Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), will headline the PMI Global Summit Series in Cape Town from 14–15 September 2026, emphasizing Africa’s push for actionable integration and development. The event, hosted by Project Management Institute (PMI) Sub-Saharan Africa, will focus on turning continental ambitions into tangible progress through sessions on energy, digital trade, infrastructure, and AI.
The PMI Global Summit Series in Cape Town, scheduled for 14–15 September 2026, will center on Africa’s efforts to translate ambitious goals into measurable outcomes. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), will deliver the keynote address, underscoring the importance of project management in achieving the continent’s integration objectives. The summit, hosted by PMI Sub-Saharan Africa, will bring together leaders from government, development finance, technology, energy, and infrastructure sectors under the theme Africa Delivers M.O.R.E. Together.
The Summit’s Focus on Africa’s Delivery Challenges
The summit’s agenda reflects a shared recognition that Africa’s integration hinges on effective execution. Africa’s integration will depend on how well we connect our markets, move goods and people, power our economies and make it easier to do business across borders,
the Summit programme notes. Behind all of this is the ability to deliver — having the right institutions, skills and project capability to turn continental ambition into real progress.
This sentiment is echoed by George Asamani, Managing Director of PMI Sub-Saharan Africa, who states, Africa is not short of ambition. You can see it in Agenda 2063 and in national development visions across the continent. What matters now is delivery.
The event will address critical areas where delivery gaps persist. Energy accessibility, digital trade systems, infrastructure development, and AI innovation are among the key topics. Mteto Nyathi, Chair of Eskom, will discuss energy access, while Olugbenga Agboola, founder of Flutterwave, will explore digital systems to support intra-African trade. Willem Botha, Head of Projects at Zutari, will examine infrastructure projects needed to build a more connected continent. Ziaad Suleman, CEO offor South Africa and Botswana at Cassava Technologies, will lead a session on Building Africa’s Own AI Future,
analyzing the continent’s capacity to transition from AI consumers to creators.
Key Sessions and Speakers
The summit will feature high-profile speakers and panels addressing Africa’s most pressing development challenges.
Asamani emphasizes that the summit aims to provide practical solutions: We want professionals to leave Cape Town with practical approaches they can apply immediately.
That is what Africa Delivers M.O.R.E.
Together is about.
AfCFTA’s Role in Africa’s Integration Agenda
The AfCFTA, a flagship initiative of Africa’s Agenda 2063, is central to the summit’s discussions. Approved in 2012 and operational since 2021, the agreement aims to create a single market for goods and services, boost intra-African trade, and enhance the continent’s global economic standing. The AfCFTA’s objectives include liberalizing trade through successive negotiations, promoting industrial development, and establishing a Continental Customs Union. Its implementation is managed by the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra, Ghana, under Mene’s leadership.
The summit’s focus on delivery aligns with the AfCFTA’s need for robust project management. Project management is ultimately about closing the distance between what we say we want to achieve and what people actually experience,
Asamani explains. Having the right strategy and investment is important, but delivery is what turns those plans into progress.
This philosophy underpins the summit’s emphasis on practical solutions and real-world implementation.
The Broader Implications for Africa’s Development
By focusing on delivery, the event seeks to address a critical gap in Africa’s development narrative. While the continent has ambitious plans, from Agenda 2063 to national development strategies, translating these into tangible results remains a challenge. The summit aims to bridge this gap by fostering collaboration among project leaders, government officials, and private sector stakeholders.
Few initiatives embody the idea of Africa delivering together more powerfully than AfCFTA,
PMI stated in a releasestatement. The organization highlights the potential of the free trade area to reshape African economies by creating a more integrated market. However, success will depend on the ability to execute complex projects, from infrastructure development to digital infrastructure, across diverse and often fragmented markets.
As the summit approaches, the focus on delivery underscores a growing recognition that ambition alone is insufficient. With Mene’s leadership and the participation of key stakeholders, the event aims to set a precedent for how Africa can turn its vision into reality.
