The intelligent
last mile.
Africa Last Mile Summit 2026 brings together for the first time, in one place and at one time, the players from the five key verticals of the African last mile — health, finance, agriculture, education, housing — crossed by a strategic common thread: sovereign AI and African data governance.
Dates
October 21 — 23, 2026
Venue
Chamber of Commerce
and Industry of Côte d'Ivoire
Le Plateau · Abidjan
Organiser
EVIAL Group
Five essential levers to transform the last mile.
General Management
EVIAL Group
The Africa of 2026 is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. Connectivity is progressing, digital usage is exploding, local innovation is asserting itself. Yet, in entire swathes of the continent, essential services — health, finance, food, education, housing — still struggle to reach communities in their territories. This is what we call the "last mile" challenge.
The Africa Last Mile Summit was born from the conviction that this challenge can no longer be tackled in silos. Sustainably reaching rural and peri-urban populations requires thinking together about digital health, financial inclusion, agricultural transformation, digital education and connected housing — while building sovereign artificial intelligence and data governance that serve Africans.
From October 21 to 23, 2026, ALMS will gather in Abidjan public decision-makers, private operators, scientists, entrepreneurs, investors and donors around this ambition. We are honoured to present this project to you and would be proud to count you among our founding partners.
Why Abidjan,
why now.
With a population that will exceed 1.7 billion by 2030, Africa faces major structural transformations. While mobile penetration and local innovation open historic perspectives, the divide between connected zones and rural or peri-urban territories remains deep. Essential services — caring, paying, feeding, educating, housing — remain unevenly distributed.
Abidjan stands out naturally as the capital of this summit. The economic hub of French-speaking West Africa, headquarters of the African Development Bank, fintech and digital hub, the city offers the ideal ecosystem for institutions, companies and innovators to engage in dialogue.
October 2026 also marks a pivotal moment: new ECOWAS data regulations, acceleration of national AI strategies, growing momentum among donors on inclusion. The shared digital building blocks — mobile money, digital identity, content in local languages — are finally mature enough to articulate the verticals together.
What the summit
concretely produces.
ALMS is not limited to a conference format. Every session, every workshop, every deliverable is designed to serve six explicit goals — from a shared diagnosis to the signing of ministerial commitments.
Take stock
Provide a comprehensive overview of innovation serving the African last mile across the five verticals: HealthTech, FinTech, AgriTech, EdTech, ImmoTech.
Identify barriers
Surface the persistent bottlenecks — infrastructure, regulation, skills, financing — that prevent sustainable access for rural and peri-urban communities.
Connect stakeholders
Facilitate the exchange of information and best practices between public decision-makers, private operators, scientists, investors and pan-African and international donors.
Catalyse partnerships
Foster operational cross-sector partnerships — between health and finance, between agriculture and education — around the shared digital building blocks of the last mile.
Advocate for coordination
Support coordinated public policies and investments in essential digital infrastructure, in line with ECOWAS and UEMOA regulations.
Produce the 2026 Index
Publicly launch the Africa Last Mile Index 2026, the first pan-African cross-sector digital maturity index, and the Abidjan Declaration signed by decision-makers.
An experience
in four layers.
ALMS 2026 goes beyond the classic conference format. Four interlocking components — from code in 48 hours to a ministerial declaration.
Hackathon Last Mile 48h
October 19 — 20, 2026
Sixty developers, designers, agronomists, finance professionals, urban planners and healthcare workers spend 48 hours tackling six concrete challenges set by ministries, NGOs and corporates.
The summit
October 21 — 23, 2026
Three days of plenaries, panels, parallel sessions dedicated to the five verticals, hands-on workshops, abstract presentations and an exhibition.
Investor Corner
Day 2 · afternoon
Half-day dedicated to pitches by fifteen pre-selected African startups (3 per vertical) before some twenty pan-African and international investors.
Policy Roundtable
Day 3 · morning · closed-door
A closed-door morning bringing together Ministers, WHO Africa, AfDB, ECOWAS, Smart Africa and donors around cross-sector digital interoperability. Output: the Abidjan Declaration.
500 qualified
attendees.
ALMS 2026 brings together five hundred qualified attendees split between public decision-makers, practitioners from the five verticals, the tech and data ecosystem, academic research, civil society, the private sector, finance and international organisations.
60% French-speaking West Africa · 20% other African regions · 15% Europe and diaspora · 5% other
Scientific committee
Twelve leading figures.
ALMS 2026 is steered by a scientific committee of twelve leading figures — about two per vertical — chaired by a prominent figure whose name will be announced in June 2026. An honorary committee also brings together political, scientific and institutional authorities from across the continent.
Venue
Chamber of Commerce
and Industry · Le Plateau.
The summit will be held in Abidjan's emblematic institution: plenary capacity, parallel rooms, on-site catering and accommodation. A complementary list of partner hotels is offered at negotiated rates.