Events & Gatherings

Conversations shaping Africa's deep tech frontier

From AI leadership and semiconductor breakthroughs to language technologies and governance, explore our archive of community sessions and join upcoming events built for Africa's deep tech doers.

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Spotlight events

Multi-session gatherings and flagships produced by the Africa Deep Tech Community.

Jan 11, 20259 sessions

Streaming live across timezones

ADTC Open Day 2025: Inspire The Future

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the inaugural ADTC Open Day! The event brought together some of the brightest minds in Africa's deep tech space for inspiring conversations and actionable insights. Highlights included keynotes, workshops, and vibrant discussions on XR, AI, and more. Attendee feedback: - "On Saturday, I had the privilege of listening to some of the brightest minds in Africa's deep tech space, and I’m still buzzing!" - "Such an excellent event! Truly inspiring to see so many incredible people driving the African deep tech ecosystem." - "It was truly power-packed with great speakers who brought diverse expertise to the table, making the experience both enlightening and inspiring."

Agenda

9 sessions

16:00 - 16:15KEYNOTE15 min

Opening Keynote

Chukwuemeka Afigbo

Pacific: 7:00 AM PST

West Africa: 4:00 PM WAT

UTC: 3:00 PM UTC

Your Local: 3:00 PM

16:15 - 16:45EXTENDED REALITY30 min

Empowering XR Innovation in Africa: A Critical Conversation

Judith Okonkwo

Daniel Getachew

Pacific: 7:15 AM PST

West Africa: 4:15 PM WAT

UTC: 3:15 PM UTC

Your Local: 3:15 PM

16:45 - 17:25MICROCHIPS, AI40 min

Microchips & AI Innovation

Ola Fadiran— Microchips, the bedrock of AI

Tayo Adesanya— Mission Critical Chiplets For Autonomous Machines

Pacific: 7:45 AM PST

West Africa: 4:45 PM WAT

UTC: 3:45 PM UTC

Your Local: 3:45 PM

17:25 - 17:35

Break

Pacific: 8:25 AM PST

West Africa: 5:25 PM WAT

UTC: 4:25 PM UTC

Your Local: 4:25 PM

Upcoming

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Past events archive

Filter through 32 recorded sessions. Recap links are available for most talks.

2025

Sat, Sep 27, 2025

2:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Artificial IntelligenceDecentralized IntelligenceClosed Door

A Knowledge Economy on Decentralized Intelligence

Julian Duru explores decentralized intelligence--complex intelligent systems emerging from networks of cooperating resources rather than a single entity. The talk examines how to build such systems from private, proprietary data and how this approach could unlock new economic models capable of ending global poverty. Attendees will leave with a vision for transforming distributed intelligence into a foundation for Africa's knowledge economy.

Julian Duru

Sat, Aug 23, 2025

2:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Artificial IntelligenceEntertainment & StorytellingClosed Door

Nsibidi Fables: Animation, Storytelling, and the Role of AI in Modern Production

Creative production across Nigeria often contends with limited tools, time, and talent. David Ezefuna shares how Nsibidi Fables is embracing AI to accelerate animation pipelines, cut costs, and open new doors for storytellers. The session balances opportunity with realism--examining job impacts, shifts in creative process, and the responsibilities that come with new technology. Learn how the team is deploying AI to support both in-house projects and the wider creative community, while keeping Nigerian storytelling rooted in heritage.

David Ezefuna

Sat, Jul 26, 2025

2:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

EducationPolicy & GovernanceClosed Door

Trust as Infrastructure: Operationalizing Strategic Confidence in Space and AI Governance

Trust isn't a soft value; it is foundational infrastructure for equitable, resilient governance across AI and space ecosystems. Dr Timiebi Aganaba presents a systems-level tool to quantify and operationalize trust in high-stakes, multi-actor environments where legal compliance and symbolic inclusion fall short. Rooted in a capabilities-based approach, the session walks through a prototype AI space partner-matching tool that uses adversarial wargaming and risk modeling to expose vulnerabilities such as systemic bias, decision opacity, and soft sabotage. The concept of the Glass Room reframes explainability as strategic accountability, aligning internal algorithmic processes with public commitments. For technologists, policymakers, and investors, this framework moves institutions from abstract risk awareness to measurable strategic advantage by embedding trustworthiness directly into architecture. Note: no recording is planned at this time, though this may change.

Dr Timiebi Aganaba

Sat, Jun 28, 2025

2:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

EducationMicrochip & AI Capacity BuildingClosed Door

A Strategic Framework for Microchip and AI Capacity Building

Join Ola Fadiran, Founder & CEO of ChipMango, for an insightful session on how Africa can position itself as a global player in the AI microchip design value chain. This talk introduces a scalable framework for nurturing local design talent, integrating AI-enabled learning platforms, and establishing microchip design centers across the continent. Drawing from real-world partnerships with governments, universities, and technology leaders, the session explores how to create sustainable, sovereign semiconductor ecosystems that serve Africa's unique needs and power its digital future.

Ola Fadiran

Sat, May 24, 2025

2:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Hardware/ManufacturingEmbedded Systems in NigeriaClosed Door

The State of Embedded Systems in Nigeria

Magnus Emenuga examines the current state and future of embedded systems in Nigeria. Embedded systems, small computers built into machines, are powering solutions across agriculture, healthcare, energy, and security. They enable local innovations that are cost-effective, resilient, and tailored to Nigeria's needs. The session surfaces the hurdles facing young Nigerians who want to build in this field, from limited hands-on training to expensive tools and scarce job opportunities. Magnus highlights how government, schools, and tech companies are stepping in to support the ecosystem. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of why Nigeria needs embedded systems to build better services, create jobs, and develop the next generation of tech leaders.

Magnus Emenuga

Sat, May 17, 2025

7:00 AM UTC • 60 minutes

CommunityChallenge 2025

Africa Deep Tech Challenge 2025: Live Announcement & Info Session

Live announcement covering themes, eligibility, and prize structure for the Africa Deep Tech Challenge 2025, followed by audience Q&A.

ADTC Team

Sat, Apr 26, 2025

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Hardware/ManufacturingIndustrial Data & SurveillanceClosed Door

How surveillance data helps our critical industries scale

In today's data-driven world, surveillance technology has evolved from simple monitoring tools to powerful intelligence systems. Surveillance data, gathered through drones, cameras, sensors, and AI-powered analytics, plays a crucial role in helping industries like agriculture, oil and gas, logistics, manufacturing, and security scale efficiently and safely. By providing real-time insights, detecting anomalies, and supporting predictive maintenance, this data reduces operational risks, cuts costs, and enhances decision-making. Maxwell Maduka shares how TerraHaptix is applying these capabilities across Africa, from building robots at 14 to managing $2.6 billion in critical assets across six countries. Learn how surveillance data can empower industries to scale with precision, resilience, and a competitive edge.

Maxwell Maduka

Sat, Mar 29, 2025

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

HealthcareMetabolomicsClosed Door

Metabolomics: The Future of Everything Life!

Considering the 'Central Dogma of Life', small molecules are the closest to the phenotype, ahead of proteins, RNA, and DNA. Metabolomics comprehensively measures an organism's entire small molecules composition.

Olakunle Jaiyesimi

Sat, Feb 22, 2025

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Hardware/ManufacturingEmbedded SystemsClosed Door

An Engineer's perspective to embedded systems

Join us for our monthly Africa Deep Tech Community meetup where we'll explore embedded systems from an engineer's perspective. Our speaker, Tangus Koech, will share insights and experiences in this crucial field of technology.

Tangus Koech

Sat, Jan 25, 2025

3:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Artificial IntelligenceFinance & InvestmentClosed Door

AI: Financing the African Dream

Join us for our monthly Africa Deep Tech Community meetup where we'll explore how AI is revolutionizing finance and funding for African startups and projects. Our speaker, Winifred Dibie-Awolope, will share insights on the intersection of AI and financial innovation in Africa.

Winifred Dibie-Awolope

2024

Sat, Dec 28, 2024

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

OtherEntrepreneurship & ImpactClosed Door

Navigating the AI Revolution: Reflections from My Entrepreneurial Journey in Africa

A discussion on how my entrepreneurial journey in Rancard influenced my eventual focus on AI and its potential for economic transformation in Africa. A candid reflection on the challenges, breakthroughs, and lessons learned in the fast-paced high-tech business world, where our vision of demonstrating excellence in technology by Africans led to extending Google services to 75 countries and early-stage conversational AI. A firsthand perspective on how I transitioned from tech product development to tech policy, translating the lessons learned into a broader vision for technology-led economic transformation.

Kofi Dadzie

Sat, Nov 30, 2024

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Other#MAG! (Make Africa Great!)Closed Door

Pipelining Talent for Deep Tech Dev within Africa: A Real-life Case

In this conversation, Pius Onobhayedo draws attention to the need to be deliberate about building deep tech in and from Africa for the world. The session traces a historical journey of tech entrepreneurship in Nigeria, surfaces the questions communities should be asking to make #MAG (Make Africa Great) real, and introduces a model for this journey. Backed by real cases, including Solidarity.Africa, a hybrid blockchain-driven initiative, the talk offers a practical path toward developing deep tech talent pipelines across the continent.

Pius Onobhayedo

Sun, Oct 27, 2024

3:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Artificial IntelligenceProductivity & Work

Increasing Productivity Using Generative AI: Our Maria Story

In this talk, we will share how Maria and technologies like her are revolutionizing the way we work. We'll explore how generative AI augments human employees and enhances our capabilities, setting the stage for a future where humans and AI collaborate seamlessly. Let's dive into how embracing AI can transform productivity and what that means for the future of work in the age of AI.

Arinze Izukanne

Sat, Sep 28, 2024

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Artificial IntelligenceHealthcare

AI/ML in healthcare: A journey towards equitable care

In this talk, we will explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in medical domain, from diagnostics and personalised treatment management to predictive analytics. However, while AI/ML holds promise for revolutionising healthcare, AI/ML presents ethical challenges, particularly around bias, data privacy, and access. This talk will delve into how AI systems can perpetuate inequalities, especially for marginalised communities, and the steps needed to mitigate these risks. By highlighting case studies and ongoing research, the discussion will focus on the development of fair and transparent AI models, ensuring that these technologies benefit all patients, regardless of background. Lastly, highlight the importance of long-term collaboration between technologists, healthcare providers, and policymakers to create AI/ML systems that help clinicians deliver equitable care.

Dr Lameck Mbangula Amugongo

Sat, Aug 24, 2024

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Artificial IntelligenceClosed Door

Sustainable Compute in the Era of AI: The Next Frontier

Chukwuemeka Afigbo explores how African builders can design sustainable compute infrastructure for an AI-first future.

Chukwuemeka Afigbo

Sat, May 25, 2024

3:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Artificial IntelligenceClosed Door

Chips for Autonomous Machines: Semiconductor IP at the Edge

Tayo Adesanya walks through the semiconductor IP required to power autonomous machines across African environments.

Tayo Adesanya

Sat, Apr 27, 2024

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

HealthcareClosed Door

The Role of Bionics in Amputee Wellbeing

Maxwell Maduka discusses advancements in bionics and how they are transforming care for amputees across Africa.

Maxwell Maduka

Sat, Mar 23, 2024

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Hardware/ManufacturingClosed Door

General Data Acquisition as a Service

Dr Collins Agu explores how Udene and Unity boards can unlock new data acquisition capabilities for African industries.

Dr Collins Agu

Sat, Feb 24, 2024

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Artificial IntelligenceClosed Door

Multi-Agent LLM Applications: Research, Tools, and Challenges

Victor Dibia reviews the state of multi-agent LLM systems and their implications for African innovators.

Victor Dibia

Sat, Jan 27, 2024

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Web3Closed Door

Combating a Permissive Culture of Fraud in Governance

Pius Onobhayedo examines DAO models that could help African communities leapfrog governance challenges.

Pius Onobhayedo

2023

Sat, Dec 23, 2023

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

EducationClosed Door

The 16% of African Tech: A Framework for Segmenting Talent

Emeka Afigbo presents a framework for understanding and activating the latent 16 percent of African tech talent.

Emeka Afigbo

Sat, Nov 25, 2023

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Hardware/ManufacturingClosed Door

Building Hardware for Africa's Manufacturing Future

Tochukwu Chukwueke breaks down the realities of designing and building hardware products within African manufacturing ecosystems.

Tochukwu Chukwueke

Sat, Oct 28, 2023

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Human Computer InteractionClosed Door

Designing Human-Centered Futures

Adia shares lessons on building human-computer interfaces that respect context, equity, and long-term societal impact.

Adia Sowho

Sat, Sep 23, 2023

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Extended RealityClosed Door

An African XR Reckoning

Judith Okonkwo charts the trajectory of XR across the continent and what it will take to scale inclusive immersive ecosystems.

Judith Okonkwo

Sat, Aug 26, 2023

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Computer Networks / CommunicationsClosed Door

Edge Computing and Its Relevance to Africa

A primer on edge computing, why it matters for Africa, and pathways to adoption across sectors.

Stephen Ozoigbo

Sat, Jul 22, 2023

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Hardware/ManufacturingSmall-Scale ManufacturingClosed Door

Opportunities in Small-Scale Manufacturing in Africa

Interrogating the infrastructure needs behind Africa's manufacturing ambitions and the role decentralized systems can play.

Oluwafunmilayo Olumoko

Sat, Jun 24, 2023

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Artificial IntelligenceLLM ToolsClosed Door

Exploring Emerging LLM Tools: Life in a Post-GPT-4 World

Hands-on exploration of nascent post-GPT-4 tools and projects, with experiments on how they can accelerate African innovation.

Zak El Fassi

Sat, May 27, 2023

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

CultureLanguage TechnologiesClosed Door

Opportunities and Limitations for Language Technology in Africa

A candid discussion on the promise of language technology in Africa and the gaps that still need to be closed.

Kola Tubosun

Sat, Apr 22, 2023

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

CultureLanguage TechnologiesClosed Door

Language as Infrastructure for Healing, Rebuilding, and Strengthening Communities

Exploring language as technology and the opportunity to use it as an interface that bridges the digital divide and builds inclusive global tech communities.

Babatunde Oladimeji

Sat, Mar 25, 2023

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Artificial IntelligenceComputer Networks / CommunicationsClosed Door

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Exploration for Science (AI4Sci)

An overview of AI for Science, self-driving networks, and the path to more autonomous, resilient African network infrastructure.

Bashir Mohammed

Sat, Feb 25, 2023

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

Web3Closed Door

Is Web3 Relevant to Africa?

A deep dive into Web3, its relevance to Africa, and an overview of how Fimio is approaching this space.

Omoju Miller

Sat, Jan 28, 2023

4:00 PM UTC • 120 minutes

CultureHumanitiesClosed Door

Experimentation and the Limits of Radical Innovation

We discuss the role of experimentation in driving innovation and the limitations that can prevent truly radical breakthroughs.

Zak El Fassi