08:00 – 09:00
Creative Futures Africa Summit 2026
Summit archive
The Creative Futures Africa Summit 2026 brought together delegates from across the creative economy and intersecting sectors such as innovation, finance, tech, tourism and climate for two days of talks, panels and roundtables in Johannesburg. Speakers from across Africa shaped the conversation. Explore the archived programme below, meet the speakers, or revisit the photo gallery. Findings from the Summit will continue to inform policy briefs, creative economy strategy and investment propositions.
Day 1
Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Full Summit Day 1 | By Invitation Only
09:00
Opening Keynote
Creativity as the Engine of Africa’s Next Chapter
Setting the stage: creativity as the engine of Africa’s next chapter.
09:10 – 09:20
Welcome by Partners
09:30 – 10:30
Trade, Infrastructure & Creative Spaces
Infrastructure isn’t only bricks and mortar. This session brings sector insiders and outsiders into the same conversation to unpack the hard infrastructure (theatres, studios, hubs, precincts) and the soft infrastructure (networks, platforms, trade relationships) that creative work depends on to reach markets and audiences.
Format: 09:30 – 10:10 panel discussion
10:33 – 10:48
AI × Music Pilot
Inside the AI × Music pilot: the thinking behind it, the early insights, and what it could mean for Africa’s place in the future of music and technology.
Format: Spotlight Session
10:48 – 11:10
Morning Tea Break
11:10 – 12:10
Disruptive Technology & the Creative Economy
AI, blockchain and emerging tech are rewriting creative practice, ownership and the future of work. This session maps the shift.
12:10 – 13:10
Capital Activation: Finance, Banking & Innovative Models
Closing the gap between the value the creative sector creates and the capital it can access, with new models for financing and growing creative enterprise.
13:10 – 14:00
Lunchtime
14:00 – 14:45
The Missing Middle
Intermediaries as the Infrastructure That Makes Creative Ecosystems Work
Hubs, incubators, accelerators and networks are the connective tissue linking creators to policy, capital and markets. This session asks what it takes for these intermediaries to move the sector from fragmented to fully coordinated.
14:45 – 15:45
Climate, Bio & the Creative Intersection
Where creativity meets climate innovation and bio-design, unlocking sustainable, ecologically resilient responses to Africa’s environmental realities.
15:45 – 16:00
Afternoon Tea Break
16:00 – 16:30
Wrap-Up & Closing Session
The Day, Distilled
Key takeaways and open questions to carry forward. Interactive reflections from tables, facilitated by the team, with cross-sectoral perspectives and a look ahead to Day 2.
17:00 – 20:00
Opening Cocktail & Networking Evening
An evening welcome: address and networking for all Summit delegates.
Format: Cocktail & Networking
Day 2
Thursday, 17 September 2026
Full Summit Day 2 | By Invitation Only
08:30 – 09:00
Morning Coffee
Registration is open.
09:00 – 09:15
Introduction, Recap & Scene Setting
09:15 – 09:30
Soft Power Spotlight
Culture as Diplomacy
The quiet power of dialogue to turn strangers into neighbours, and neighbours into partners. Why connection, exchange and shared belonging might be Africa’s most under-used form of power, especially now, when it’s easier to build walls than bridges.
Format: Spotlight Session
09:30 – 10:30
Policy Frameworks, Government Engagement & Data Sovereignty
Policy, regulation and data governance that let Africa’s creative industries grow on their own terms, protecting cultural assets, strengthening IP, and securing data sovereignty.
Format: 09:30 – 10:10 panel discussion · 10:10 – 10:30 audience Q&A
10:30 – 10:50
British Council / BASA Youth Policy Lab
Ten young people trained from the ground up in policy - not just consulted on it, but equipped to write it. This handover session sees them present two original policy drafts, shaped by their own research, directly to policy leaders - proof that youth belong in the room where creative-sector policy gets made, not just the room where it gets explained to them.
Format: British Council / BASA Youth Policy Project Spotlight
10:50 – 11:25
Morning Tea Break
11:30 – 12:30
Creative Cities, Tourism, Culture & Mobility
Urban Innovation
Creative cities attract talent, tourism and investment not through marketing alone, but through distinctive culture, accessible mobility and vibrant public spaces.
This panel explores how culture, tourism, mobility and urban innovation build cities that draw talent, tourism and investment. Heritage, food, music, art, design and markets give a city its character; walking and cycling make these easy to explore.
We examine how cities turn everyday assets - cultural routes, open streets, night-time economy, creative precincts into authentic visitor experiences, delivering footfall, jobs and safer public spaces.
The emphasis is inclusive: amplifying local culture and sharing value with communities.
12:30 – 13:30
Lunch
13:30 – 14:30
Research: From Static Reports to Living Intelligence
Building Africa’s Own Living Intelligence System for the Creative Economy
A debate-style discussion on building Africa’s own living intelligence system for the creative economy.
Format: 13:30 – 14:10 debate
14:30 – 15:00
Afternoon Tea Break
15:00 – 16:00
The Melting Pot
Cross-Sectoral Convergence
16:00 – 16:30
Summit Closing & 2027 Outlook
Final remarks, and a first look at 2027.