We encourage you to propose a contribution in one of the formats listed below.Deadline for abstract submission is 30 June 2026
Format of Contributions
The conference’s aim is, above all, to discuss ideas, results, generalizations, hypotheses, and plans among an audience representing institutions from education, business, development studies, and related fields. We encourage the submission of inputs with an explorative or conceptual nature, case studies, and reports concerning successes or failures. Therefore, the two-day program encompasses the following formats:
- Paper Presentations (e.g. MS PowerPoint)
- Panel Discussions
Panel sessions serve as discussion forums for issues of contemporary interest to entrepreneurs and academics in Africa.
Panels are complete sessions organized as a single submission by the panel chair around a common theme.
Panels may have a variety of formats. Examples include roundtables with no formal papers, innovative presentations utilizing software or film, keynote and discussion with very senior scholar(s) and expert(s).
Potential contributors should submit an abstract (maximum 500 words / one page). Deadline for abstract submission is 30thh June 2026. Please follow this Link to submit your abstract.
Submission of papers is required by 31 July 2026. Abstracts, presentation slides and posters will be published on the conference website. Final papers will be published in an electronic conference proceedings volume with DOI number.
Here, you can find some guidelines.
Conference Theme Building Resilient Enterprise Development Ecosystems for Africa’s Digital and AI Future: Financing, Circular Innovation and Future Jobs
Subthemes
The conference theme is structured into eight subthemes. They serve only as an orientation for contributions to the conference. All contributions related to the conference theme are welcome, also those which cover more than one subtheme, and those which cannot clearly be assigned to one of the subthemes.
This sub-theme focuses on how African enterprises can use digital technologies and artificial intelligence to improve productivity, innovation, and competitiveness. Its composition includes digital adoption by firms, AI applications in production and services, digital skills, broadband access, cloud systems, data infrastructure, energy reliability, and innovation-supporting infrastructure such as tech hubs and incubators. It also covers skills or competencies at developing the relevant infrastructure for SMEs and start-ups.
This sub-theme examines how entrepreneurs and enterprises obtain the financial resources and strategic models needed for growth and sustainability. Its key elements include venture capital, angel investment, impact investment, public financing, SME lending, blended finance, fintech-enabled funding, and alternative funding sources such as crowdfunding. It also includes revenue models, platform business models, inclusive business strategies, scaling models, and ecosystem support structures that help firms move from start-up to growth stage.
This sub-theme addresses how enterprises can innovate in ways that reduce waste, reuse resources, and create sustainable products and services. Its composition includes circular economy principles, eco-design, green production systems, recycling and remanufacturing, sustainable packaging, product lifecycle thinking, and resource-efficient innovation. It also covers product development processes, customer-focused design, quality improvement, branding, distribution systems, export readiness, and strategies for helping African enterprises access local, regional, and global markets.
This sub-theme considers the institutional and policy environment that shapes enterprise growth and resilience. It includes regulatory quality, ease of doing business, digital policy, AI governance, data protection, intellectual property rights, taxation, competition policy, and public support for innovation and entrepreneurship. Its composition also involves the role of government agencies, development institutions, private sector bodies, and cross-sector partnerships in creating policies that encourage enterprise formalisation, innovation, inclusion, and long-term business sustainability.
This sub-theme explores how digitalisation, automation, AI, and changing economic structures are transforming jobs, work organisation, and labour markets in Africa. Its elements include digital jobs, gig work, remote work, AI-related occupations, changing skill requirements, reskilling and upskilling, youth employment, women’s inclusion in future jobs, and labour market adaptation. It also looks at how enterprise ecosystems can prepare workers and entrepreneurs for new forms of work while addressing job displacement, informality, and unequal access to opportunities.
This sub-theme focuses on how knowledge creation, research partnerships, and innovative teaching methods can strengthen enterprise development across Africa. Its composition includes collaborative research projects, university-industry linkages, joint innovation platforms, policy-relevant research, entrepreneurship education, digital pedagogy, and capacity building. It also covers cross-border academic partnerships, virtual exchange programmes, shared learning platforms, and the use of online tools to promote joint problem-solving, research dissemination, and practical learning across countries and institutions.
This sub-theme explores how digital transformation and AI can be harnessed to promote gender equality, social inclusion, and equity in Africa. It focuses on ensuring that marginalized groups, particularly women, youth, and people with disabilities, have equal access to technology, digital skills, and entrepreneurial opportunities. The sub-theme also examines how social protection policies can be integrated into the digital economy to address job displacement and ensure that vulnerable populations are not left behind. Topics include gender-responsive solutions, inclusive business models, and strategies to foster equitable access to resources and opportunities within Africa’s evolving digital and AI ecosystem.