Agenda
Building Africa’s Digital Single Market: The Role of Government and the Private Sector in Achieving Regional Integration,
on 22nd-23rd October 2026,
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Day One: The Legal and Regulatory Foundations of a Digital Single Market
| Time | Session Type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 am - 9:00 am | Registration & Networking | |
| 9:00 am - 9:20 am | Opening Remarks | Background and expectations for the event |
| 9:20 am - 9:30 am | Keynote Speech | Building the Legal Architecture for a Digital Single Market: Lessons from the EU Examination of legal, institutional, and political elements needed to build a digital single market. |
| 9:30 am - 10:30 am | Panel Discussion | Regional Policy Instruments as a Conduit for Unlocking Digital Trade Examination of the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol and EAC E-Commerce Strategy. |
| 10:30 am - 11:00 am | Networking Break | |
| 11:00 am – 12:00 pm | Panel Discussion | Avoiding Regulatory Overload: Harmonising Without Stifling the Market Exploring a “minimum viable” regulatory standard for the EAC digital market. |
| 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm | Panel Discussion | Consumer Protection in a Transboundary Digital Market Mapping legal frameworks, ODR mechanisms, cross‑border cooperation and trust systems. |
| 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | Lunch Break | |
| 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm | Breakout Sessions |
Breakout Session 1: Taxing Digital Trade – Harmonising VAT, DST & Customs Breakout Session 2: Modernising Logistics & Postal Services – Backbone of Digital Trade |
| 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm | Plenary | |
| 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm | Sector Deep Dives |
Workshop A: IP in the Era of Digital Trade Workshop B: E‑Transactions & Harmonisation of Laws Workshop C: Cross‑Border Data Transfers & Free‑Flow Debate |
| 4:30 pm – 4:40 pm | Plenary | |
| 4:40 pm – 5:00 pm | Closing Remarks | |
| 7:30 pm | Networking Dinner | Hosted by Sponsor (invited guests only) |
Day Two: Strategy, Investment, and Implementation
| Time | Session Type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 am – 9:00 am | Registration & Networking | |
| 9:00 am – 9:10 am | Speech | Recap of Day One |
| 9:10 am – 9:20 am | Keynote Address | The Trillion‑Dollar Opportunity: Quantifying Africa's Digital Single Market |
| 9:20 am – 9:40 am | Presentation | Rethinking Africa’s Approach to the Digital Economy |
| 9:40 am – 10:00 am | Sympo Bingo | |
| 10:00 am – 11:00 am | Panel Session 1 | Financing Connectivity: Crowding‑In Private Sector Investment for DPI |
| 11:00 am – 11:15 am | Networking Break | |
| 11:15 am – 12:15 pm | Panel Session | Integrating Payment Systems: Enabling Seamless Cross‑Border FinTech |
| 12:15 pm – 1:00 pm | Policy Labs |
Lab A: E‑Commerce & MSMEs Lab C: Institutional Capacity — Why Good Digital Policies Fail |
| 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | Lunch | |
| 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm | Panel Session | The Private Sector Perspective: Scaling Across Borders |
| 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm | Interactive Networking Session |
• Meet the Founders – 1‑to‑1 speed networking • Trivia Challenge |
| 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm | World Café Session |
• Table 1: Who should lead Africa’s digital integration? • Table 2: Harmonisation vs Sovereignty • Table 3: What makes a digital market “African”? • Table 4: What makes Africa’s DSM investor‑worthy? |
| 4:30 pm – 4:40 pm | Closing Remarks | |
