DURBAN, South Africa — 22 October 2026. The World Innovation, Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) has selected Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, as the host city of the World Congress on Innovation & Technology (WCIT) 2028. The congress will be the 50th Anniversary Edition of WCIT, and the first time in its history that WITSA has brought its flagship event to Africa.
The award follows a bid by Innov8SA, the Innovation & Digital Technology Association of Southern Africa, working with the KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau and the Durban International Convention Centre (Durban ICC). The team presented its bid to the WITSA Board on 20 October 2026.
In confirming the decision, WITSA commended the quality of the Durban proposal, the strength of its vision and the commitment the team showed throughout the bidding process, and described WCIT 2028 as an important opportunity to showcase Africa’s innovation ecosystem and strengthen global collaboration.
Fifty years of the global technology agenda
First convened in 1978, WCIT is the flagship congress of WITSA, the global alliance of national technology industry associations spanning more than 80 countries and economies. Over nearly half a century it has become one of the world’s most influential meeting places for the technology sector, gathering heads of state and government, ministers, chief executives of global technology companies, investors, entrepreneurs and academics to set the direction on technology policy, digital trade and innovation. Its stage has hosted figures including Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher and Colin Powell, and previous editions have been held in Malaysia (2022) and Armenia (2024).
That the congress will mark its 50th anniversary in Durban is a statement about where the world now looks for the next chapter of the digital economy. Africa has the youngest population of any continent and one of the world’s fastest-growing populations, a startup and venture ecosystem that has expanded significantly over the past decade, and a technology market that the rest of the world increasingly sees as essential rather than emerging. WCIT 2028 places that story at the centre of the global conversation.
“This is a historic moment for Durban, for South Africa and for the whole continent. For fifty years, WCIT has been where the world’s technology agenda is shaped. In 2028, that conversation comes to Africa for the first time and Durban will show the world what African innovation, African talent and African ambition look like. Our objective is not simply to host a successful congress, but to leave a legacy at WCIT 2028 that will shape the next 50 years of innovation, collaboration and technological progress.”
A major win for Durban, KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa
Hosting WCIT 2028 will bring an international delegation of technology leaders, policymakers and investors to Durban, with benefits that reach well beyond the congress itself: new investment and trade relationships for South African technology firms, visibility for the country’s universities and research institutions, opportunities for local startups to meet global capital, and a significant boost to tourism, hospitality and business events across KwaZulu-Natal.
The win also reinforces Durban’s position as a destination for major international gatherings. The Durban ICC has a long record of hosting global summits and congresses, and the city brings world-class infrastructure, a warm climate and the hospitality for which KwaZulu-Natal is known.
A programme with a global agenda and an African voice
Innov8SA will work closely with WITSA to shape the strategic direction and programme of the congress. While WCIT will retain its international focus on technology, digital trade and innovation, WCIT 2028 will deliberately broaden the conversation beyond conventional information technology to explore how innovation can unlock Africa’s industrial and economic potential.
The programme will include themes that extend beyond those traditionally associated with an IT congress, including the ocean economy, critical and rare earth minerals, advanced materials, space science, defence and dual-use technologies, smart manufacturing, energy storage and digital public infrastructure. These themes will examine how artificial intelligence, advanced processing, satellite technologies, research and digital infrastructure can translate Africa’s resources, scientific capabilities and talent into globally competitive industries.
By bringing technology leaders together with policymakers, researchers, industrialists, entrepreneurs and investors, WCIT 2028 will seek to foster partnerships that connect innovation with practical economic outcomes, strengthening industrial capacity, creating new markets, attracting investment and developing the skills required for Africa’s digital and industrial future.
“WCIT 2028 gives Africa’s technology economy a seat at the head of the table. We intend to build a programme that the world will remember, one that connects global leaders with the founders, engineers, researchers and investors building Africa’s digital future, and that leaves a lasting legacy of partnerships, investment and skills long after the congress closes.”
What happens next
WITSA and the Durban partners are now moving into the next phase of preparation, including the execution of the Host Agreement and the establishment of a WCIT 2028 Steering Committee. Congress dates, the programme framework and opportunities for partners, sponsors and exhibitors will be announced in due course.
Innov8SA invites African technology companies, startups, investors, universities, corporates and government institutions that wish to be part of WCIT 2028 to register their interest.
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