Header: Courtesy of PADI
For the very first time, the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town plays host to Pan Afrikan Design Week from 21 to 24 October 2026. Creative minds, educators, students, entrepreneurs, cultural practitioners, and community builders from across Afrika and the wider global diaspora will gather in the Mother City to explore a pressing core question: “How Do We Design to Thrive?”
The annual gathering is convened by the Pan Afrikan Design Institute (PADI), a continental platform dedicated to strengthening design leadership, networks, and collaboration. PADI launched the inaugural conference in Johannesburg in 2020, and the event has since travelled through Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana. Now, it lands in South Africa’s coastal hub with an ambitious agenda featuring a lineup of 21 confirmed speakers representing Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Australia.
Open Design Afrika (ODA) acts as the local host and coordinating partner, leading local coordination, programme development, storytelling, and overall event experience. Meanwhile, Uthando South Africa joins as the cultural and community partner to link delegates directly with Cape Town’s social-impact landscape.
Rethinking design as a force for social change
Across the continent and the wider world, communities are navigating intense social, economic, environmental, and technological shifts. Cities need more sustainable and human-centred pathways for growth, while businesses, governments, and institutions require fresh ways to build trust. Pan Afrikan Design Week 2026 provides a shared platform to address these systemic challenges using local wisdom, creative intelligence, and entrepreneurial energy.
“We are extremely proud to bring Pan Afrikan Design Week to the Mother City. This gathering honours the resilience, ingenuity and creative intelligence of Afrika at a moment when the world faces unprecedented challenges, and when the continent has so much to offer in answering them.”
Suné Stassen, CEO of Open Design Afrika and Programme Director of the event
Rather than treating design as mere aesthetics, the gathering frames it as a civic, cultural, and economic tool capable of reshaping communities.
“A central idea behind the event is that humanity is the chief designer of the human-made world,” Stassen notes. “If today’s realities have been shaped over generations by human choices, systems and institutions, then logically they can be redesigned through better choices, deeper collaboration and more responsible action.”
Suné Stassen, CEO of Open Design Afrika and Programme Director of the event
Stassen highlights that this gathering moves well beyond the format of a typical design conference, serving instead as a continental meeting point that places design directly at the centre of social change. She explains that the featured speakers intentionally come from a mix of backgrounds outside traditional design fields, pointing out that true solutions require cross-sector Creative Intelligence because community leaders and diverse practitioners understand the interconnected systems needed to transform neighbourhoods.
Stassen emphasises that Afrikans require dedicated spaces to tell and share their own stories, stepping away from deficit narratives to recognise Indigenous wisdom, creative strengths, and local agency as the foundation for future-builders.
Three days of big ideas, innovation, and future skills
The hybrid gathering brings together a diverse mix of delegates: from policymakers and business executives to youth leaders and social-impact advocates. With PADI’s extensive network spanning members in over 21 Afrikan countries and 57 tertiary art and design institutions, the conversations will extend well beyond the physical room.
The conference programme follows a clear three-day progression. On the first day, Wednesday 21 October, Afrikan futurist Dr Njeri Mwagiru from the South African Institute of International Affairs opens with a keynote on Afrikan futures, followed by Dominic Wilhelm, Executive Director of The Global Trust Project, who examines trust as a vital condition for thriving. Day one also brings together Zimbabwean design scholar Saki Mafundikwa, Australian Indigenous design expert Dr Russell Kennedy, and FORMALL Design Lab Founder Juliet Kavishe for a dialogue on Indigenous wisdom, cultural memory, and visual design codes. Kennedy, co-author of the award-winning International Indigenous Design Charter and founder of the INDIGO network, brings crucial insights on setting ethical protocols for representing Indigenous knowledge. The day finishes with a focus on community-rooted innovation and regenerative tourism featuring Henry Mathys of the V&A Waterfront, Uthando South Africa Founder James Fernie, and filmmaker and local tour guide Thulani Nxumalo.
Day two, Thursday 22 October, opens with a keynote by Nthakoana Maema of Future Proof Collective on food systems and inclusive entrepreneurship, followed by architect and urban designer Tiisetso Mofokeng leading a session on public spaces and belonging. A dedicated dialogue pairing visual storyteller Onica Lekuntwane with Lucinda Evans, Founder of Philisa Abafazi Bethu, explores women-led enterprise and social impact. The day also spotlights creative collaboration and early book access through a case-study session with the Book Dash team, including Thembalethu Shangase, Arthur Attwell, Dr Diane Awerbuck, Subi Bosa, and Mammuso Makhanya of Wordworks.
The third day, Friday 23 October, examines education across all stages of life. Dr Rael Futerman of Cartedo and UCT’s d-school Afrika delivers the opening keynote on Creative Intelligence in future-fit learning. Suné Stassen presents on STEAM education and MyMachine South Africa, while designer Robin Turner discusses student ethics during community-linked fieldwork. Jess Berliner, Founder of Learn Biomimicry, delivers the closing keynote on what natural systems teach us about building a thriving world.
Community tours and networking
Beyond the main talks, the event offers hands-on networking and local immersive experiences. On Friday evening, 23 October, delegates can connect during a dedicated networking gathering. On Saturday 24 October, Uthando South Africa hosts its Community & Cultural Impact Tour focused on the Waste to Wonder campaign that was recently nominated for an EarthShot Prize, with 100% of the ticket fees going directly to the community projects visited.
Key event information
- Dates: 21–24 October 2026
- Location: Workshop17, Watershed, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa or online
- Schedule: Main Conference (21–23 October), Networking Event (23 October, 18:00–21:00), Community Tour (24 October, 09:00–13:00)
Standard full three-day conference passes are R3,800 (around €204.21), while additional ticket options include single-day passes, student tickets (which require a valid student card or proof of registration at the door), and standalone passes for workshops or the networking event. Both 3-Day Conference Passes and Full Experience Passes include access to the Friday evening networking event. This is a hybrid event, so online tickets are also available. Find all the ticketing details here.
