Accra, Ghana: The Pan African AI Summit has announced its highly anticipated return for September 2026, following its inaugural event that redefined the continent’s digital trajectory.
Organisers have confirmed that the second edition will be hosted at the prestigious Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra, Ghana.
Drawing on the insights gained from the 2025 summit, the 2026 edition is moving forward from activating the continent’s much-talked-about AI ecosystem to rapidly scaling it, CEO of the Summit, Felix Donkor, explained.
The upcoming event is under the theme: ‘Scaling Africa’s Ethical AI Ecosystem: Youth Empowerment, Policy, Partnerships, and Skill’.
Building on a proven foundation, the 2026 summit stands on the foundation laid during the inaugural September 2025 event.
The first edition was pivotal, gathering approximately 1,000 delegates in person and virtually, 43 world-class speakers, and participants from over 30 countries across Africa, Europe, and North America.
He added that the summit was instrumental in underscoring the “$1 billion Ghana–UAE Innovation & Technology Hub.
The project was formalised through the Ghana Ministry of Communication & Digital Technology, a summit collaborator, and aims to position Ghana as a magnet for global tech giants and venture capital investors, driving the creation of high‑value jobs.”
It also positioned Ghana as Africa’s “digital beacon,” marking a strategic shift from the continent being a passive consumer of technology to an active creator.
The 2026 Vision
Four Pillars of Growth While the first summit sparked the flame, the 2026 edition aims to fuel the fire. The organisers, Pan African AI Summits & Corporate Training Ltd, have outlined an actionable vision centred on four strategic pillars derived from previous outcomes:
- Youth Empowerment (The Engine): Central to the summit’s vision is equipping Africa’s youth for the digital economy. The 2026 event will scale up hands-on masterclasses and workshops, connecting young engineers directly to AI labs and mentorships to prepare them for employability and startups.
- Policy & Sovereignty (The Guardrails): Moving beyond theoretical discussion, the summit will host high-level ministerial and expert roundtables to draft actionable frameworks.
The goal is to ensure Africa leads in locally built, ethical, and unbiased AI governance. 3. Partnerships & Investment (The Fuel): To convert connections into capital, the summit will introduce an expanded “AI Dragon’s Den” style pitch competition, Mr Donkor said.
This initiative aims to facilitate direct deal flow for African startups solving real-world problems. It’ll also signpost high-flyer youth innovators for the workplace.
- Ethical Application (The Impact): The event will exhibit a sharper focus on AI solutions designed to transform our classrooms, farmlands, health centres, and our money repositories (financial institutions), specifically tailoring tools to respect local contexts, data privacy, AI decisions explainability and inclusion.
A commitment to inclusivity: To expand access to critical tech and AI knowledge, the organisers have kept attendance and participation free.
This ensures the benefits of the new wave of technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), remain accessible to all, fostering mass awareness across the continent regardless of economic status.
The Pan African AI & Innovation Summit is expected to draw a diverse audience, including government ministers, central bank executives, academia, global tech leaders from companies like Google and IBM, and civil society experts and leaders.
As preparations begin, the organisers are inviting strategic partners and collaborators to join in moving the continent’s AI vision from concept to scale.
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