As Africa’s digital economy evolves, the continent now needs to turn its attention to increasingly complex questions around artificial intelligence (AI), skills, cybersecurity, data governance and how to ensure technological advances translate into economic and social value.
These topics will take centre stage at the fourth TICON Africa Conference, taking place at the Avani Victoria Falls Resort in Livingstone, Zambia, from 23 to 25 September.
Among the issues that will be debated, with the intention of developing concrete and immediately applicable pathways, will be the rapid implementation of AI, the need for increased digital governance and cyber security, and ensuring a future pipeline of talent.
The programme will examine these challenges through sessions ranging from cross-border data and digital identity to digital payments, professional standards and Africa’s global technology competitiveness.
Under the theme Africa Rising: Converting Strengths into Global Impact with ICT, the programme moves beyond broad discussion of digital transformation to some of the practical policy, skills, governance and technology questions facing the continent.
TICON Africa President, David Gowu, says that delegates can look forward to lively debates and discussions, on and off stage. “AI is moving incredibly quickly, while the skills, governance and security frameworks around it have to keep pace,” he says.
Gowu adds that the conference has secured a veritable who’s who list of speakers, all of whom will share from across various specialisations. “We need to ask the difficult questions now and, importantly, come away with answers that can be put into practice,” he adds.
Africa’s ICT voices take the stage
- Olivier Vanden Eynde, CEO & Thought Leader of Close the Gap
- Freddy Ndlovu, President of the Computer Society of Zimbabwe
- Victoria Nxumalo, Founder & Executive Director of Girls in STEM & ByoTechHub
- Jimson Owodunni Olufuye, Principal Consultant of Kontemporary Konsulting
- Rowena Turinawe, Founding CEO of RukaPay
- Emmaneul Makafui Gbeve, Digitalization Project Manager of VisionFund Ghana
- Clarence Gama, CEO of NICO Technologies
- Dr Clement Sinyangwe, President of the ICT Association of Zambia
- Jacqueline Muller, Industry Coordinator at Belgium Campus iTversity
- Tshepho Bathai, President of the Botswana Information Technology Society
- Richard Yaw Osei, MD of Richfamily Tree Enterprise
- Prof Fred McBagonluri, Provost & President of the Academic City University
“Africa does not lack ideas or talent. The challenge now is how we turn these into practical solutions that can be implemented across the continent,” says Gowu.
Ahead of the main conference, 22 September will see a dedicated Women in TICON Day, an initiative aimed at strengthening the participation and leadership of women across Africa’s ICT sector.
“Our successful Women in TICON initiative focuses on skills development, mentorship and professional networks, as well as improving access to education, career, funding and entrepreneurship opportunities, says Gowu.
Research meets real-world challenges
New to this year’s conference is the TICON Africa Academic Research Track, a dedicated research programme running alongside the main conference, which extends its focus into academic and applied research. The track brings together researchers, academics and industry experts to present work contributing to Africa’s growing body of technology research.
Aligned with the broader Africa Rising theme, research is focused across five areas:
- Artificial intelligence,
- ICT for sustainability,
- Trust, ethics and post-quantum security,
- The convergence of physical and digital technologies, and;
- Skills development and access.
Papers submitted prior to the conference that have been accepted papers, exploring these five areas and their application in an African context, will be presented during dedicated research sessions throughout the conference.
Presentations on the Academic Research Track include:
- Everisto Chilombo, Zambia University College of Technology – A Low-Cost Forced-Air Charcoal Cooking System for Reduced Emissions, Improved Cooking Efficiency, and Local Manufacturing.
- Lois Mvula, Mukuba University – Exploring Insights into Artificial Intelligence Ethics Among STEM Educators, Administrative Staff and Learners.
- Lavu Mweemba, Copperbelt University – Resource-Constrained Bemba-English Neural Translation and Conversational AI in Zambia.
- Zawad Gondwe, Malawi University of Science and Technology – Machine Learning versus Rule-Based Fraud Detection in USSD Mobile Banking.
- Julio Barros, University of Cabo Verde – iRAG Uni-CV: A Production-Grade Advanced Retrieval-Augmented Generation System.
- Jacqui Muller, Belgium Campus iTversity – Designing a Centralised Industry Collaboration Function for ICT Higher Education.
- Chinedu Okonkwo, Eduvos – Post-Quantum Cryptography: Readiness and Implementation Challenges in Developing Economies.
- Agness Hamusonde, Copperbelt University – Evaluating the Effectiveness of National Cybersecurity Governance Frameworks in Developing Economies.
- Prof Japie Greeff, Belgium Campus iTversity – Investigating the Value of a Master of Information Technology Degree and Its Implications for Programme Design.
- Faizel Jappie, Unitech Consulting – Reversing ARPU Decline Through Rural Connectivity.
- Martin Mwila, Ndola City Council – Malware Intrusion Detection System Using Raspberry Pi Technology
“Research has to connect with the challenges Africa is trying to solve,” says Gowu. “Bringing researchers, industry and ICT professionals into the same conversation gives us an opportunity to take good ideas beyond the academic environment and consider how they can be applied in practice.”
Recognising Africa’s ICT talent
Gowu says developing Africa’s digital future also means recognising and supporting the people and organisations already driving change across the continent. The TICON Africa Awards will recognise this talent across nine categories, with the 2026 finalists including:
- ICT Professional of the Year – Dr Pooja Gupta (Zambia), Eltone Makaliki (Zambia) and Dr Wisely Phiri (Malawi).
- Young ICT Trailblazer – Luke Draper (South Africa), Dr Pooja Gupta (Zambia), Omowumi Oladele (Nigeria) and Chungu Chama (Zambia).
- Women in Tech Leadership – Elizabeth Masache (Malawi), Omowumi Oladele (Nigeria), Shupekile Mwanza (Zambia) and Nour Ben Lazrek (Tunisia).
- Public Sector Digital Transformation – National Pension Scheme Authority (Zambia) and Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimbabwe).
- AI & Emerging Tech Innovation – Ambrose Yennah (Ghana), Dr Pooja Gupta (Zambia), Nchimunya Munyama (Zambia) and Aubrey Kachinjika (Malawi).
- Social Impact – MedicalTV.Live (Kenya), Gladtidings Software Limited (Zambia) and AIDEC Digital (Ghana).
- Cybersecurity & ICT Governance – Nawa Samatebele (Zambia), Boniface Jackson (Tanzania) and Jean Pierre Niyodusenga (Rwanda).
- ICT Company of the Year – Sparc Systems (Zambia), AIDEC Digital (Ghana) and Hyper Optimum (South Africa).
- Lifetime Achievement – Gertrude Akapelwa (Zambia), Owen Malambo (Zambia) and Joice Benza (Zimbabwe).
“Africa should not simply adapt to a digital future shaped elsewhere. We have the talent, experience and ambition to help shape it ourselves,” says Gowu. “TICON Africa creates a space for people from across the continent to connect, challenge each other and take that thinking forward.”
