive investment will pave the way for sustainable growth, ensuring the continent’s digital economy thrives for all.