The two-day Conference, Expo and Awards will take place on November 10 and 11 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, with organisers expecting more than 60 speakers from business, government, international institutions, finance, academia and technology. The 12th edition is being held under the theme “Beyond Access: Owning Capital, Markets and Power”.
Al-Mashat, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, will join Wierzycka, founder and chief executive of listed financial services group Sygnia, and Dlamini, Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand and executive chairperson of Mbekani Group, for keynote addresses and fireside discussions.
AWIEF said the programme would examine how women entrepreneurs can move from gaining access to finance and markets towards greater ownership, stronger commercial positioning and a larger role in economic decision-making. Sessions are also expected to address leadership and innovation, alongside practical questions around scaling businesses and entering African and global supply chains.
Al-Mashat took up leadership of ESCWA in 2026 after serving for eight years in Egypt’s cabinet across several portfolios, including planning, economic development and international co-operation, international co-operation, and tourism. The United Nations lists her current position as Under-Secretary-General and ESCWA Executive Secretary.
Wierzycka founded Sygnia, a Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed investment and financial services group, and currently serves as its chief executive. Sygnia’s latest corporate material identifies her as the architect of the company’s strategy, while its 2025 integrated report records her return to the chief executive role in 2023. She is also a founding partner of Braavos Investment Advisers in Britain.
Dlamini, a medical doctor by training who later moved into business, has served as Wits Chancellor since 2018. She is also the founder of the Female Academic Leaders Fellowship Fund, an initiative established to strengthen the pipeline of women into senior academic leadership. Wits documents continue to identify her as the university’s Chancellor in 2026.
The keynote announcement adds to a broader speaker programme that includes policymakers, company executives, founders, investors and development specialists. AWIEF has said panel discussions, masterclasses and workshops will be structured around enterprise growth, access to capital, market expansion and the operational challenges confronting women-led businesses.
Other participants include Adanma Onuegbu, group executive director at Signal Alliance Technology Holding, and Kiven Mutimbanyoka, Zimbabwe’s deputy minister for women affairs, community, small and medium enterprises development, extending the programme beyond its three keynote speakers.
An exhibition will run alongside the conference, giving businesses and organisations space to present products, services and initiatives. The programme will also include the Pitch n Grow competition, AWIEF’s annual platform for women founders seeking to build and scale ventures addressing development challenges across Africa.
For 2026, Pitch n Grow is operating under the theme “Deep Roots, Digital Futures”. AWIEF says finalists will present their businesses live during the Cape Town conference, with the competition aimed at ventures using technology and locally grounded knowledge to solve African problems. The organisers have selected 12 women founders for the conference-stage pitching programme.
The AWIEF Awards will be presented on November 11 at a ceremony and gala dinner marking the close of the event. Categories include Woman to Watch, Tech Pioneer, Agri, Impact for Good and Creative Visionary, while the organisation has added a Male Ally Award recognising men whose work has supported women’s economic empowerment and leadership.
AWIEF has already announced finalists across several award categories, while recipients of the Male Ally and Lifetime Achievement awards are due to be revealed at the ceremony. The forum says the awards are intended to recognise women entrepreneurs and leaders whose businesses or initiatives demonstrate measurable economic or social impact.
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