South Africa 2026 on April 22, 2026 at the Johannesburg Marriott Hotel, Melrose Arch. With the central theme, “Accelerating Africa’s Industrial Future: Harnessing AI, Digital Twins and Data-Driven Operations for Sustainable Growth”, the event will bring together industrial leaders, technology innovators, and ecosystem partners to explore how AI, Digital Twins, and connected data platforms are reshaping the future of Africa’s industries.
Africa stands at a defining inflection point in its industrial digital transformation journey. Research shows that AI-enabled operational intelligence could reduce unplanned downtime by up to 30%, cut energy intensity by 10–20%, across Africa’s mining, chemicals, and power generation sectors.
The World Economic Forum’s Africa Competitiveness Report highlights that organisations which have advanced beyond pilot-stage digital transformation programmes are already outperforming peers on productivity, energy efficiency, and sustainability metrics by a significant margin. Supporting this momentum, the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020–2030) is accelerating policy alignment across the continent, while the drive towards a Digital Single Market by 2030 is creating the regulatory and infrastructure conditions for industrial AI and connected operations to scale.
“Africa is not a spectator in the AI revolution, its industries are the foundation on which the global AI infrastructure is being built. At AVEVA, we see Africa as a region of immense potential, where digital transformation is helping organisations overcome traditional barriers and advance effectively. The journey ahead is about moving from pilot projects to full-scale deployment, from data rich to intelligence led, and from reactive to predictive operations,” said Jesús Hernandez, Senior Vice President – EMEA, AVEVA.
EMEA, AVEVA
Speaking on the event, Khaled Salah, Vice President – Africa, AVEVA, said: “The global demand for African natural resources is accelerating: the companies who will capture that growth will be the ones that invest in operational intelligence through tools like AI, Digital Twins, and connected data platforms to drive efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. AVEVA Day South Africa is a chance to move from conversation to action as it gives the opportunity to see what peers are doing, what’s possible, and to leave with a clearer view of the path forward.”
The one-day event will begin with a welcome note from Jesus Hernandez, Senior Vice President –EMEA, AVEVA followed by a strategic keynote from Hanno van Niekerk, Market Leader – Sub-Saharan Africa, AVEVA, on how AI-powered industrial software and the Digital Twin are supporting the region’s energy transition and sustainability ambitions. The agenda will also feature a session by Glenn Kerkhoff, Industry Principle – MMM focusing on driving reliability, productivity and energy efficiency for mining equipment. Khaled Salah, Vice President will participate in a closing panel discussing how organizations can transform data from a byproduct of operations into the foundation of industrial resilience. The event will further spotlight AVEVA’s partner ecosystem and its Connected Industrial Ecosystem (CIE), demonstrating how partners are addressing local water and wastewater challenges through CONNECT, AVEVA’s open, cloud-native industrial intelligence platform.
Attendees will get a chance to explore the full scope of AVEVA's industrial intelligence capabilities through a series of focused technical and industry sessions addressing how an end-to-end Digital Twin strategy accelerates information discovery and drives project and operational performance across the asset lifecycle.
