NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

AfriLabs Annual Gathering: Shaping Africa’s Innovation Future
The AfriLabs Annual Gathering remains Africa’s premier platform for innovation, collaboration, and digital transformation. In 2024, Cape Town hosted the 9th edition under the theme “Uniting Innovation,” convening over 2,000 participants from 50+ countries. Reflecting on the event, Hon. Jane Sithole, Deputy Minister of Small Business Development, South Africa, remarked:

“Collaboration across borders is the key to unlocking Africa’s shared prosperity and innovation-driven future.”

Looking ahead, the 10th AfriLabs Annual Gathering (AAG 2025) will take place from October 13–15, 2025 at the prestigious United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), under the theme “Africa’s Innovation Future: Policy, Partnerships & Progress.”

This landmark edition is being co-hosted in partnership with timbuktoo, the pan-African innovation initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This strategic collaboration reflects a shared commitment to unlocking Africa’s innovation potential through inclusive policy dialogue and transformative partnerships.

Nairobi, often referred to as Africa’s “Silicon Savannah,” offers the perfect stage for this milestone gathering. Over the course of three days, AAG 2025 will convene Ministers, Heads of Innovation and Investment Agencies, Private Sector Executives, Development Partners, and Innovation Ecosystem Leaders for high-level discussions and impactful engagements on the continent’s innovation agenda.

Join us as we shape Africa’s innovation future.

AFSIC – Investing in Africa 2025 – more than just a conference
AFSIC – Investing in Africa has for more than a decade focused on nurturing investment and collaboration across the investment value chain and driving sustainable growth in Africa. AFSIC – Investing in Africa 2025 will offer delegates more than just leading edge content as the investor networking opportunities are expanded and investor ready projects from the African Investments Dashboard are profiled through the AFSIC Deal Book and in on-site project pitching.

As a results-focused, private sector-led investment event, AFSIC – Investing in Africa provides the ultimate forum for investors, African business leaders and

Crisis as a Catalyst For Prosperity

What is the Cerrito Forum?
The cerrito forum is an annual international event on global development that brings together stakeholders from around the world committed to eradicating poverty. Held in the Global South and organized by the Fundación Paraguaya through the Global Stoplight Network, the forum is a unique opportunity for changemakers in the fields of social impact, government and the private sector to come together to connect, learn and collaborate.

Cerrito, Paraguay & Virtual

Roundtables and workshops in Spanish and English

Mercy Corps AgriFin and its partners have long been at the forefront of supporting African Agtech, fintech development, and digital climate-smart agricultural services in the region. Despite the unprecedented challenges faced by technology startups and their investors over the past few years, particularly those aimed at improving the lives of small-scale producers and enhancing rural economies, the commitment remains steadfast. This pivotal moment calls for reflection and support for determined founders and teams striving to make a lasting impact.

What is Solar & Storage Live Cape Town?

Building on years of energy expertise, we proudly introduce an event that’s engineered to capture the essence of South Africa’s energy evolution, focusing on the transformative power of solar energy, cutting-edge battery storage solutions, the forefront of clean energy advancements and disruptive market forces that are propelling South Africa’s energy transition.

Solar & Storage Live is Cape Town’s largest renewable energy exhibition that celebrates the technologies at the forefront of the transition to a greener, smarter, more decentralised energy system.