Now in its 11th year, AfricaCom is growing even bigger than in previous years to cover all the aspects of Africa’s dynamic communications markets and ecosystems. Evolved from GSM Africa last year to encompass the whole sector in a technologically-neutral way, the event is expected to gather over 3500 thought leaders and executives from the continent’s leading operators (GSM, CDMA, fixed, wireless), ISPs, satellite operators, regulators, wholesale carriers, industry analysts and consultants, as well as international telecoms solutions vendors.
After years of growth reflecting that of the market, the event will host an exhibition of 180 stands showcasing the latest solutions from the sector, co-located with a high-level, agenda-setting conference.
Over two days, the conference itself will combine a mix of strategic keynotes, specialised streams and interactive sessions to answer the participants’ business and networking needs. The leaders of Africa’s key communications stakeholders will give their views on how the market is evolving and on strategies to maximise its growth.
Tim Lowry, MTN Group’s Vice President for Southern and Eastern Africa region, will open the conference with an overview of the group’s strategy as one of the leaders of the markets. His views will be balanced by the input of other major operators, from established African ones such as Vodacom (represented by Chief Regulatory and Government Relations Officer Snakes Nyokank, and another senior representative to be announced), international groups extending their footprint in the region (such as Orange, represented by Eexecutive Vice President Marc Rennard, and Essar Communications Holdings, represented by new Africa CEO Michael Foley), groups specialising on internet services (Alink Telecom International, with CEO Patrick Kouame), or new entrants such as Hits Africa (represented by Chairman Dr Sultan Bahabri).
More local operators will share their experiences of growing services in specific market conditions, with Michael Joseph of Safaricom (Kenya ), Jose do Santos of Vodacom (Mozambique), Miguel Geraldes of MTC (Namibia), Abdikarim M Eid of Telesom (Somalia), François Nze of Moov (Niger), Peter Boyd of Virgin Mobile (South Africa), Joe Kimani of Flashcom (Kenya) and many more. In addition, presentations from infrastructure and solutions vendors will give participants an update on technology developments to improve their businesses.
To ensure the event is not only about learning but also about meeting colleagues and potential business partners, AfricaCom includes a number of networking opportunities, from speed networking at the beginning of the conference, to networking breaks, a drinks reception (sponsored by Sicap), a gala dinner for the launch of the AfricaCom Awards, not to forget the valuable Online Networking Tool, which allows delegates to see the list of participants and get in touch with them from two weeks before the congress up to three months after.
AfricaCom will be held from 18-19 November 2008 in Cape Town, South Africa.
This event is important for anyone involved in Africa’s telecommunications market. For more information on the programme, the event’s features and how to attend, visit www.comworldseries-africa.com
