AfriLabs Annual Gathering 2026 -Cotonou
18 November to 20 November 2026 · 98 sessions across 3 days
Rooms
Breakout Room 1
Breakout Room A
Breakout Room B
Breakout Room C
Breakout Room D
Breakout Rooms A-D
Gala Venue
Hotel Venue
Main Hall
Main Hall Foyer
Off-site - Cotonou hubs
Off-site Venue
Terrace
Track Rooms
Main Hall Foyer 2 sessions · Wed 07:30–11:40
Registration & Welcome Coffee
Wed 07:30–09:00 · Plenary
Tea Break / Networking
Wed 11:05–11:40 · Plenary
Main Hall 11 sessions · Wed 09:00–11:05
Opening Cultural Performance
Wed 09:00–09:10 · Plenary
spoken word group [placeholder], TBC – local cultural dance
Kick-off by Master of Ceremonies
Wed 09:10–09:15 · Plenary
Grace Adeyemi [placeholder]
Opening Remarks
Wed 09:15–09:22 · Plenary
AfriLabs, Anna Ekeledo and 1 more
Welcome Address
Wed 09:22–09:29 · Plenary
AfriLabs, Board Chair and 1 more
Keynote: Host Government Address
Wed 09:29–09:39 · Plenary
Cabinet Secretary, Government of Benin Republic [placeholder] and 2 more
Good-will Messages
Wed 09:39–09:49 · Plenary
TBC – AfriLabs Former Board Chairs, Trustees [placeholder]
Panel: Innovative Financing to Catalyse Innovation at Scale
Wed 09:50–10:20 · Plenary
Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC (3-4 investors) [placeholder]
Energizer by the MCs
Wed 10:20–10:25 · Plenary
Special Address by Guest of Honour
Wed 10:30–10:45 · Plenary
Guest of Honour [placeholder], HE TBC
Keynote: Development Partner
Wed 10:45–10:55 · Plenary
Development Partner [placeholder], Regional Director and 1 more
Fireside Chat: Board Chair & Development Partner
Wed 10:55–11:05 · Plenary
AfriLabs Board Chair, Rene Parker and 1 more
Breakout Room 1 2 sessions · Wed 11:45–15:00
High-level Ministerial Roundtable
Wed 11:45–13:45 · Plenary
Development Partners [placeholder], Digital Economy and 2 more
MoU Signings / Press Briefing
Wed 14:00–15:00 · Plenary
Breakout Room A 9 sessions · Wed 12:00–17:00
MC Energizer
Wed 12:00–12:05 · Funding & Investment
TBC [placeholder]
Welcome Address
Wed 12:05–12:10 · Funding & Investment
TBC, Track Lead [placeholder]
Keynote: Building Investor Confidence in African Markets
Wed 12:15–12:25 · Funding & Investment
CEO [placeholder], Founder and 1 more
Panel 1: From Local Capital to Global Scale
Wed 12:25–13:05 · Funding & Investment
Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC (3-4) [placeholder]
Panel 2: Macroeconomic Outlook on African Markets
Wed 13:05–13:45 · Funding & Investment
Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Breakout Roundtables: De-risking Capital / Ecosystem Support / Gender Lens Investing
Wed 15:00–15:40 · Funding & Investment
Facilitators: TBC [placeholder]
Panel 3: Financing Africa's Next Industrial Decade
Wed 15:40–16:10 · Funding & Investment
Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Presentation: Legal Strategies for Investing Across Africa
Wed 16:10–16:40 · Funding & Investment
Legal Partner [placeholder], TBC
Closing & Networking
Wed 16:40–17:00 · Funding & Investment
Breakout Room B 9 sessions · Wed 12:00–17:00
MC Energizer
Wed 12:00–12:05 · Policy & Regulation
TBC [placeholder]
Welcome Address by Track Lead
Wed 12:05–12:15 · Policy & Regulation
AfriLabs [placeholder], Senior Partnerships Manager and 1 more
Fireside Chat: Policy to Practice - AI Regulation & Sandboxes
Wed 12:20–13:00 · Policy & Regulation
Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Keynote: Africa's AI Inflection Point
Wed 13:00–13:10 · Policy & Regulation
Regulatory Body Secretary General [placeholder], TBC
Panel 1: Building African AI Champions
Wed 13:10–14:00 · Policy & Regulation
Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC (3-4) [placeholder]
Panel 2: Building an AI Alliance for Africa
Wed 15:00–15:40 · Policy & Regulation
Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Policy Workshop
Wed 15:40–16:20 · Policy & Regulation
Facilitators: TBC [placeholder]
Presentation: African Policy Toolkit
Wed 16:20–16:50 · Policy & Regulation
AfriLabs Board-at-Large Member [placeholder], TBC
Networking / Closing
Wed 16:50–17:00 · Policy & Regulation
Breakout Room C 9 sessions · Wed 12:00–17:10
MC Energizer
Wed 12:00–12:05 · Gender & Inclusion
TBC [placeholder]
Welcome & Keynote Address by Track Lead
Wed 12:05–12:20 · Gender & Inclusion
CEO, Partner Organisation [placeholder] and 1 more
Presentation: Disability Inclusion Lens for Equitable Innovation
Wed 12:20–12:30 · Gender & Inclusion
Assistive Technology Org [placeholder], Founder and 1 more
Panel 1: Rethinking Equity, Access & Representation
Wed 12:35–13:15 · Gender & Inclusion
Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC (4-5) [placeholder]
Fireside Chat: Getting More Capital to Women Entrepreneurs
Wed 13:20–13:40 · Gender & Inclusion
Speakers: TBC [placeholder]
Candid Conversation: Local Language Resources & Entrepreneurial Growth
Wed 15:00–15:45 · Gender & Inclusion
Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Fireside Chat: Designing Inclusive Innovation for Equity and Access
Wed 15:45–16:15 · Gender & Inclusion
Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Panel 2: Inclusive Finance & Design
Wed 16:15–17:00 · Gender & Inclusion
Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC (4-5) [placeholder]
Closing Circle
Wed 17:00–17:10 · Gender & Inclusion
Breakout Room D 9 sessions · Wed 12:00–17:00
MC Energizer
Wed 12:00–12:05 · Talent & Hub Development
TBC [placeholder]
Welcome Address
Wed 12:05–12:10 · Talent & Hub Development
AfriLabs [placeholder], Community Director and 1 more
Keynote: Future-proofing Innovation Hubs for Scale & Sustainability
Wed 12:15–12:25 · Talent & Hub Development
Partner Agency CEO [placeholder], TBC
Candid Chat: IP Protection for Innovation Hubs
Wed 12:30–13:00 · Talent & Hub Development
Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Panel 1: Leadership Development for Impact & Equity
Wed 13:05–13:55 · Talent & Hub Development
Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC (4-5) [placeholder]
Fireside Chat: Measuring What Matters - Aligning Startups with SDGs
Wed 15:00–15:30 · Talent & Hub Development
Speakers: TBC [placeholder]
Panel 2: Hub-Led Strategies for Jobs, Governance & Digital Trust
Wed 15:30–16:10 · Talent & Hub Development
Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Panel 3: Building Resilience - Sustainable Startup Support Ecosystems
Wed 16:10–16:50 · Talent & Hub Development
Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Closing / Networking
Wed 16:50–17:00 · Talent & Hub Development
Breakout Rooms A-D 2 sessions · Wed 12:00–17:00
Track Activities (Session A)
Wed 12:00–14:00 · All Tracks (parallel)
Track Activities (Session B)
Wed 15:00–17:00 · All Tracks (parallel)
Terrace 1 session · Wed 14:00–15:00
Lunch Break
Wed 14:00–15:00 · Plenary
Track Rooms 1 session · Wed 17:00–17:20
Networking
Wed 17:00–17:20 · Plenary
Gala Venue 1 session · Wed 19:30–22:00
AAG 2026 Gala Night
Wed 19:30–22:00 · Plenary
Colours mark tracks and are assigned automatically; every session is named with its track as well, so the agenda reads the same without them.