AS global eyes turn increasingly towards Africa’s booming creative economy, all roads will from today lead to Johannesburg, South Africa, for the Africa Live Entertainment Conference (ALEC) 2026, which is scheduled to run until Saturday.
The conference is a pan-African platform dedicated to strengthening the business infrastructure of live entertainment across the continent.
Through strategic partnerships, policy engagement and industry convenings, ALEC is building a more connected and commercially viable African entertainment ecosystem.
This landmark convening promises to bring together key stakeholders from across the music, touring, live events, policy and investment sectors, all united by a singular goal: to shape the future of live entertainment on the continent.
With formal endorsement from Nigeria’s National Council for Arts and Culture and the Lagos State Tourism, Arts and Culture ministry, ALEC is positioning itself as a critical platform for strengthening the infrastructure required to support a thriving, interconnected touring circuit across Africa.
In a notable development underscoring the event’s pan-African reach, two distinguished Zimbabwean figures have been confirmed on the speaker roster: Walter Wanyanya, director for the acclaimed Jacaranda Festival and Usher Nyambi, the founder of Samora Central, who also serves as the head of media and communications for ALEC.
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Over three days, the conference will tackle the industry’s most pressing operational challenges.
Attendees can expect keynote conversations, panel sessions, a dedicated Women in Live Arts Brunch and closed-door roundtables addressing artist mobility, visa access, touring logistics, infrastructure gaps and access to financing.
Some of the key panels include “The State of African Live Entertainment — Infrastructure, Investment and Growth”, and “The Global Routing — Breaking African Artists into International Markets”, among others.
A flagship session, “Touring Without Borders: Mobility, Visas & Regional Co-operation”, is expected to draw particular urgency, while the closing “Johannesburg Commitments” roundtable aims to produce actionable policy outcomes.
The roster of keynote speakers is equally formidable, featuring Ninikanwa Olachi Okey-Uche, mni, who is the consul general of Nigeria in Johannesburg; Olivier Laouchez, co-founder and CEO of Trace TV; Sipho Dlamini, president of Africa and Middle East at gamma; and Mo Abudu, founder and CEO of EbonyLife.
The confirmed speaker list reads as a who’s who of African entertainment and policy leadership, with the Zimbabwean presence adding significant weight to the conversations.
Wanyanya, whose leadership at Zimbabwe’s Jacaranda Festival has become a regional benchmark for cultural curation and event management, will bring on-the-ground insights into festival economics and audience development.
Nyambi, in his role as head of media and communications at ALEC, will offer a strategic perspective on how narrative and media infrastructure can accelerate industry growth.
They join a distinguished cohort that includes Cuthbert Ncube, chairperson of the African Tourism Board; Annabell Lebethe, CEO of SAMRO; Amy Oraefo, Mamby Diomandè of Sima; Mozambican artist and cultural ambassador Dama Do Bling; Solomon Sonaiya of Livespot 360; Bizzle Osikoya of The Plug and entertainment lawyer Lerato Sengadi.
The conference is guided by an advisory board featuring Lee Kasumba, Akintunde Marinho, Solape Hammond, Chim Chalemera of the UK Department for Business and Trade and Bolanle Austen-Peters of Terra Kulture.
According to Nigerian rapper Sasha P, real name Anthonia Yetunde Alabi, who is the founder and convener of ALEC, the conference is a direct response to a moment of both immense opportunity and structural fragility.
“Africa’s live entertainment industry is full of potential, but unlocking that potential requires more than talent, it requires structure, collaboration and intentional investment,” she said.
“ALEC was created to bring together the people shaping the industry, not just to have conversations, but to drive real, long-term outcomes for the continent,” she added.
With expect participation from stakeholders across Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal and beyond. ALEC is establishing itself as a catalyst for deal-making and long-term industry growth.
Full programme details and further speaker announcements are available at www.alec.africa.