As South Africa’s current G20 presidency underscores the country’s & continent’s geo-political significance, Counder, the global network connecting visionary leaders, is unveiling key themes centred on Africa for its flagship Counder Conference 2026, scheduled to take place in Cape Town, South Africa, from January 27-29, 2026.
With global macro-trends such as AI-driven innovation, renewable energies, biotech, and digital assets set to play a significant role at the future-forward Conference, African themes will also be important, given the chosen event location and the rising importance of the continent globally.
The time and place of the event reflect a key moment for South Africa’s and the continent’s international positioning. While the G20 presidency reinforces the country’s growing global significance, the Counder Conference 2026 will look to sustain this momentum through private sector engagement, bringing together 500 carefully selected global leaders to continue high-level international dialogue based in the country.
Counder Conference 2026 is designed around exchange, connection and collaboration.
The format emphasises expert-guided roundtables, strategic breakouts, and a proprietary matchmaking system designed to facilitate meaningful connections between participants, including family office principals, institutional investors, venture capital partners, and industry leaders from across the globe.
The Conference will focus on tomorrow’s most important opportunities, with a particular emphasis on those relevant to the continent. Rather than those being explored with theory experts, industry veterans from the regions are there to exchange with fellow attendees.
The themes and confirmed leaders include ‘South Africa: At a Crossroads’ (Examining the country’s position as a gateway to continental markets and its evolving business environment). Attending from South Africa are Counder Members like Louis Norval, property developer and benefactor of the arts; Michael Jordaan, technology pioneer and investor; Joshin Raghubar, philanthropist and venture developer; and Basetsana Kumalo, family office investor and media personality.
Other themes are ‘Nigeria: Bold and Untapped — Exploring Africa’s largest economy and its fintech, energy, and manufacturing potential’ (attending from Nigeria are Counder members like Kola Aina, venture capital investor and art collector); ‘Egypt: Past Meets Future — Investigating opportunities in North Africa’s economic hub and its strategic positioning’ (attending from Egypt are Counder Members like Sherine Kabesh, payments entrepreneur); and ‘The Continent’s Century — Broad discussions on Africa’s demographic dividend and emerging market dynamics’.
Leaders from the continent attending represent important growth markets, like Kenya, for example, represented by James Mwangi, a climate investor.
Additionally, pan-African investors in hospitality, such as James Bailes; energy, like Reyburn Hendricks; and fintech, like Johan Bosini, among others, will provide international attendees with a clear understanding of what it takes to succeed on the continent in the future. Previous Counder gatherings have facilitated tangible business outcomes, including strategic partnerships, co-investment opportunities, and cross-border deals.
Individuals attending include a wide variety of top decision-makers and thought leaders based across international regions — from Anuradha Das Mathur, an economist from India, to Oliver Merkel, a serial entrepreneur from Germany, to Sudeep Ramnani, a sports and technology investor based in the UAE, to Andrew Stewart, a venture capitalist from the USA.
Representing 25 backers of the global Counder-network, CEO Michel Weiss and Chairman Leonard Stiegeler are looking forward to bringing the world to Cape Town in January 2026.
“South Africa’s G20 presidency showcases the country’s excellence in convening world-class global conversations,” said Weiss. “While government leaders are to shape policy frameworks here, we are convinced Cape Town should host the world’s most influential private sector leaders as well.”
Stiegeler added, “Africa, with its fast-growing population, technology-forward societies and resource-rich environment, is a key stakeholder of the future. It is only natural to host a future-forward conference on this continent. South Africa, as one gateway to the continent for international investors, is a great place to do so.”
