Activate SA 2026

CTICC 1 Level 1 Cape Town

25th-27th August

Master Class Workshop & 2 Day In-Person Event

Shaping South Africa’s Responsible AI Future - Where Government, Industry & Society Unite to Build AI that Serves Everyone.

Overview - Activate South Africa 2026 is the nation’s first government and society centric event dedicated to Responsible AI.

This landmark forum explores how South Africa as a nation can harness AI to improve service delivery, education, and the everyday lives of its citizens, while establishing the policies, infrastructure, investments and frameworks needed for ethical AI adoption and economic growth. 

Convened by the SA AI Association, the creators of Africa’s largest AI ecosystem, Activate SA focuses on 10 core topics addressing the challenges and opportunities required to make Responsible AI accessible to all. The event also forms part of the new Western Cape AI Cluster Project a joint collaboration between the Western Cape Government and the SA AI Association. 

Event Format - Activate SA 2026 offers a 2-day executive level programme exploring AI challenges and opportunities via 10 focused dialogues and panels.  Hands-on CPD workshops and high touch networking sessions ensure a perfect space for learning, influence, connecting and best practice thought leadership. 

• 400x AI Thought Leaders


• 4x CPD Workshops


• 10x Dialogue & Panel Sessions


• 45x Speakers


• 20x AI Startup Showcase


• Dell Technology Showcase


• 6x Networking Sessions


• 2x Networking Mixer Events  

Pre-event Master Class workshops - 25th August 

Giving you a full training day with CPD credits issued via the SA AI Association (CPD approved provider no. 783402) for a truly comprehensive learning experience from leading experts in AI policy development, AI deployment, change management and AI infrastructure.

• Workshop #1 AI Readiness – SA AI Association – Baseline your AI journey with a Readiness Assessment. A hands-on assessment that covers leadership, process, technology and strategy that will help you gauge progress, plug gaps and benchmark the maturity of progress so far. 


• Workshop #2 AI Policy – Google – Practical steps & guidance towards developing your own AI policy from one of the worlds leading vendors imparting the knowledge on Responsible AI and best practice example


• Workshop #3 AI Factory – Cassava AI – The launch of the first AI Factory in Africa is scheduled for July 2026 and its being built and operated in Cape Town by Cassava Technologies – be the first to learn about this ground breaking facility and the AI services you can tap into.


• Workshop #4 AI CoE – Nvidia – Creating a center of excellence for AI helps lay a solid foundation for building a solid AI competency and capability in your organisation. Explore the Nvidia digital twin and omniverse and how this can also align to your operations

Private Opening Networking Mixer @CTICC 1 Level 1  Sponsored by Google @CTICC Level 1 Auditorium 1 Lobby (Access requires 2 Day Delegate Pass)

Day 1 Main programme panels - 26th August

• Welcome & Plenary Keynote - SA AI Association & WC Government 


• Sovereign AI & Agents – Ownership Vs Renting & Building your own


• AI Startup Funding – Accelerators, VCs & Enabling Environments


• Responsible AI – Ensuring Transparent & Unbiased AI in Society


• Change Management – Legacy Systems & Adoption Lag Vs Innovation


• Blueprints for AI Success – Municipal, City & Provincial Transformation

Private Networking Mixer Sponsored by Stratos Labs & Ecoblox @CTICC Level 1 Auditorium 1 Lobby 

Day 2 Main programme panels - 27th August

• Welcome & Plenary Keynote - Sovereign AI must move from strategy to execution (DELL Technologies) 


• AI Diffusion – Access, Equality & Talent Vs The Jobs Displacement Conundrum


• Green AI – Energy & Sustainability Considerations


• Guardrails & Unintended Consequences - Mitigating when AI goes wrong


• AI Governance – Regulation, Ethics, Risk & Compliance


• Data Centre, AI Factories & Compute – Trends, Opportunities & Futures

Audience 

This is a senior-level gathering of 400-500 thought leaders, policy makers, executives, researchers, innovators, investors and ecosystem leaders shaping South Africa’s Responsible AI future.

• Government & Public Sector Agencies - Executives engaged in service delivery at national, provincial, and municipal levels


• State-Owned Enterprises (SoEs) - Leaders shaping strategic operations and public-facing services.


• Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) - Leaders driving social impact & community engagement initiatives across South Africa.


• Sector Leaders - Experts from Academia, Research, Education, Policing, Agriculture, BPO, STEM & Manufacturing


• Investors & Entrepreneurs - Venture capitalists, startup founders, and ecosystem builders seeking AI opportunities.


• Service Providers & Infrastructure Builders - Companies and vendors delivering AI solutions and building AI infrastructure

Our valued partners & sponsors 

Logistics & Planning - If you would like to learn more, speak, sponsor or exhibit use the links below 

• Activate SA 2026 https://www.activatesa.ai/


• SA AI Association https://saaiassociation.co.za/


• Western Cape AI Cluster https://www.activatesa.ai/wcai-cluster/

• This is a private, paid event via ticket purchase only


• Reg Desk / Badge collection CTICC 1 Level 1 Auditorium 1


• CTICC Paid Parking Zones 1- 5 (subject to space)


• Parking fees are for your own account 


• Directions to CTICC 1 Google Map


• Sales by purchase order / invoice apply to groups of 6+ only


• Group bookings contact [email protected]


• Talk, panel & workshop seating is not reserved, arrive early


• Walk-in tickets are subject to availability on the day


• Pay at Reg Desk via Credit / Debit card (no cash payments)