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
Day 1 Wednesday 18 November
Main Hall Foyer
Main Hall
Breakout Room 1
Breakout Rooms A-D
Breakout Room A
Breakout Room B
Breakout Room C
Breakout Room D
Terrace
Track Rooms
Gala Venue
07:00
08:00
09:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
16:00
17:00
18:00
19:00
20:00
21:00
22:00
Registration & Welcome Coffee
07:30–09:00 · Plenary
Tea Break / Networking
11:05–11:40 · Plenary
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
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
Track Activities (Session A)
12:00–14:00 · All Tracks (parallel)
Track Activities (Session B)
15:00–17:00 · All Tracks (parallel)
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
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
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
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
Lunch Break
14:00–15:00 · Plenary
Networking
17:00–17:20 · Plenary
AAG 2026 Gala Night
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.