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CEM Africa 2026: Africa’s CX Leaders Meet in Cape Town

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Final programme brings together senior CX leaders, practical workshops, technology showcases and high-value industry conversations from 18–20 August 2026

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, August 14, 2026/APO Group/ –CEM Africa 2026 will return to the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town from 18–20 August, bringing together senior customer experience, marketing, digital, customer service, technology and transformation leaders for the 14th edition of Africa’s leading customer experience summit.

With organisations across the continent under growing pressure to improve customer outcomes while navigating AI adoption, automation, rising expectations, fragmented journeys and commercial scrutiny, the 2026 programme has been built around a central question: how can businesses use technology to improve customer experience at scale without losing trust, relevance or the human connection?

Across three days, CEM Africa will combine strategic conference discussions, hands-on workshops, technology demonstrations, an exhibition, networking activations and peer-to-peer exchange, giving delegates the opportunity to move from big-picture industry questions to practical frameworks they can apply inside their organisations.

A speaker line-up rooted in real CX leadership

The 2026 speaker faculty brings together leaders working directly across customer experience, marketing, digital transformation, customer service, commerce, technology and organisational change.

Among those joining CEM Africa 2026 are:

  • Bruce Whitfield, business journalist and best-selling author
  • Khensani Nobanda, Group Chief Marketing Officer, Nedbank
  • Francois Retief, Head of Customer Experience, FNB
  • Martin Urrutia, global toy industry leader
  • Marnitz Van Heerden, Head of Customer Experience, Discovery Limited
  • Grace Brown, Head of Customer Experience and Client Services, JSE
  • Khwaṱhelani Tshikovhi, Head: Santam Experience and Client Care, Santam Insurance
  • Shaun Edmeston, Director of Customer Experience, Absa Bank Mauritius
  • Job Thomas, Chief Customer Officer, WooCommerce
  • Richie Sobayeni, Group Head of Customer Experience Design, Equity Group Holdings
  • Julia Ahlfeldt, Customer Experience Strategist and Business Advisor
  • Rashid Toefy, Deputy Director-General, Department of Economic Development and Tourism
  • Katie Stabler, Founder and Director, CULTIVATE Customer Experience by Design
  • Charlie Stewart, CEO, Rogerwilco
  • Omowunmi Akingbohungbe, Executive Director, WIMBIZ
  • Wavi Mungala, Board Director, Institute of CX – Kenya

The wider faculty spans financial services, retail, technology, insurance, e-commerce, public sector, consulting and customer operations, reflecting the increasingly cross-functional nature of customer experience.

From AI experimentation to measurable outcomes

Artificial intelligence will be one of the defining conversations at CEM Africa 2026, but the programme moves beyond broad speculation about AI to focus on where organisations are seeing – or still struggling to achieve – real operational and commercial value.

Day One will examine how African organisations can move from AI pilots to production, including governance, data readiness, agent co-pilots, voice AI, speech analytics, conversational AI and AI-driven personalisation.

The agenda also tackles the questions surrounding responsible adoption. Sessions will examine AI governance and ethics, privacy, POPIA, customer consent and the challenge of automating at scale without damaging trust.

A dedicated discussion, “Will AI Make Your Brand More Trustworthy?”, will explore whether increased automation strengthens customer confidence or risks undermining it, before the day closes its content programme with the audience-led town hall “Will Humans Still Matter in a World of AI-Driven Customer Experience?”

Data, insight and the business case for CX

For leaders under pressure to demonstrate the commercial return on customer experience investment, CEM Africa will put measurement firmly on the agenda.

Workshops will address customer data quality, real-time insight, first-party data strategy, predictive analytics and Voice of Customer, alongside practical sessions on building an end-to-end CX scorecard, customer lifetime value and mapping journey costs.

Delegates will also be able to explore how to prove CX ROI to executive teams, connecting customer experience activity to revenue uplift, churn reduction, operational efficiency and cost-to-serve.

The emphasis throughout is on turning customer insight into decisions and measurable business outcomes rather than collecting more data without action.

Designing customer journeys that work in African markets

The programme will also address the practical realities of customer engagement across diverse African markets.

Topics include omnichannel journey design, mobile-first experiences, WhatsApp as a service channel, self-service, proactive CX and reducing friction across high-volume journeys such as onboarding, billing, claims and fulfilment.

Sessions will examine how organisations can create accessible experiences for customers with different levels of digital literacy, connectivity and channel preference, while maintaining consistency between physical, digital and human-assisted interactions.

African market realities also feature in discussions on sentiment analysis, conversational AI, language, code-switching and customer behaviour.

The people behind customer experience

Technology is only one side of the CX equation.

CEM Africa 2026 will look closely at employee experience, organisational culture and the changing capabilities required of customer-facing teams.

Sessions will cover customer-centric culture, employee resilience, burnout, hybrid CX teams, human-centred service, AI upskilling, cross-functional collaboration and change management.

The programme will also explore the relationship between employee experience and customer outcomes, recognising that organisations cannot sustainably improve CX without equipping and engaging the people responsible for delivering it.

What the three days will look like

Tuesday, 18 August – Day Zero

CEM Africa begins with an afternoon dedicated to registration, community engagement and relationship-building ahead of the main conference programme.

Delegates can expect networking activities and activations, including tastings, community conversations, the CEM Networking Padel Tournament and sponsored welcome drinks.

The format is designed to give speakers, delegates, partners and industry leaders an opportunity to begin making connections before the formal summit gets underway.

Wednesday, 19 August – Day One

Day One opens with a strong focus on trust, relevance and measurable customer experience outcomes.

The main stage begins with Deshnie Govender’s opening keynote, “The Culture-Led Customer: The Emerging Markets Playbook for Building Trust, Relevance and Loyalty”, followed by sessions examining the future of AI-powered customer experience, journey-led CX orchestration and business journalist and best-selling author Bruce Whitfield’s keynote, “The Trust Advantage”, exploring how trust can reduce friction and unlock better business results.

From late morning, the programme moves into a series of parallel workshops and panels built around some of the most pressing issues facing CX leaders today.

The first sessions explore building trust in the AI era, with discussions on whether AI investments are delivering measurable business outcomes, the changing role of the CX leader, enterprise AI agents, frictionless customer journeys and lessons from CEM Africa Awards-winning teams.

The afternoon broadens the conversation into customer intelligence, Voice of Customer, Agentic AI, digital trust and human reassurance, alongside a dedicated discussion on how African contact centres and BPO operators are positioning themselves to compete globally.

Later sessions place the human experience firmly back at the centre of CX. Leaders will explore employee wellbeing, emotionally intelligent journey design, empathy in an AI-enabled environment, customer-centric culture and how to lead CX teams through continuous change.

The final workshop block tackles the commercial realities of CX, including moving from NPS to P&L, improving checkout conversion, connecting customer, employee and digital experience, driving loyalty through hyper-personalised research and the realities of stepping into senior CX leadership.

Day One closes with Matchmaking and Happy Hour, followed by the CEM Engage Party, creating further opportunities for delegates, speakers, partners and solution providers to continue conversations and build meaningful industry relationships.

Thursday, 20 August – Day Two

Day Two turns the focus towards human impact, business value and the future direction of customer experience in Africa.

The main stage opens with Zahirah Variawa’s motivational keynote, “The Moments People Remember: Why the Experiences We Create Matter More Than We Think”, followed by Rashid Toefy on designing better citizen experiences and building trust through public services.

A QuestionPro and Metropolitan fireside chat explores the use of AI within Voice of Customer programmes, while Katie Stabler and Debi Potgieter’s “What the Fluff?” challenges the industry to examine whether CX initiatives have genuine substance when put under pressure.

The morning also features the CEM 2026 Advisory Board Panel, bringing together leaders from across Africa to examine the future of CX through the lenses of trust, technology, business value and human connection, before Martin Urrutia, Head of Global Retail Experience at The LEGO Group, takes to the stage for the keynote “Experience Is the Brand.”

The afternoon workshop programme moves from strategy into execution.

Sessions will explore AI-powered WhatsApp journeys, voice AI in the South African market, the point at which brand promises break down, self-improving human and AI service models and how CX leaders can prove ROI in language that resonates in the boardroom.

The final workshop block looks further ahead. Delegates can explore CX designed for measurable ROI, the Future African Customer 2030, organisational trust, scalable experience design, the risks of poor AI, emerging CX research and Human First experience design.

The programme then closes with WiN CX Africa: Women Shaping Excellence in Every Experience, bringing together female leaders to explore how cultures of safety, trust and inclusion shape stronger customer and employee experiences.

Across both days, the programme reflects the central theme of CEM Africa 2026: Trust, Technology and the Human Future of CX in Africa, with a clear emphasis on moving beyond theory towards customer experience strategies that create stronger relationships, better operational outcomes and measurable business value.

More than a conference programme

Alongside the conference and workshops, attendees will have access to the CEM Africa exhibition, Expo Spotlight Stages, technology demonstrations, networking functions and opportunities to engage directly with CX solution providers and peers facing similar transformation challenges.

For senior leaders, the value lies not simply in hearing what is changing, but in comparing approaches with peers, interrogating technology choices, finding practical solutions and building relationships across Africa’s customer experience community.

CEM Africa’s broader 2026 positioning – “Excellence in Every Experience: Shaping the Future of Customer Engagement Across Africa” – reflects an industry that is increasingly being asked to connect customer experience directly to business growth, loyalty, trust and resilience.

With the event now days away, CEM Africa 2026 offers organisations a timely opportunity to understand where customer experience is heading next — and what leaders need to do now to stay relevant.

CEM Africa 2026 takes place from 18–20 August 2026 at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town, South Africa.

For the latest programme, speaker line-up and delegate availability, visit https://apo-opa.co/4zgt0bJ.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

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Caribbean Energy Week 2027 Launches as Guyana’s Oil Boom Enters New Phase

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September 4, 2026

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Natural Resources

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat joined Guyana’s government and industry leaders in Georgetown to highlight the widening pipeline of opportunities for local and international investors at the Caribbean Energy Week 2027 in-country launch

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, September 3, 2026/APO Group/ –Guyana is rapidly approaching one million barrels per day of oil production, but the country’s next wave of growth could be defined as much by what happens beyond the oil fields as by the continued expansion of offshore output. That was the message from senior government and industry leaders in Georgetown on Tuesday as Caribbean Energy Week (CEW) 2027 officially launched in-country, bringing investors and energy stakeholders together around Guyana’s expanding pipeline of opportunities.

 




  

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat said Guyana’s production has surged from around 80,000 barrels per day in 2020 to more than 900,000 bpd, with the country on track to approach 1.7 million bpd by the end of the decade.

Bharrat highlighted exploration and the wider oil and gas value chain as major areas of opportunity, with Guyana’s local-content framework creating new avenues for international investors to partner with domestic companies. “You are in the right place, at the right time,” he told investors.

The government’s local-content drive is already reshaping that ecosystem. Nearly 1,300 companies are registered with the Local Content Secretariat and almost 7,000 Guyanese have been trained and certified to work directly in the oil and gas sector, Bharrat said.

“When we dropped that [Local Content Act], it was in no way meant to shut the door on foreign investment,” he said. “We have proven that the model can work, where we can have foreign investors partnering with our local private sector.”

We have proven that the model can work, where we can have foreign investors partnering with our local private sector

For Guyana’s Chief Investment Officer Peter R. Ramsaroop, the opportunity now extends beyond hydrocarbons. The country is entering a period of transformation in which energy availability and cost could unlock new investment across manufacturing and other industries.

“Energy is economics. It’s not a commodity, it’s a variable,” Ramsaroop said, pointing to the expected impact of lower electricity costs as Guyana’s Gas-to-Energy (GtE) project comes online.

The approximately 300-MW project is designed to process natural gas from the offshore Stabroek Block for power generation while recovering natural gas liquids. Lindsayca Guyana Country Manager and Board Member Luis Pirela said the project is targeting power generation before the end of 2026.

“With GtE, our goal is to bring energy to Guyana in the shortest time possible,” Pirela said, adding that Lindsayca is now sourcing close to 70% of its materials locally.

The project illustrates the wider shift underway in Guyana, where the rapid expansion of oil production is generating demand for infrastructure, services, manufacturing and local businesses while creating new opportunities for international investors. That transformation is also increasingly regional in scope – a central focus of Caribbean Energy Week 2027.

“Looking around this room, the strength of our collective leadership is clear,” said Sandra Jeque, Vice President at Energy Capital & Power, organizers of CEW. “We are here today to lay the groundwork for what will be a landmark event for the region – Caribbean Energy Week 2027 – at a critical moment for the Caribbean’s energy future.”

With Guyana emerging as one of the world’s fastest-growing oil producers, CEW 2027 will bring that momentum into a regional forum focused on investment, partnerships and the next chapter of the Caribbean’s energy economy.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

 




 

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Korea and Africa Chart New Course on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Infrastructure at 20th anniversary of Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC)

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September 4, 2026

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KOAFEC

A new Action Plan to accelerate Africa’s digital and AI transformation to be unveiled at 8th Ministerial Conference in Seoul

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, September 3, 2026/APO Group/ –Two decades after its founding, the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) partnership opens a new chapter in Seoul next week, with artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure at the heart of discussions on Africa’s economic transformation.

 




  

The 8th KOAFEC Ministerial Conference (https://apo-opa.co/4x2fplN) will run from 8 to 11 September under the theme “Harnessing AI and Digital Infrastructure for Africa’s Transformation.” It will bring together African ministers, senior Korean officials, development partners, private sector leaders, investors, innovators and start-up founders. They will explore how technology, investment and value creation can accelerate Africa’s development. The conference will be officially opened by Prime Minister Han Seong-sook.

The conference marks the 20th anniversary of KOAFEC, the flagship platform for Korea- Africa economic cooperation, established in 2006. For the African Development Bank Group, a founding pillar of the partnership alongside Korea’s Ministry of Finance and Economy, and the Korea Export-Import Bank (KEXIM), the occasion offers an opportunity to take stock of two decades of cooperation and to define a more ambitious agenda for the future.

African Development Bank Group President, Dr Sidi Ould Tah, is leading the Bank’s delegation to Seoul, marking his first official visit to the Republic of Korea since taking office in September 2025.

The 2026 conference will examine how Korean expertise in artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, ICT, energy, manufacturing and innovation can contribute to Africa’s development priorities.

For the African Development Bank Group, this ambition aligns directly with President Ould Tah’s Four Cardinal Points (https://apo-opa.co/4gJnabL) strategic framework: unlocking Africa’s capital power, rebuilding its financial sovereignty; turning demographic trends into a dividend, and building resilient infrastructure and competitive value chains.

Anchored on these Four Cardinal Points is the New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD), which aims to mobilise substantial African and global capital for the continent’s development needs and bridge its estimated annual financing gap of more than $400 billion.

The Tangible Results of a Unique Partnership

KOAFEC offers a formidable platform for advancing this agenda.  The renewed partnership comes at a pivotal moment. Africa’s youthful and growing population, abundant critical minerals and expanding continental market offer significant opportunities, but converting these assets into productive industries, jobs and inclusive growth will require greater access to capital, technology, infrastructure and skills.

Since its creation in 2007, the KOAFEC Trust Fund has become the Bank Group’s largest active bilateral trust fund. Approximately $50 million in project preparation support has catalysed an investment pipeline exceeding $6 billion and mobilised around $4 billion in financing, supporting operations across sectors including energy, agriculture, digital transformation, infrastructure, natural resources and private sector development.

The partnership has also supported more than 1,300 start-ups and entrepreneurs, benefited more than 1,200 businesses, and helped create more than 5,000 jobs.

The 20th anniversary is more than a moment to mark past achievements. It is an opportunity to define what the partnership should deliver over the next two decades, as Africa navigates rapid technological change and seeks a stronger position within emerging global value chains.

The conference is expected to culminate in a Joint Declaration setting out a shared vision and practical pathways to deepen Korea-Africa economic cooperation, along with the introduction of the 2027–2028 Action Plan, covering digital transformation and artificial intelligence, energy, infrastructure, trade, private sector development, and human capital.

For the Bank Group, the ambition is clear: to utilise KOAFEC as a platform to elevate Korea-Africa cooperation to a new level – one in which technology and foreign investment converge with Africa’s own capital, talent and markets to support investment, value creation, jobs and shared prosperity.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

 




 

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Invictus Energy Takes Zimbabwe’s Cabora Bassa Opportunity to African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 as Bronze Partner

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13 hours ago

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September 4, 2026

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African Energy Chamber

Invictus Energy joins AEW 2026 as Bronze Partner as Zimbabwe’s Cabora Bassa project advances toward commercialization, drilling and gas-to-power development

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, September 3, 2026/APO Group/ –Invictus Energy will participate in African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 as a Bronze Partner, bringing Zimbabwe’s Cabora Bassa Basin development into the continent’s premier energy investment forum. The partnership comes as Invictus shifts from frontier exploration toward commercial development following major discoveries, regulatory progress and a landmark production sharing agreement.

 




  

Invictus holds an 80% interest across 360,000 hectares in the Cabora Bassa Basin, where its Mukuyu discovery has established a significant gas-condensate resource. The company estimates the project contains 4.2 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas and 264 million barrels of condensate, positioning Cabora Bassa as a potential new source of domestic gas and power for Zimbabwe.

The company signed a petroleum production sharing agreement with the government of Zimbabwe in May this year, establishing the fiscal and commercial framework for future development. The agreement gives the state a 20% interest and incorporates the Mutapa Investment Fund, while providing a framework under which Zimbabwe can take its share through profits or physical gas volumes.

Its participation brings Zimbabwe’s emerging gas opportunity into direct conversation with investors, developers and energy companies from across the continent and beyond

Invictus is now preparing for its next major exploration catalyst, with the Musuma-1 well scheduled to spud in November. The well will target an independent prospect on the eastern basin margin containing an unrisked gross mean prospective resource of 1.2 tcf of gas and 73 million barrels of condensate, potentially expanding the basin’s commercial footprint.

The company has also secured Exalo Drilling Rig 202 through a deed of variation with Exalo Drilling, while wellpad construction, civil works and rig preparations advance ahead of mobilization. Invictus also completed an approximately $7-million capital raising in July, strengthening its funding position for the upcoming drilling program and wider appraisal activity.

Alongside exploration, Invictus is developing an early gas-to-power commercialization pathway centered on Mukuyu. A pilot project with Dallaglio and Himoinsa is designed to generate an initial 12 MW for the Eureka Gold Mine, with potential expansion to 50 MW as gas production develops and additional industrial demand emerges.

The company is also pursuing broader gas monetization through an MoU with Mbuyu Energy, potentially supplying gas-to-power generation facilities connected to the Southern African Power Pool. Longer-term plans include regional pipeline infrastructure and modular LNG production, creating multiple routes for Cabora Bassa gas to reach Zimbabwean and regional energy markets.

“Invictus Energy represents the type of African-led resource development that AEW is designed to showcase, where exploration success is being matched by commercial planning, government alignment and investment,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber. “Its participation brings Zimbabwe’s emerging gas opportunity into direct conversation with investors, developers and energy companies from across the continent and beyond.”

Invictus’ Bronze Partnership gives AEW 2026 delegates direct engagement with an emerging African upstream developer advancing one of the continent’s most significant recent onshore gas discoveries. Its participation comes as Zimbabwe seeks to convert new hydrocarbon resources into domestic power generation, industrial growth and energy security, while attracting investment into an underexplored frontier basin.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

 




 

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