UNITING TECH, TALENT & COMMUNITY

We focus on using our content and partnerships to help support the sustainability of the market our event serves. And we also aim to inspire our suppliers, exhibitors and other stakeholders to help us deliver a sustainable event.

Our efforts include:

• Startup initiatives and support - Microsoft Learning Labs and Twitter Workshops during our events
• New Award Category for Africa Tech Festival and our regional Awards ceremonies, “Changing Lives Award", honouring the companies making a significant social impact with their tech for good partnerships and initiatives.
• On the Africa Tech Festival agenda, we now have a section focused on charities and organisations with sustainability initiatives.
• Our events have a strong focus on universal human rights and community impact, as well as technology and telecommunications.
• We are continuously improving our work on Gender Equality. This is a priority in our operations and we are focused on balancing the gender of speakers on the conference panels. Our Africa Tech Festival team is also gender-balanced.
• Empowering the next generation of event professionals.
• We encourage young people entering the industry to be passionate about sustainable events. Our graduate scheme gives young people the opportunity to be confident with building sustainability initiatives into events. Responsibilities have included building new charity partnerships, writing coverage on partners, as well as full event production.

We focus on reducing our event’s carbon emissions, creating less waste, and considering the sustainability credentials of the items sourced for the event

Our efforts include:

• Informa Tech, the producers of Africa Tech Festival, are committed to achieving Carbon Net Zero and Zero Waste
• We work with local partners so that items of waste that can be reused are donated to the local community. Read more on this here.
• We work closely with our contractors toward all of our feature builds being waste-free. In the physical events, ‘waste’ wood from breaking down stands was diverted from landfill and reused or upcycled.
• This video celebrates the impact Informa’s content has had on creating growth and opportunity for young Africans in the technology and communications sectors.
• By switching to LED lighting for AfricaCom, we increase our energy efficiency and our venue is 4start – we are Green Start rated for energy efficiency.
• On the 20th Annual AfricaCom, we were able to provide 101.2 metric tonnes of wood to the communities of the Seawinds and surrounding areas. The wood ‘waste’ made up 66.6% of the waste generated at the event, contributing to the remarkable overall recycling figure of 97.4% for the entire event.
• Through rain waster capturing and reverse osmosis capacity, our events at CTICC are water neutral (more is captured than is used).

We focus on doing business safely and ethically, ensuring our event is a welcoming environment for all, considering wellbeing and accessibility, and creating a positive impact on our host cities.

Our efforts include: 

• Charity partnerships: CodeSpace, helping young people develop tech careers; The Kolisi Foundation, created as a direct impact of COVID to support local communities in South Africa; La Difference, connecting underserved regions of Africa.
• Wellness aspects during our events including Strava 'Go the Distance' competitions with FitBit prize and supporting local safaris, including WildEarth.
• A strong focus on Connecting the Next Billion with a focus on the limitations of the last-mile.
• Increase in our diversity, equality and inclusivity editorial coverage. Each month we spotlight a woman in tech on our media site Connecting Africa. In 2021, we delivered our first-ever International Women's Day campaign.
• Many of our event sessions are created in partnership with local organisations who are already doing great work, and we’re really pleased to raise their profile.