5th edition EMAICON

Africa's intelligent future starts here.

A residential, three-day gathering for the people building Africa's AI: researchers, founders, engineers, policy thinkers, and students. Quiet rooms, hard conversations, hands-on craft.

26-28 November 2026 Arusha, Tanzania 3 full days

Programme Day 1 · Foundations, research and systems thinking

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Attendees
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Speakers
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Demos & exhibits
Systems

AI for African systems

Direction

Leadership, trust, scale

People

Research, builders, policy

Reach

Pan-African collaboration

About the conference

A working gathering for African AI.

Since 2022, EnhanceMind AI (EMAI CON) has been the annual meeting place for the people moving Africa's AI ecosystem forward: practitioners and researchers, public-sector leaders and student communities.

EMAICON 2026 is the fifth edition, and the first to be fully residential. Three days in Arusha, 26–28 November. Around 300 delegates: researchers, students, startups, companies, institutions, policymakers, and AI practitioners.

Main sessions and panels, the EMAI Expo, AI4SDGs / hackathon, research showcases, and corporate partner engagement, with Tanzania positioned as a leading AI hub in Africa.

  • Hands-on workshops Build skills in rooms designed for practice, not passivity.
  • Keynote stages Leaders framing sovereignty, product, and research for Africa.
  • Community spaces Student lounges, quiet corners, and rooms to be human.
  • Project showcases African-built systems presented to peers who ship.
Women in AI Breakfast · 26 September
Delegates working together at an EMAI CON workshop
A working room, not a lecture hall.
Past editions

Four years of growing together.

From our first gathering to last year’s conference in Dar es Salaam, EMAI CON has grown alongside Africa’s AI ecosystem. A glimpse of what each room felt like.

EMAI CON 2025 organisers and community
EMAI CON 2025
EMAI CON 2024
EMAI CON 2024
EMAI CON 2023
EMAI CON 2023
EMAI CON 2022 panel
EMAI CON 2022
Live product demo at EMAI CON 2025
EMAI CON 2025
EMAI CON 2025 community group
The 2025 room
Speaker at the EMAI CON podium
On the podium
Builders at an AI at the Edge session
Builders
Delegates pinning notes on the EMAI expectations board
Working session
Feza Schools students recognised at EMAI CON
Students in the room
Partners and students at EMAI CON
Partners and schools
Women contributing to the EMAI expectations board
Community, on the wall
What to expect

From the stage to the workshop table.

Keynotes, labs, the expo floor, and rooms to work in. Built for delegates who want to leave with skills, connections, and a clear next step.

Delegates working together at an EMAI CON workshop
Hands-on

Workshops, demos, and the hackathon.

Laptops open. Rooms for agents, edge AI, RAG, and multimodal systems. Practice together, then ship something real before the lights go down.

Keynotes & fireside chats

Hear from African and global AI leaders, celebrity practitioners, and researchers exploring AI systems, governance, and Africa's intelligent future.

Booths & startup showcase

AI4SDGs projects, corporate innovations, and startup demos. African-built AI systems in action, not behind glass.

Speaker presenting on the conference floor

Ethics & governance debates

Critical conversations on responsible AI, governance frameworks, trust, and sovereignty in African contexts.

Delegates contributing to the EMAI expectations board

Community spaces

Chill zones, AI art, prayer rooms, student lounges, and community-led side events. Conferences are also a place to be human.

Keynote speakers

Propose a session.

We're curating a roster that reflects Africa's AI moment: researchers, builders, regulators, and operators. The Call for Speakers is open through 30 September 2026.

Speaker on the EMAI CON 2025 stage
The 2025 stage
Speaker presenting on the conference floor
Floor talks
Speaker presenting beside a NileAGI banner
Partner stages

Lineup landing after review

Propose a keynote, session, panel, workshop, or fireside chat. Notifications go out on 16 October 2026.

Submit a speaker proposal

Conference schedule

Three full days. One arc.

All times in EAT. Detailed session schedule with speakers will be published once the lineup is locked.

Day 01 · 26 November

Foundations, research & systems thinking

Open the conference with a survey of where African AI sits today: foundational research, breakthrough papers, and systems thinking for our own contexts.

Keynotes Research Welcome dinner
Day 02 · 27 November

Builders, agents & edge deployment

A builder's day. Deep workshops on agents, edge AI, multimodal systems, and the engineering tradecraft of shipping models that actually work in the field.

Workshops Hackathon Demos
Day 03 · 28 November

Governance, policy, SDGs & the pan-African table

Close the loop. AI governance, public-sector use, AI4SDGs showcases, and a pan-African working session on what we build together next.

Policy SDGs Closing dinner

Detailed schedule with session times and speakers will be announced soon.

Registration

Pick the way you'll join.

Three tiers, designed around how you participate. All prices in Tanzanian Shillings (TZS). International delegates can request invoiced bank or card payment.

Student

Student

For full-time learners and academy members. Light verification required.

TZS 100,000

Per attendee

  • Access to all sessions, workshops & expo
  • Conference materials & resources
  • Meals and refreshments throughout
  • Student lounge & mentor matchmaking
  • Post-conference recordings
Register as student
Professional · most popular

Professional

For individual industry practitioners, faculty, and senior researchers.

TZS 200,000

Per attendee

  • All Student benefits
  • Workshop certificates
  • Executive networking dinner access
  • Priority seating & matchmaking
  • Conference swag pack & recordings
Register as professional
Corporate Team

Corporate Team

A team-of-3 bundle for companies and institutions. Roughly TZS 133,000 per person: a clear group saving.

TZS 400,000

For a team of 3 · save TZS 200,000 vs. three solo Pro tickets

  • 3 full delegate passes
  • All Professional benefits
  • Brand visibility on team-page roster
  • Optional add-ons: booth, sponsorship
  • Single invoice & receipt
Reserve a team
How student verification works. Student tickets ask for your institution name and student/registration ID at sign-up. Organisers may follow up confidentially with your institution before badging. If you can't provide a number, write to organizers@emaiconference.com and we'll find a path.
Showcase

AI4SDGs Competition & Expo.

Two stages for African-built AI: a juried competition for SDG-aligned solutions, and an open expo floor for demos, prototypes, and live conversations.

AI4SDGs Competition

Showcase innovative AI solutions aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Open to individuals, teams, and organisations from academia, industry, and startups.

Judging criteria

  • Innovation & novelty
  • Demonstrated impact
  • Scalability & feasibility
  • Alignment with SDGs
Opens15 September
Closes26 October
Notifications30 October
Submit a project

EMAI CON Expo

An open platform to exhibit prototypes, products, and research demos. Meet curious customers, partners, and collaborators in one room.

What you get

  • Dedicated demo station
  • Live demos & visitor handoffs
  • Branding moments throughout the day
  • Power, internet, and a friendly stagehand
Opens8 September
Closes9 October
Notifications23 October
Apply for the expo
26 September 2026 · Dar es Salaam

Women in AI Breakfast.

A morning in Dar es Salaam for women working across AI, technology, entrepreneurship, and related fields. Networking, conversations with women-led startups, and product demonstrations, then breakfast together.

  • Three speakers from women-led startups
  • Three product demonstrations
  • Venue in Dar es Salaam to be announced
Learn more Community site
Open calls

Speak, exhibit, build, partner.

Official windows for EMAICON 2026. Use the forms below. Every submission gets a confirmation reference.

Speakers

Call for Speakers

Keynotes, sessions, panels, workshops. Opens 1 September · closes 30 September · notifications 16 October.

Submit a proposal
Expo

EMAI Expo

Demos, prototypes, and products on the floor. Opens 8 September · closes 9 October · notifications 23 October.

Apply for a booth
AI4SDGs

Hackathon & competition

SDG-aligned AI solutions. Opens 15 September · closes 26 October · notifications 30 October.

Enter a project
Partners

Partners

Sponsors, institutions, exhibitors, and media. Enquiries are open, and we review them on a rolling basis.

Send an enquiry

Be in the room where Africa's AI is being built.

Three days. Three hundred people. One quiet venue in Arusha. Seats are limited and the residential format keeps it that way.

Reserve your seat
Our partners

In good company.

EMAICON 2026 is backed by partners invested in Africa’s AI community: practice, research, and the people building it.

Interested in sponsorship or partnership? Send an enquiry or write to partnerships@emaiconference.com.