TLDR: OpenAI and 22 On Sloane are collaborating to host an AI Innovation Forum in Cape Town on November 10, 2025. The event aims to unite policymakers, entrepreneurs, and innovators to explore how artificial intelligence can stimulate innovation, bolster startups, and support governments across Africa. Key discussions will focus on AI’s role in economic growth and service delivery.
Cape Town is set to become a focal point for artificial intelligence discussions as OpenAI, the San Francisco-based AI research and deployment company behind technologies like ChatGPT, partners with 22 On Sloane, a prominent Johannesburg-founded innovation campus, to host the AI Innovation Forum. Scheduled for November 10, 2025, at the 22 On Sloane Hub in Cape Town, this forum is poised to gather a diverse group of stakeholders, including policymakers, entrepreneurs, and innovators, to delve into the transformative potential of AI across the African continent.
The primary objective of the forum is to explore how artificial intelligence can serve as a catalyst for innovation, strengthen the burgeoning startup ecosystem, and enhance governmental capacities to deliver services to citizens throughout Africa. Emmanuel Lubanzadio, OpenAI’s Africa Lead, announced the initiative on LinkedIn, emphasizing the collaborative spirit ‘to bring together innovators, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to explore how Artificial Intelligence is creating new opportunities for growth and innovation across Africa.’
The event’s agenda is packed with insightful sessions, including keynotes, dynamic panel discussions, and showcases featuring promising startups. These elements are designed to provide a comprehensive examination of AI’s multifaceted impact on critical sectors such as government, business, and education. A highlight of the forum will be the opening keynote address by Hon. Solly Malatsi, Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, titled ‘How AI Can Enhance Government’s Capacity to Deliver Services to Its Citizens.’
Lubanzadio, who will co-lead a session with Kizito Okechukwu, Executive Director of 22 On Sloane, highlighted that the forum will feature ‘engaging dialogues on AI’s role in innovation, keynotes and insights from thought leaders, and start-ups showcasing real-world AI impact.’ The forum will also dedicate a significant portion to African startups, offering them a platform to demonstrate their innovative AI-driven solutions that address community development and foster business growth.
This Cape Town event is a strategic component of OpenAI’s broader commitment to deepen its engagement and expand its partnerships and policy influence across Africa. Lubanzadio, who assumed his role at OpenAI in early 2025 after a distinguished career at Twitter, the United Nations, and GIZ, is at the forefront of these initiatives, focusing on policy, partnerships, and ecosystem development throughout the continent. He underscored the event’s aim to bolster collaboration among governments, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the wider tech ecosystem to unlock sustainable innovation.
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22 On Sloane, known for its support of African startups and entrepreneurs through funding, mentorship, and policy engagement, is a fitting partner for this forum. The event is also positioned as a lead-up to the larger Africa Tech Festival, further solidifying Cape Town’s role in the global AI conversation. The AI Innovation Forum is scheduled to run from 09:30 to 15:00 on November 10, 2025, at the 22 On Sloane Cape Town Hub, located at 39 Somerset Road, Green Point, 8005.
