Global Tech Africa (GTA) Conference 2026 will be held in Kano with organisers positioning the event as a platform for using technology to accelerate industrialisation, expand market access and strengthen regional trade across Africa.
The organisers announced the conference at a Press Conference held on Wednesday at MTN Plaza, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Themed “Connecting Africa, Accelerating Growth,” with the sub-theme “Industrialisation, Market Access & the Sahel Gateway,” the conference holding from November 3 to 5, is being organised by Futuremap Foundation, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), MTN Nigeria and Qorebox Solutions, with support from several technology and development organisations.
The conference concept identifies a potential market of more than 350 million people stretching from Kano into the Sahel and seeks to examine how digital technologies can facilitate access to the market.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
The Executive director, FutureMap Foundation Dr. Shuaib Sani Shuaib stressed that Kano serves as a strategic gateway to the wider Sahel using technology as a lever.
“The conference will focus on practical ways to use technology to strengthen industrial and trade corridors,” he said.
He highlighted digitalizing industrial value chains such as leather and agriculture, improving traceability and export readiness, enabling digital payments for cross-border trade, strengthening smart logistics and e-commerce as part of the objectives of this year’s edition.
He said that US$5 million trade and investment value was facilitated for businesses and the global economy during the previous edition, expressing the target for more investment in this year’s edition.
According to him, Kano’s location provides an opportunity to explore technology-enabled connections between industrial production, investment and regional markets, particularly across northern Nigeria and neighbouring Sahelian economies.
The organisers said the focus would include digitalising industrial value chains in sectors such as leather and agriculture, improving traceability and export readiness, enabling digital payments for cross-border commerce, strengthening logistics and e-commerce, and deploying artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing to improve industrial competitiveness.
The organisers also linked the conference to the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which they described as a major market opportunity requiring stronger connections between technology, production and trade.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The organisers also plan to produce a Kano Digital Industrialisation Accord, develop a pipeline of more than 500 jobs created or committed, and facilitate three sister-city or regional trade memoranda of understanding.
Other sessions will focus on Africa’s digital backbone, AfCFTA and digital trade, borderless payments and the future of trade, as well as artificial intelligence, climate innovation, health equity and technology-enabled industrial development.
There will also be investor meetups, founder networking sessions, an Investment Roundtable and business-to-business engagements.
The 2026 edition builds on the previous GTA conference held in Lagos in 2024, which attracted more than 6,000 participants and featured over 100 speakers across more than 85 sessions.
Chinyelu Chikwend, Senior Manager, Innovation, MTN Nigeria, said the vision of the conference aligns with the telecommunication firm’s commitment to boost skill development and businesses.
“Events like this provide an opportunity for MTN to further extend its support because as we are growing we are happy to be always driving growth for other people and businesses.
“At MTN, we are connecting intelligence and catalyzing innovation and commercialising solutions through our various platforms, distribution channels and we are also enhancing capacity growth and skill development growth through our foundation,” she said.
