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AfriLabs Annual Gathering 2026 -Cotonou

18 November to 20 November 2026 · 98 sessions across 3 days
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All days Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
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 3 sessions · Wed 07:30–10:45

Wed 18 Nov

Registration & Welcome Coffee 07:30–09:00 · Plenary
Tea Break / Networking 11:05–11:40 · Plenary

Thu 19 Nov

Tea Break 10:15–10:45 · Plenary

Main Hall 22 sessions · Wed 09:00–17:05

Wed 18 Nov

Opening Cultural Performance 09:00–09:10 · Plenary spoken word group [placeholder], TBC – local cultural dance
Kick-off by Master of Ceremonies 09:10–09:15 · Plenary Grace Adeyemi [placeholder]
Opening Remarks 09:15–09:22 · Plenary AfriLabs, Anna Ekeledo and 1 more
Welcome Address 09:22–09:29 · Plenary AfriLabs, Board Chair and 1 more
Keynote: Host Government Address 09:29–09:39 · Plenary Cabinet Secretary, Government of Benin Republic [placeholder] and 2 more
Good-will Messages 09:39–09:49 · Plenary TBC – AfriLabs Former Board Chairs, Trustees [placeholder]
Panel: Innovative Financing to Catalyse Innovation at Scale 09:50–10:20 · Plenary Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC (3-4 investors) [placeholder]
Energizer by the MCs 10:20–10:25 · Plenary
Special Address by Guest of Honour 10:30–10:45 · Plenary Guest of Honour [placeholder], HE TBC
Keynote: Development Partner 10:45–10:55 · Plenary Development Partner [placeholder], Regional Director and 1 more
Fireside Chat: Board Chair & Development Partner 10:55–11:05 · Plenary AfriLabs Board Chair, Rene Parker and 1 more

Thu 19 Nov

MC Energizer 09:00–09:05 · Plenary
Welcome Address by AfriLabs Regional Board Representative 09:05–09:12 · Plenary AfriLabs Board Representative [placeholder], TBC
Keynote: Host-Country Innovation Agency 09:12–09:22 · Plenary CEO, National Innovation and 2 more
Inspirational Talk 09:22–09:32 · Plenary CEO, Founder and 2 more
MC Energizer 09:32–09:37 · Plenary
AfriLabs: The Future 09:37–09:57 · Plenary AfriLabs [placeholder], Chief Operating Officer and 1 more
Partner Presentation Slot 09:57–10:10 · Plenary Partner Organisation [placeholder], TBC
Reflect & Refuel by MC 10:10–10:15 · Plenary
MC Energizer 16:20–16:25 · Plenary
AfriLabs Board Meet & Greet 16:25–16:55 · Plenary AfriLabs Regional Board Reps [placeholder], Moderator: TBC and 1 more
Event Curtain Call (Closing) 16:55–17:05 · Plenary Anna Ekeledo, Board Chair and 2 more

Breakout Room 1 2 sessions · Wed 11:45–15:00

Wed 18 Nov

High-level Ministerial Roundtable 11:45–13:45 · Plenary Development Partners [placeholder], Digital Economy and 2 more
MoU Signings / Press Briefing 14:00–15:00 · Plenary

Breakout Room A 15 sessions · Wed 12:00–16:15

Wed 18 Nov

MC Energizer 12:00–12:05 · Funding & Investment TBC [placeholder]
Welcome Address 12:05–12:10 · Funding & Investment TBC, Track Lead [placeholder]
Keynote: Building Investor Confidence in African Markets 12:15–12:25 · Funding & Investment CEO [placeholder], Founder and 1 more
Panel 1: From Local Capital to Global Scale 12:25–13:05 · Funding & Investment Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC (3-4) [placeholder]
Panel 2: Macroeconomic Outlook on African Markets 13:05–13:45 · Funding & Investment Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Breakout Roundtables: De-risking Capital / Ecosystem Support / Gender Lens Investing 15:00–15:40 · Funding & Investment Facilitators: TBC [placeholder]
Panel 3: Financing Africa's Next Industrial Decade 15:40–16:10 · Funding & Investment Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Presentation: Legal Strategies for Investing Across Africa 16:10–16:40 · Funding & Investment Legal Partner [placeholder], TBC
Closing & Networking 16:40–17:00 · Funding & Investment

Thu 19 Nov

MC Energizer 10:45–10:50 · Funding & Investment
Welcome Address by Track Lead 10:50–11:00 · Funding & Investment TBC [placeholder]
Keynote Address 11:00–11:15 · Funding & Investment TBC [placeholder]
Track Deep-Dive Sessions 11:15–13:15 · Funding & Investment Speakers: TBC [placeholder]
Track Deep-Dive Sessions (cont'd) 14:15–15:45 · Funding & Investment Speakers: TBC [placeholder]
Track Presentation & Closing 15:45–16:15 · Funding & Investment TBC [placeholder]

Breakout Room B 15 sessions · Wed 12:00–16:15

Wed 18 Nov

MC Energizer 12:00–12:05 · Policy & Regulation TBC [placeholder]
Welcome Address by Track Lead 12:05–12:15 · Policy & Regulation AfriLabs [placeholder], Senior Partnerships Manager and 1 more
Fireside Chat: Policy to Practice - AI Regulation & Sandboxes 12:20–13:00 · Policy & Regulation Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Keynote: Africa's AI Inflection Point 13:00–13:10 · Policy & Regulation Regulatory Body Secretary General [placeholder], TBC
Panel 1: Building African AI Champions 13:10–14:00 · Policy & Regulation Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC (3-4) [placeholder]
Panel 2: Building an AI Alliance for Africa 15:00–15:40 · Policy & Regulation Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Policy Workshop 15:40–16:20 · Policy & Regulation Facilitators: TBC [placeholder]
Presentation: African Policy Toolkit 16:20–16:50 · Policy & Regulation AfriLabs Board-at-Large Member [placeholder], TBC
Networking / Closing 16:50–17:00 · Policy & Regulation

Thu 19 Nov

MC Energizer 10:45–10:50 · Policy & Regulation
Welcome Address by Track Lead 10:50–11:00 · Policy & Regulation TBC [placeholder]
Keynote Address 11:00–11:15 · Policy & Regulation TBC [placeholder]
Track Deep-Dive Sessions 11:15–13:15 · Policy & Regulation Speakers: TBC [placeholder]
Track Deep-Dive Sessions (cont'd) 14:15–15:45 · Policy & Regulation Speakers: TBC [placeholder]
Track Presentation & Closing 15:45–16:15 · Policy & Regulation TBC [placeholder]

Breakout Room C 15 sessions · Wed 12:00–16:15

Wed 18 Nov

MC Energizer 12:00–12:05 · Gender & Inclusion TBC [placeholder]
Welcome & Keynote Address by Track Lead 12:05–12:20 · Gender & Inclusion CEO, Partner Organisation [placeholder] and 1 more
Presentation: Disability Inclusion Lens for Equitable Innovation 12:20–12:30 · Gender & Inclusion Assistive Technology Org [placeholder], Founder and 1 more
Panel 1: Rethinking Equity, Access & Representation 12:35–13:15 · Gender & Inclusion Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC (4-5) [placeholder]
Fireside Chat: Getting More Capital to Women Entrepreneurs 13:20–13:40 · Gender & Inclusion Speakers: TBC [placeholder]
Candid Conversation: Local Language Resources & Entrepreneurial Growth 15:00–15:45 · Gender & Inclusion Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Fireside Chat: Designing Inclusive Innovation for Equity and Access 15:45–16:15 · Gender & Inclusion Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Panel 2: Inclusive Finance & Design 16:15–17:00 · Gender & Inclusion Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC (4-5) [placeholder]
Closing Circle 17:00–17:10 · Gender & Inclusion

Thu 19 Nov

MC Energizer 10:45–10:50 · Gender & Inclusion
Welcome Address by Track Lead 10:50–11:00 · Gender & Inclusion TBC [placeholder]
Keynote Address 11:00–11:15 · Gender & Inclusion TBC [placeholder]
Track Deep-Dive Sessions 11:15–13:15 · Gender & Inclusion Speakers: TBC [placeholder]
Track Deep-Dive Sessions (cont'd) 14:15–15:45 · Gender & Inclusion Speakers: TBC [placeholder]
Track Presentation & Closing 15:45–16:15 · Gender & Inclusion TBC [placeholder]

Breakout Room D 15 sessions · Wed 12:00–16:15

Wed 18 Nov

MC Energizer 12:00–12:05 · Talent & Hub Development TBC [placeholder]
Welcome Address 12:05–12:10 · Talent & Hub Development AfriLabs [placeholder], Community Director and 1 more
Keynote: Future-proofing Innovation Hubs for Scale & Sustainability 12:15–12:25 · Talent & Hub Development Partner Agency CEO [placeholder], TBC
Candid Chat: IP Protection for Innovation Hubs 12:30–13:00 · Talent & Hub Development Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Panel 1: Leadership Development for Impact & Equity 13:05–13:55 · Talent & Hub Development Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC (4-5) [placeholder]
Fireside Chat: Measuring What Matters - Aligning Startups with SDGs 15:00–15:30 · Talent & Hub Development Speakers: TBC [placeholder]
Panel 2: Hub-Led Strategies for Jobs, Governance & Digital Trust 15:30–16:10 · Talent & Hub Development Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Panel 3: Building Resilience - Sustainable Startup Support Ecosystems 16:10–16:50 · Talent & Hub Development Moderator: TBC, Panelists: TBC [placeholder]
Closing / Networking 16:50–17:00 · Talent & Hub Development

Thu 19 Nov

MC Energizer 10:45–10:50 · Talent & Hub Development
Welcome Address by Track Lead 10:50–11:00 · Talent & Hub Development TBC [placeholder]
Keynote Address 11:00–11:15 · Talent & Hub Development TBC [placeholder]
Track Deep-Dive Sessions 11:15–13:15 · Talent & Hub Development Speakers: TBC [placeholder]
Track Deep-Dive Sessions (cont'd) 14:15–15:45 · Talent & Hub Development Speakers: TBC [placeholder]
Track Presentation & Closing 15:45–16:15 · Talent & Hub Development TBC [placeholder]

Breakout Rooms A-D 4 sessions · Wed 12:00–16:15

Wed 18 Nov

Track Activities (Session A) 12:00–14:00 · All Tracks (parallel)
Track Activities (Session B) 15:00–17:00 · All Tracks (parallel)

Thu 19 Nov

Track Activities (Session A) 10:45–13:15 · All Tracks (parallel)
Track Activities (Session B) 14:15–16:15 · All Tracks (parallel)

Terrace 2 sessions · Wed 14:00–14:15

Wed 18 Nov

Lunch Break 14:00–15:00 · Plenary

Thu 19 Nov

Lunch Break 13:15–14:15 · Plenary

Track Rooms 1 session · Wed 17:00–17:20

Wed 18 Nov

Networking 17:00–17:20 · Plenary

Gala Venue 1 session · Wed 19:30–22:00

Wed 18 Nov

AAG 2026 Gala Night 19:30–22:00 · Plenary

Off-site Venue 1 session · Thu 19:30–21:00

Thu 19 Nov

Networking (After-Hours Meet-up) 19:30–21:00 · Plenary

Hotel Venue 1 session · Fri 06:30–09:00

Fri 20 Nov

Breakfast 06:30–09:00 · Plenary

Off-site - Cotonou hubs 1 session · Fri 10:00–14:00

Fri 20 Nov

Ecosystem Tour 10:00–14:00 · 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.