Registration

Registration, Networking and Refreshments

Welcome

Moderator's Welcome Address

Organiser's Address

Organiser's Address

Opening Address

Opening Address

Innovation is increasingly becoming the engine of economic growth, industrial competitiveness, and technological sovereignty. Across Africa, governments, research institutions, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders are looking beyond technology adoption towards building the innovation ecosystems, funding mechanisms, and commercialization pathways required to transform ideas into scalable economic opportunities. As South Africa's national innovation agency, the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) is helping to drive this transition by supporting the development, validation, and commercialization of technologies that address national priorities while creating sustainable economic value. This keynote explores how Africa can strengthen its innovation pipeline, accelerate technology commercialization, and build globally competitive industries in an era defined by artificial intelligence, advanced technologies, and rapid digital transformation. The conversation will examine the role of innovation policy, strategic investment, public-private collaboration, and institutional support in enabling innovators to move from research to market impact. As the opening keynote of the Summit, the session will establish the strategic foundation for discussions on AI, innovation, entrepreneurship, and digital transformation, helping shape recommendations that contribute to Africa's future innovation and AI policy frameworks.

Summit Advisory Board Address

Digital Policy & Africa's Inclusive Innovation Agenda

As Africa accelerates its AI journey, the continent has a unique opportunity to shape an innovation future that is ethical, inclusive, and globally competitive. This Summit Advisory Board Address explores how policy, governance, digital infrastructure, accessibility, and cross-sector collaboration can create an AI ecosystem that drives sustainable economic growth, responsible innovation, and equal opportunity. The session will set the strategic tone for the FETSI Digital Futures Summit by advancing a shared vision for Shaping Africa's AI Future through trusted governance, future-ready skills, and inclusive digital transformation.

CIO's Address

Building an AI-Ready Workforce: Digital Skills, Inclusion, and the Future of Work in South Africa

As AI continues to reshape industries and redefine the future of work, organisations across South Africa are increasingly leveraging digital innovation, data, automation, and intelligent technologies to improve productivity, strengthen competitiveness, and unlock economic growth. Building an AI-ready workforce requires sustained investment in digital skills, lifelong learning, inclusive talent development, and collaboration between industry, government, academia, and research institutions. This keynote explores how AI, automation, and data-driven technologies are transforming workforce capabilities and the skills required for South Africa's digital economy. It will examine the role of research, innovation, digital transformation, and strategic leadership in preparing organisations and communities for an inclusive AI-enabled future, while ensuring that no one is left behind in the country's digital transformation journey.

About the Speaker: Moloti Nkune serves as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at MINTEK previously served as the CIO of MICT SETA bringing more than 17 years of leadership experience across the public and private sectors. Throughout his career, he has led complex digital transformation initiatives within prominent public institutions, driving enterprise technology modernisation, governance, cybersecurity, and innovation. Recognised for his technological leadership and nominated for the prestigious 2024 CIO Awards, Moloti is passionate about repositioning information technology from a traditional support function into a strategic driver of organisational performance, innovation, governance, and sustainable growth. At MINTEK, he leads the organisation's digital transformation agenda, championing the adoption of emerging technologies, enterprise data capabilities, cybersecurity, and AI-driven innovation to strengthen scientific research, operational excellence, and South Africa's broader innovation ecosystem. His work focuses on enabling digitally mature organisations that are equipped to respond to the opportunities and challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution while contributing to national economic development and technological advancement.

Power Talk

Powering Africa's Digital Future: Sustainability as the Value Driver in Infrastructure Development Projects

Infrastructure projects are no longer measured solely by cost, schedule, and technical performance. Increasing environmental challenges, resource constraints, stakeholder expectations, and evolving regulatory requirements are redefining what successful project delivery looks like. From AI and smart infrastructure to innovation ecosystems, the disruption of infrastructure development projects demands a strategic pivot from traditional execution to sustainable, value-driven frameworks. This session will explore how integrating sustainability into the core project lifecycle is essential for building Africa's resilient digital economy.

Session Highlights:
• The Future of Project Management: Thriving in the modern landscape by embracing AI and automation, fostering adaptability through hybrid methodologies, and prioritizing sustainability.
• Lifecycle Integration: Embedding ESG criteria, green procurement, and circular economy principles across the entire project lifecycle, from pre-feasibility to operations and maintenance.
• The Business Case for Sustainability: Exploring how sustainable infrastructure supports long-term economic growth, enhances climate resilience, reduces risk, and attracts investment.
• National Alignment: Connecting sustainable infrastructure to South Africa's key priority areas, including job creation, capable state building, and improved service delivery.

About the Speaker: Sinaye Mgolombane is a seasoned business executive, digital transformation leader, environmentalist and project management professional with over two decades of experience across the transport, financial services, defence, construction, and petrochemical sectors. He has held senior leadership positions at Transnet, Bombardier Transportation (Gautrain Rapid Rail Link Project), Denel, Absa Group, and PetroSA, leading complex transformation, infrastructure, and enterprise project management initiatives. As a respected leader in the project management profession, he serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Project Management South Africa (PMSA), a Director of Global Alliance for the Project Professions Standards (GAPPS), and a Judge for the South African PMO Awards.

Keynote Talk

From Connectivity to Competitive Advantage: How Digital Infrastructure, AI and Enterprise Innovation Will Shape Africa's Next Growth Decade

The African business landscape is rich with data, yet many organizations remain insight-poor and caught in a cycle of "pilot fatigue" when it comes to Artificial Intelligence. In this practical, results-driven session, we will move beyond the AI hype to focus on bottom-line reality. Leveraging the proven RAPPID value cycle, this keynote provides a clear roadmap for organizations to stop experimenting with AI and start executing for measurable growth, inclusion, and impact.

Key Takeaways:
• Prioritizing Impact: Learn how to identify and target the core operational workflows that will recover time and drive immediate revenue growth.
• The Human-AI Synergy: Discover strategies to seamlessly embed AI into core business processes to solve unique, real-world African market challenges.
• Building AI Fluency: Understand why empowering your teams with data literacy and AI fluency is the ultimate key to unlocking scalable, enterprise-wide adoption.

About the Speaker: Zjaén Coetzee is the CEO and co-founder of Nexus Data, a firm dedicated to bridging the gap between business strategy and data analytics. As an award-winning data, digital, and business executive with over 14 years of experience across the telecommunications and technology sectors, he is redefining how organizations uncover and execute on the strategic value of their data. Recognized globally for his impact, Zjaén was named one of the Global Top 100 Innovators in Data & Analytics by Corinium Global Intelligence and listed as one of the World's Leading Enterprise Data Leaders by CDO Magazine. He is also a recipient of the prestigious 2017 Standard Bank Rising Star Award for ICT. He is a highly regarded Data Strategist, thought leader, and the author of Drive RAPPID Results from Data. With a deep passion for the intersection of data architecture and Artificial Intelligence, Zjaén specializes in closing the "data-to-decision" gap for modern enterprises. He is widely recognized for his ability to translate complex AI capabilities and vast data ecosystems into actionable, high-impact business strategies. Through his RAPPID methodology, Zjaén empowers leadership teams and operational staff alike to move past technological roadblocks and build a unified, data-driven culture. Dedicated to shaping Africa's digital future, he is a champion for utilizing AI not just as a tool for efficiency, but as a fundamental driver for sustainable innovation, enterprise growth, and market inclusion across the continent.

Panel Discussion

AI in Decision-Making: From Data Science to Responsible Credit and Risk Systems

As organisations across Africa accelerate their adoption of artificial intelligence and advanced analytics, decision-making is increasingly shaped by data science models embedded within high-stakes environments such as credit scoring, fraud detection, and customer risk profiling. This panel brings together leaders from data science and credit risk to examine how AI is being designed, deployed, and governed in real operational systems. The discussion will explore the full lifecycle of AI-driven decision systems, from model development and feature engineering through to deployment, monitoring, and governance. It will highlight how institutions balance innovation with accountability, particularly in sectors where automated decisions can directly influence financial access, customer experience, and economic participation. The conversation will also address the growing importance of explainability, model transparency, and regulatory alignment in ensuring that AI systems remain trustworthy and fair.

Tech Talk

From Data to Intelligence: Scaling LLMOps, AI Monetization, and Responsible AI Governance for Africa

AI is only as valuable as the systems that can operationalize it responsibly, scale it effectively, and translate data into measurable economic impact. This discussion will explore how Large Language Model Operations (LLMOps) can transform vast datasets into intelligent products, business value, and enhanced customer experiences. This session examines the practical realities of managing, governing, and monetizing AI at scale while maintaining trust, performance, and accountability. Participants will explore how organisations can build the infrastructure, governance frameworks, and operational capabilities required for enterprise AI adoption. The conversation will also examine what these lessons mean for Africa as governments, businesses, researchers, and innovators work to develop responsible AI ecosystems that support economic growth, innovation, data governance, and digital sovereignty. Insights generated during the session will contribute to the Summit's broader objective of informing future African AI policy and governance frameworks that enable innovation while ensuring responsible and inclusive AI development.

Keynote Talk

From Connectivity to Competitive Advantage: How Digital Infrastructure, AI and Enterprise Innovation Will Shape Africa's Next Growth Decade

Africa stands at a pivotal moment in its digital transformation journey. As organisations invest heavily in connectivity, cloud, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and intelligent automation, the challenge is no longer technology adoption alone. The real opportunity lies in translating these investments into sustainable economic growth, improved productivity, stronger customer outcomes, and long-term competitive advantage. This keynote will explore the structural barriers that continue to limit digital transformation success, including fragmented technology strategies, infrastructure disparities, cybersecurity risks, digital skills shortages, and the growing gap between innovation ambitions and execution capabilities. The second segment will focus on practical strategies for building future-ready organisations capable of thriving in a rapidly evolving digital economy. Drawing on lessons from enterprise transformation across African markets, the discussion will examine how business leaders can align digital infrastructure, innovation, and commercial strategy to create measurable business value. Participants will gain insights into how leading organisations are leveraging technology not merely as an operational tool, but as a catalyst for growth, resilience, customer-centricity, and market expansion.

About the Speaker: Sidwell Phasha is a seasoned telecommunications, cloud, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence executive with more than 26 years of experience spanning telecommunications engineering, project and programme management, product management, cloud platforms, IoT, cybersecurity, and AI-driven business solutions. He has extensive experience across multiple industries including telecommunications, banking, media, mining, government, agriculture, and enterprise technology. He currently serves as an AI-Lead: Platform and SaaS Products at Vodacom Business, where he leads the strategy, commercialization, and growth of AI, cloud, marketplace, and digital platform solutions. In this role, he is responsible for developing and executing AI and Intelligent Automation strategies, managing AI product portfolios, building strategic partnerships with hyperscalers and technology vendors, driving revenue growth, and overseeing the introduction of innovative AI-as-a-Service and cloud marketplace offerings. He also serves as a key strategic liaison between Vodacom Business and Vodafone Group on cloud, AI, and marketplace initiatives.

CIO Roundtable

Building AI-Ready Enterprises in South Africa: Data Architecture, Cloud Modernisation, Cybersecurity, and Scalable AI Operation

This CIO Roundtable focuses on the operational foundations required to implement South Africa's national AI strategy, with emphasis on data infrastructure, cybersecurity resilience, cloud modernization, and scalable AI deployment within enterprise and government environments. The session directly informs South Africa's AI Policy Framework, particularly the pillars on digital sovereignty, cybersecurity resilience, data infrastructure, and enterprise AI adoption.

• Strengthening national data infrastructure, digital sovereignty, and cybersecurity resilience
• Driving inclusive economic growth through artificial intelligence and innovation
• Developing future skills, research capacity, and AI operational capability
• Advancing inclusive digital transformation and accessible AI systems
• Strengthening strategic partnerships between public and private sectors

Fireside Chat

Youth Participation in Africa's Digital and AI Ecosystem

Africa's digital future will not be defined by how much technology is consumed, but by who builds it. As AI, automation, and digital platforms reshape global economies, a critical question emerges: will young people remain users of imported technologies, or become the architects of the systems that drive economic growth and social transformation? This panel explores the shift from digital consumption to digital creation, focusing on how youth across Africa can actively participate in building the AI and innovation economy. It brings together perspectives from policy, industry, and youth leadership to examine how ecosystems can be designed to move young people from passive engagement with technology to active participation in shaping it. This session will unpack what it takes to scale youth-led innovation beyond isolated success stories into sustainable economic ecosystems. The panel will also explore how AI is becoming a foundational tool for economic participation. AI is no longer limited to advanced research environments; it is increasingly embedded in everyday tools that enable coding, design, automation, business development, and decision-making. The discussion will highlight how youth can leverage AI to build products, create services, and unlock new forms of employment and entrepreneurship in both formal and informal economies. A key focus will be on skills transformation and digital readiness. The conversation will examine the gap between traditional education systems and the skills required in the AI-driven economy. It will also consider how governments, private sector actors, and innovation ecosystems can collaborate to build pathways that enable youth to transition from basic digital literacy to advanced capabilities in data, AI development, and digital business creation.

High Level Fireside Chat

The Digital Future of Transport: Innovation, Infrastructure and Inclusion

The Digital Future of Transport: Innovation, Infrastructure and Inclusion — Future of African Public Transport through Skills development. Africa's transport sector is undergoing a digital transformation. This session explores how AI, intelligent mobility platforms, and data-driven solutions are improving safety, efficiency, accessibility, and passenger experience. It will also highlight the importance of skills development, innovation, and cross-sector collaboration in building a smarter, more connected, and sustainable transport ecosystem.

Fireside Chat

Governance of Digital Assets and AI Systems: Law, Regulation, and Trust in the Digital Economy

As digital transformation reshapes economies across Africa, organisations are increasingly managing valuable digital assets, AI-driven systems, and data ecosystems that demand robust governance, legal certainty, and public trust. This session examines the evolving regulatory landscape governing artificial intelligence, digital assets, data protection, intellectual property, and emerging technologies, while addressing the challenges of balancing innovation with accountability. The discussion will explore how regulatory frameworks, compliance standards, and governance principles are adapting to the rapid adoption of AI across both public and private sectors. Speakers will examine issues such as responsible AI deployment, algorithmic transparency, risk management, digital identity, data sovereignty, cybersecurity, and the legal responsibilities associated with autonomous and intelligent systems. The panel will also consider how organisations can build trustworthy AI ecosystems that promote innovation while safeguarding citizens, protecting digital rights, and strengthening confidence in Africa's digital economy.

• AI governance, regulation, and responsible innovation
• Legal frameworks for digital assets, data, and emerging technologies
• Compliance, risk management, and regulatory readiness for AI systems
• Ethical AI, transparency, accountability, and public trust
• Data protection, privacy, cybersecurity, and digital sovereignty
• Building trusted digital ecosystems that enable innovation, investment, and sustainable economic growth

Talk

From Tabled to Next: What Happens When You Back the People Everyone Skipped

For decades, the entrepreneurship conversation in South Africa has centred on youth, women, and township economies. And while those conversations matter deeply, there is a community of over 4.5 million South Africans that has been systematically left out. This session tells a different kind of story. Not a story of struggle, but a story of what becomes possible when targeted, intentional support finally meets unrealised potential. Through real cases, real numbers, real transformation and technology.

Closing

Vote of Thanks  |  Dr Liphadzi Murendeni – BEIN

Closing

Group Photo