Inaugural Edition | Convened by the India Africa Business Network
Victoria Falls Technology & Innovation Summit
India's technology industry. Zimbabwe's next opportunity.
India's IT and outsourcing industry is worth $283 billion and employs 5.8 million people. Zimbabwe is just beginning to build its own. This Summit is where the two start working together.
21 – 22 October 2026 | Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
A Working Platform, Not Another Conference
The Summit brings together government leaders, technology entrepreneurs, investors, business executives, innovation hubs, outsourcing companies, development partners, universities and ecosystem builders from Southern Africa and India to explore practical pathways to accelerate Zimbabwe's digital economy.
Unlike traditional conferences that focus primarily on dialogue, the Victoria Falls Summit is designed as a working platform where the private sector and government engage directly around the opportunities, constraints and policy priorities shaping the future of technology-led growth.
Eight Focus Areas. One Digital Economy.
Each area anchors a Day One sector workshop.
200
Expected Participants
2
Days, One Working Agenda
8
Sector Workshops
The Policy Moment
Zimbabwe's government has already opened the door. The Summit is where investors walk through it.
The Business Process and Knowledge Process Outsourcing framework, developed by Zimbabwe's Ministry of Finance and the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency, pairs tax incentives with customs-duty suspension on ICT equipment and non-resident dividend tax exemption. Government's own target is 50,000 jobs and more than $100 million in foreign-currency earnings.
The National AI Strategy runs on six pillars, talent, infrastructure, service adoption, governance, research and international collaboration, grounded in a national platform for AI literacy and a dedicated AI innovation fund. Victoria Falls, in October 2026, lands exactly one year into both initiatives.
15%
Flat corporate tax rate for licensed BPO investors
100%
First-year capital allowance on ICT infrastructure
$1,500
Youth Employment Tax Credit, per hire, per year
2026-30
National AI Strategy implementation window
What the Summit Sets Out to Do
The primary objective is to strengthen collaboration between African and Indian technology ecosystems and accelerate investment, innovation, skills development and digital transformation across the continent.
Facilitate dialogue between government and the private sector on technology-led economic growth
Discuss successful models from India that can be adapted across Africa
Create pathways for investment, partnerships and market access
Strengthen connections between startups, investors, corporates and innovation hubs
Promote ideas on outsourcing, digital services and technology-enabled job creation
Support collaboration between African and Indian institutions involved in technology, entrepreneurship and skills development
Advance policy discussions that improve the operating environment for innovation and technology businesses
Explore the establishment of a Victoria Falls–Bangalore technology cooperation framework
Two Days, One Working Agenda
Ecosystem Perspectives & Private Sector Engagement
Ecosystem storytelling and comparative sessions between Africa and India
Sector workshops with startups, BPOs, technology firms, innovation hubs, manufacturers and investors
Government technical officials participate throughout, carrying insights into Day Two
Purpose: surface practical challenges, opportunities and recommendations from the private sector
Closes with a Welcome Cocktail Reception
Ministerial Dialogue & Policy Response
The Minister of ICT, as Guest of Honour, together with the Ministers of Finance and SMEs, respond directly to Day One's recommendations
Private sector leaders present findings and policy considerations before ministers respond
International case studies, including lessons from India's technology and outsourcing journey
Key highlight: exploration of the Victoria Falls–Bengaluru technology partnership framework
Closes with a Gala and Networking Dinner
The Victoria Falls–Bengaluru Partnership
A twinning framework with real precedent, not a ceremonial gesture.
Precedents that already exist
Bengaluru and San Francisco signed a sister-city technology agreement in 2009, built around innovation-ecosystem knowledge transfer
Bulawayo and eThekwini Municipality, South Africa, already run a city-twinning arrangement that has facilitated technology transfer
India's Ministry of External Affairs runs formal city-twinning as a recognised tool of economic diplomacy
What we're proposing
A bilateral talent exchange programme between Victoria Falls and Bengaluru's technology institutions
A digital public infrastructure sandbox pilot, modelled on India's MOSIP and UPI frameworks
A BPO investor-landing desk, connecting Bengaluru companies directly to Victoria Falls opportunities
Cape Town 2026: The Launching Pad
What just happened
300+ delegates from Zimbabwe, India and across Africa
Nine sectoral roundtables over three days
Two new reports launched: India and Its Diaspora, and Africa's Top 100 Entrepreneurs of Indian Origin
Opening remarks from the Premier of the Western Cape and the IFC's Regional Vice President for Africa
Delegates called for an India-Africa Skills Corridor linking education directly to employment
Victoria Falls carries that energy into a sharper, technology-focused conversation.
Leaders Who've Shaped Our Past Summits
Across six editions, IABN convenings have hosted heads of state, ministers and institutional leaders from both continents.
Let's Build This Corridor Together
Partnership conversations are open now. Early partners help shape the agenda, the speaker list and the Victoria Falls–Bengaluru framework itself.
Dr Busisa Moyo & Vuyisa Qabaka, Conveners
VICTORIA FALLS
Participate Form Details
Victoria Falls Technology & Innovation Summit | 21 – 22 October 2026
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