Africa Symposium
How can Africa move from inheriting the Intelligence Economy to helping architect it?
This question sits at the heart of a closed-door gathering being convened by Pax Technologica in partnership with AICE Africa at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.
Bringing together a carefully curated group of African and European leaders from technology, policy, academia, venture, finance, governance, and institutional development, the gathering will create a trusted space to explore how Africa can play a more active role in shaping the systems, institutions, ventures, and ideas that will define the next era of technological and economic development.
As artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and emerging technologies reshape economies and societies around the world, Africa has a unique opportunity not simply to adopt these systems, but to participate in designing the frameworks, values, and innovations that will underpin the future Intelligence Economy.
As a think-and-do organisation, Pax Technologica has been developing a growing body of work around AI, governance, institutional futures, and the evolving relationship between humanity and intelligent systems. Together with AICE Africa, we are now entering the next phase of this work through the development of AI Foundry Africa, a new platform dedicated to venture creation, institutional imagination, leadership development, and intelligence infrastructure across the continent.
Oxford represents an important milestone in this journey. Building on recent engagements and convenings in Davos, Kigali, Nairobi, and Johannesburg, as well as our collaboration with GIBS Business School in South Africa, this gathering is designed to foster meaningful dialogue, strategic alignment, and long-term relationship building among those helping to shape Africa's digital, technological, and innovation futures.
Hosted over two days at the Blavatnik School of Government, participants will include ministers, technology envoys, policymakers, founders, investors, academics, and institutional leaders. Through a combination of dialogue, reflection, and peer exchange, the gathering will explore the opportunities and challenges emerging from the Intelligence Economy and consider how Africa can strengthen its capacity to shape its own technological future.
More than a conference, this is intended as a high-trust forum for collective foresight, relationship building, and collaboration, creating the conditions for new partnerships and long-term cooperation across Africa and beyond.
Africa is entering a decisive period in its development. Artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, new forms of capital, and shifting geopolitical realities are reshaping economies, institutions, and societies across the continent.
The question is no longer whether these forces will transform Africa, but how Africa will help shape them. Yet opportunities for leaders to step outside the demands of daily work and engage in long-term, cross-sector thinking remain rare.
Convened by Pax Technologica and AICE Africa at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, this gathering has been designed as a trusted space for reflection, dialogue, and relationship building among leaders working across technology, policy, governance, finance, academia, and innovation. There is no media agenda, no public performance, and no predetermined conclusions. Instead, the focus is on serious conversation, strategic alignment, and collective preparation for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
The symposium will operate under Chatham House Rules and is designed less as a conference and more as an intimate field of inquiry, dialogue, and action. Participants can expect something between a salon, a strategic retreat, and an executive masterclass.
Over two days at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, participants will engage with a series of facilitated conversations, peer exchanges, and strategic discussions exploring:
The programme is designed to encourage honest dialogue, build trusted relationships, and identify practical opportunities for collaboration across sectors, institutions, and geographies.
Day One will focus on thought leadership, field intelligence, and strategic dialogue, bringing together approximately fifty invited participants from Africa, Europe, and beyond.
Day Two will move into a more focused closed-door roundtable with a smaller group of investors, builders, policymakers, family offices, foundations, and strategic allies to explore actionable next steps, partnerships, and long-term collaboration opportunities.
Throughout the gathering, we will also present a selection of Pax Technologica publications, essays, and institutional concepts intended to provoke meaningful dialogue and expand the conversation around Al and African futures.
From the moment you arrive in Oxford, our team will ensure that you are well looked after. Where needed, we may also assist with logistics and hotel arrangements.
Pax Technologica
A gathering for those shaping Africa's technological future together.
22-23June, 2026
