As Africa’s digital economy moves towards a multi-billion-dollar opportunity, cities are increasingly becoming the catalysts for innovation, investment and cross-border trade. In this context, the support of the City of Cape Town for Converge Africa 2026 signals a strategic commitment to positioning Cape Town as a leading hub for digital commerce on the continent.
Taking place from 4 – 6 May 2026 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, Converge Africa brings together the continent’s most influential leaders across eCommerce, fintech, payments, logistics, digital marketing and cybersecurity.
At its core, the event is driven by a unifying industry imperative:
“Frictionless digital commerce. Transacting seamlessly, without borders.”
A city enabling the future of commerce
The City of Cape Town’s role as a supporting partner reflects a broader vision to attract investment, enable innovation and strengthen the region’s position within Africa’s digital economy.
As digital commerce continues to evolve, cities that create the right environment for collaboration between corporates, start-ups and global technology providers will lead the next phase of growth. Cape Town has increasingly established itself as one of those environments.
By supporting Converge Africa, the City is not only endorsing the event, but actively contributing to driving international and regional business into the Western Cape and showcasing Cape Town as a gateway for digital trade into Africa.
“The City eagerly welcomes the return of Converge Africa to Cape Town. Communities all across the continent are exceptionally active in the e-commerce space, whether as businesses or consumers. Cape Town is the ideal place for this gathering and its engagements between tech entrepreneurs and thought-leaders in the public and private sector,” said Alderman James Vos, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth.
Converging the full digital commerce ecosystem
Converge Africa is designed as a fully integrated ecosystem, bringing together more than 1,400 attendees from over 700 organisations.
The event spans five core pillars: Payments & Fintech, eCommerce, Digital Marketing, Fulfilment & Logistics, and Digital Security.
This convergence reflects a fundamental shift in how commerce operates today. No part of the customer journey exists in isolation, and the ability to connect systems, platforms and experiences is now central to growth.
Converge Africa combines a dynamic exhibition floor, curated content stages, hands-on workshops and high-value networking opportunities, creating a platform where insight, innovation and business connection come together in one place.
Addressing Africa’s real commerce challenges
Across the continent, the barriers to digital commerce are no longer about access alone, but about reducing friction. These include payment acceptance gaps, cross-border complexity, fraud and trust challenges, and fragmented customer experiences.
Converge Africa provides a platform where these challenges are not only discussed, but actively addressed through practical insight, partnerships and solutions.
A platform for leadership and collaboration
The 2026 edition features a high-calibre speaker line-up from leading global and African organisations.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Ajay Moti, Head of Global Card Networks, Booking.com
- Hannes Wessels, General Manager South Africa, Binance
- Kerissa Varma, Chief Security Advisor Africa, Microsoft
- Joshua Suckerman, Digital Product Manager: API Marketplace & Payments, Absa
- Zain Naidoo, Head of Digital Marketing, Dis-Chem Pharmacies
- Grant Paul Roy, Chief CX Officer, Superbalist
These voices are complemented by leaders from organisations such as Pick n Pay, Nedbank, Vodacom, Spur Group and Kimberly-Clark, offering a multi-dimensional perspective on the future of commerce in Africa.
Driving impact beyond the event
Converge Africa is not just a conference; it is a platform for economic enablement.
Through curated networking, valuable meeting introductions and interactive workshops, the event is designed to facilitate real business outcomes, partnerships and investment opportunities.
The support of the City of Cape Town reinforces the importance of this platform in shaping the region’s digital economy and ensuring that local and international businesses can connect, collaborate and scale.
A shared ambition for growth
As Africa’s commerce landscape continues to evolve, the role of cities, industry leaders and enabling platforms becomes increasingly interconnected.
Converge Africa provides the platform. Cape Town provides the environment. Together, they represent a shared ambition to position the region at the forefront of Africa’s digital commerce growth story.
View the event programme: http://apo-opa.co/42lez6L
Ticket Options: https://apo-opa.co/4eyhPmD
Africa Fact: The mediaeval Nubian Kingdoms kept archives. From the site of Qasr Ibrim legal texts, documents and correspondence were discovered. An archaeologist informs us that: “On the site are preserved thousands of documents in Meroitic, Latin, Greek, Coptic, Old Nubian, Arabic and Turkish.”
Abiss
James Endersby has grown research and insights agency, Opinium Research, from a small London start-up to an international insight agency with clients all over the world, including South Africa. His business grew 50 percent last year, and won an international research award for its work with the London School of Economics measuring democratic engagement around the world. Endersby helps build better futures for children from the poorest countries in the world in his postition as Interim Chairman for Street Kids International.