Smart Africa Director General and Chief Executive Officer Lacina Koné has been announced as a featured speaker for the Pan African AI Summit 2026, scheduled for 22 and 23 September in Accra.
According to the summit organisers, the event will be held at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City and will focus on artificial intelligence policy, innovation and adoption across Africa.
Koné has led Smart Africa since 2019. The organisation is described by the summit team as an African Union-endorsed alliance of 40 member states working on the continent’s digital transformation agenda. Its work has included programmes and policy frameworks on digital identity, broadband, technology start-up ecosystems and artificial intelligence coordination.
Organisers said Koné will take part in a high-level plenary on policy and partnerships. In a statement carried by the organisers, he said AI represented a major opportunity for Africa’s digital development and that forums bringing together policymakers, businesses and skilled professionals were important to the discussion.
The speaker line-up also includes Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Samuel Nartey George; minoHealth AI Labs founder Darlington Akogo; Dr G. Ayorkor Korsah of Ashesi University; MTN Chief Technology Officer Reuben Opata; KNUST’s Professor John Jerry Kponyo; and Mymanu chief executive Danny Manu, according to the announcement.
Felix Donkor, the summit’s director and convenor, said Koné’s participation would connect attendees with continental conversations on AI policy. The event is intended to convene delegates, innovators, investors and public-sector leaders.
The organisers said the 2026 programme will include keynote sessions, ministerial dialogues, roundtables, an AI Hackathon pitch competition for start-ups, an AI Masterclass, an exhibition and networking activities ahead of the summit.
They said the inaugural edition in 2025 drew 1,000 delegates from more than 30 countries. For the 2026 event, the summit team expects more than 1,800 registered delegates.
