Top African tech conferences and events for 2022

While it can be difficult to sort through all the technology events now occurring in Africa, CIO Africa’s curated list of conferences includes the top events that professional IT executives in sub-Saharan Africa should know about. 

 As always, before making final plans, double-check the conference websites to confirm schedules, particularly in light of the continuing health concerns related to COVID. We will be updating the list as more information on conferences during the year becomes available.

January

28-29 January: Tech Unite Africa, Lagos. Tech Unite Africa is a conference, exhibition and a networking platform for the African tech industry, and one of the main tech events in Western Africa. Major conference topics include, AI, robotics, and data privacy.

February

8-9 February. Cyber Intelligence Africa 2022, Johannesburg. The event presents representatives from regional governments who will discuss national cyber security strategies and policies, combating cybercrimes across Africa, international cooperation, threat intelligence and detection capabilities and building cyber awareness.

23-24 February. Africa Tech Summit, Nairobi. The summit aims to connect tech leaders from the African ecosystem and international players under one roof. Network with key stakeholders including tech corporates, mobile operators, fintechs, DeFi & crypto ventures, investors, leading start-ups, regulators and industry stakeholders.

23-24 February. ITWeb Cloud & Data Summit, Johannesburg. The conference will focus on a wide range of mission critical topics, including hyperscale data centres; complexity of the cloud; multi-cloud; public, private and hybrid cloud; cloud repatriation; and cloud sovereignty.

March

1-3 March. NITT 2022 Transport Technology Conference, Abuja. The conferences features speakers from the worlds of government and industry as well as up-and-coming startups.

17 March: IDC Cloud Roadshow: Sub-Saharan Africa, online.  The IDC Cloud Roadshow 2022 will explore how organizations can capture the inherent value of cloud by reimagining the IT infrastructure that underpins the cloud operating model. Speakers include regional and global experts.

17 March: Blockchain Africa, Johannesburg. The conference focuses on blockchain technology’s opportunities and use cases globally and in Africa.

29-30 March. IoT Forum 2022, online.  Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with 600+ executives, entrepreneurs and solution providers at IOTFA 2022 in Johannesburg – for a virtual event entirely focused on the Internet of Things.

May

10- 11 May: East AfricaCom & East Africa ICT Summit, Nairobi. The joint conferences will look at challenges and opportunities across the region’s diverse tech ecosystems, with a focus on shaping the future of enterprise.

18-19 May: IDC CIO Summit South Africa, online. The IDC South Africa CIO Summit 2022 will explore the country’s changing technology landscape and present strategies that will help organizations evolve into digitally resilient enterprises and secure their rightful place in the ‘Next Normal’.

July

27 July: Digital Manufacturing Africa 2022, online.The conference is designed for business and tech leaders as well as factory managers who are deploying AI and IoT systems. The focus will be on return on investments, case studies, and strategies for integration, technology, and manufacturing trends, the organisers say.

September

1-2 September: Cybertech Africa, Kigali. The Cybertech conference and exhibition offers a wide-ranging agenda and a series of special events. Cybertech’s special events cover sector-specific topics. Past conferences offered sessions on building the innovation ecosystem, telecom and IoT, cyber awareness, cybersecurity for critical infrastructure, cybermedicine, agritech, aviation cybersecurity, criminal investigations in the cyber era, and financial security.

November

2-3 November: Techspo, Johannesburg. One of the bigger conferences and exhibitions in sub-Saharan Africa, this event has a wide variety of exhbitors, from SaaS vendors to companies offering AR, VR, IoT, wearables, mobile, internet, 3D printing and other emerging tech. A wide variety of attendees and speakers are expected. The event isn’t extremely focused but outside of the AfricaTech Festival (below), one of the top conferences to go to for a broad sense of important emerging tech in a variety of sectors.

7-12 November: AfricaTech Festival: AfricaCom  and AfricaTech, Capetown. This is the year’s anchor IT event for sub-Saharan Africa, and so potentially a barometer of recovery from COVID. For some years, AfricaCom had been the international tech event to go to in sub-Saharan Africa, if you had to pick just one. Now, with AfricaCom and AfricaTech rechristened under the umbrella AfricaTech Festival, the event’s status is reinforced and organisers claim that 90% of booths on the exhibit floor have already been booked.

The conference has a line-up of speakers from around Africa, from the worlds of government, private enterprise, and technology vendors. AfricaCom has for a while been, in a sense, several conferences in one, focusing on a range of topics. Included are tracks devoted to enterprise tech, digital infrastructure development, talent and skills development, and scaling start-ups.