{"id":860585,"date":"2026-08-19T08:06:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T08:06:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/860585\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T08:06:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T08:06:18","slug":"connecting-entrepreneurs-markets-and-opportunities-register-for-gecafrica-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/860585\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecting entrepreneurs, markets and opportunities: register for GEC+Africa 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Registrations for the 2026 edition of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress Africa (GEC+Africa)<\/a> are in full swing, marking the countdown to one of the continent\u2019s most anticipated gatherings dedicated to advancing entrepreneurship and business growth.<\/p>\n

Hosted under the theme \u201cConnecting Africa\u201d, GEC+Africa 2026 will take place on September 16 and 17 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.<\/p>\n

It will bring together thousands of entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors, corporates, and ecosystem leaders from across Africa and the globe.<\/p>\n

Delegates can look forward to two days of high-level plenary sessions, panel discussions, workshops, exhibitions, investor engagements, policy dialogues, pitching sessions, masterclasses, and networking opportunities designed to foster innovation, collaboration, and economic growth.<\/p>\n

Expanding access<\/p>\n

\u201cGEC+Africa is a platform for entrepreneurs and ecosystem leaders committed to shaping Africa\u2019s economic future,\u201d says Carmen Rudd, GEC+Africa project lead.<\/p>\n

She says organisers have made General Delegate registration<\/a> free to broaden participation and ensure that entrepreneurs from all backgrounds \u201ccan be part of this important continental moment\u201d.<\/p>\n

Delegates seeking deeper engagement can opt for Premium Delegate access<\/a>, which includes priority seating, curated networking opportunities, and exclusive engagement spaces.<\/p>\n

Spotlighting African innovators<\/p>\n

One of the highlights of the congress will be the finals of the Road to GEC+Africa 2026 Continental Pitch Competition.<\/p>\n

This initiative provides startups and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) with a platform to showcase their businesses, access potential funding and investment opportunities, and build strategic connections.<\/p>\n

Over the past few months, the Road to GEC+Africa 2026 has travelled across the continent, hosting regional bootcamps and pitch competitions in Botswana, Uganda, Namibia, Algeria, Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa. <\/p>\n

These events have identified some of Africa\u2019s most promising entrepreneurs, with the winners from each participating country securing a place in the finals.<\/p>\n

A total of 15 finalists will compete in a live pitching competition at GEC+Africa 2026 for a chance to be named among the continent\u2019s Top 3 Innovators and win a share of $20,000. <\/p>\n

Building on a solid foundation<\/p>\n

Building on the success of the inaugural GEC+Africa in 2024, this year\u2019s congress will continue to drive conversations around digital transformation, market access, cross-border collaboration, and the scaling of African enterprises. <\/p>\n

Its two-day programme is designed to create opportunities for collaboration, investment and knowledge sharing that support the growth of startups, MSMEs and entrepreneurial ecosystems across Africa.<\/p>\n

Register now<\/a> to secure your place at GEC+Africa 2026.<\/p>\n

This article was sponsored by Global Entrepreneurship Network Africa.<\/p>\n

GEC+Africa 2026 is powered by African Bank, in partnership with the Western Cape Government, Microsoft, Amazon, Wesgro, Telkom, 22 On Sloane, and a growing network of partners committed to advancing entrepreneurship across Africa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Registrations for the 2026 edition of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress Africa (GEC+Africa) are in full swing, marking the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":860586,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[64,63,99,198,430433,430432,308965],"class_list":["post-860585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entrepreneurship","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-business","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-gecafrica-2026","tag-global-entrepreneurship-congress-africa","tag-nativeexclude"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=860585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860585\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/860586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=860585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=860585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=860585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}