Smart Africa Chief Lacina Koné to speak at Pan African AI Summit 2026
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of Smart Africa, Mr Lacina Koné, will be a featured speaker at the Pan African AI Summit (PAAIS) 2026, scheduled to take place in Accra from September 22 to 23.
The announcement was made yesterday by the PAAIS organising team, describing Mr Koné’s participation as a major boost to the summit’s ambition of advancing continental collaboration on artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation and innovation.
A statement issued by Smart Africa and copied to the Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday said the alliance, endorsed by the African Union, is committed to accelerating Africa’s digital transformation through collaboration among governments, development partners and the private sector.
The statement said that since assuming office in 2019, Mr Koné had led the development of continental frameworks on digital identity, broadband expansion, ICT start-up ecosystems and Africa’s coordinated approach to AI. It noted that these efforts included the establishment of the Africa AI Council under the continent’s ICT ministers to guide policy and cooperation on artificial intelligence.
His participation, the organisers said, reinforces the summit’s position as a leading platform for shaping AI policy and driving practical adoption across Africa.
Mr Koné joins an impressive line-up of speakers, including the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Mr Samuel Nartey George; Founder and Chief Executive Officer of minoHealth AI Labs, Mr Darlington Akogo; Dr G. Ayorkor Korsah of Ashesi University; Chief Technology Officer of MTN Ghana, Mr Reuben Opata; Professor John Jerry Kponyo of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and Ghana AI Strategy Leader; and award-winning innovator and Chief Executive Officer of Mymanu UK, Mr Danny Manu.
The Summit Director and Convenor of PAAIS, Mr Felix Donkor, said Africa’s AI future would be built through continental collaboration rather than isolated national efforts.
“Africa’s AI moment will not be decided in one capital city or one boardroom. It will be built through the kind of continental coordination that Smart Africa exists to deliver,” he said.
Mr Donkor said welcoming Mr Koné to Accra would connect delegates, innovators and investors directly to the continental agenda shaping AI policy across Africa.
Responding to the invitation, Mr Koné confirmed his participation as a featured speaker in the high-level Policy and Partnerships plenary.
“I am pleased to confirm my participation and would be honoured to contribute as a Featured Speaker. We look forward to engaging in this important dialogue alongside fellow leaders,” he said.
He described AI as the defining opportunity of Africa’s digital decade and said platforms such as PAAIS were essential because they brought together policymakers, businesses and innovators to advance responsible AI adoption.
PAAIS 2026 builds on the success of its inaugural edition in 2025, which attracted 1,000 delegates from more than 30 countries. This year’s summit is expected to host more than 1,800 delegates and will feature keynote addresses, ministerial dialogues, roundtables, an AI Hackathon pitch competition, an AI Masterclass, an executive exhibition and networking sessions.
Smart Africa, launched in 2013, is an alliance of 31 African countries working with international organisations and private-sector partners to accelerate digital transformation and build a single digital market across the continent by 2030.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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