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8th Annual SummitWindhoek, Namibia18–21 May 2027

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8th Annual Africa Pension Funds and Retirement Summit

Programme

Bridging the Gap: From Promise to Performance

Scaling trusted pension systems across Africa requires balancing fiduciary duty to members with strategic investment in local infrastructure, expanding informal-sector coverage through digital micro-pensions, and establishing robust regulatory transparency, so that long-term domestic savings convert into sustainable continental growth.

Dates
18–21 May 2027
Venue
Windhoek Country Club Resort
Format
Four days, six pillars
Status
Draft programme
A plenary session of the summit flanked by national flags
Plenary session, flanked by national flags. 7th Annual Summit.
6
main-stage sessions, plus daily keynotes
15
breakout sessions in three parallel streams
6
programme pillars, two a day

The 2027 programme, day by day

Draft programme. Keynotes and speakers are announced as they are confirmed.

Day 0

Tuesday18 May 2027

Arrival & welcome

Senior delegates in suits in conversation at a reception

  1. Throughout the day

    Arrival

    Delegate arrivals, hotel check-in and registration support

  2. Afternoon

    Optional networking

    Africa Pensions Golf DayTo be confirmed

    Windhoek Country Club. Optional; time to be confirmed.

  3. Evening

    Networking

    Welcome ReceptionTo be confirmed

    Windhoek Country Club Resort. Time to be confirmed.

Day 1

Wednesday19 May 2027

Reform & fiduciary duty

  • P1Leadership, regulatory & structural reforms
  • P2Balancing national mandates & fiduciary duty
An older executive going over documents with a colleague at a meeting table

  1. 08:00–09:00

    Networking

    Registration and networking coffee

  2. 09:00–09:30

    Main stage

    Keynote and opening plenaryTo be confirmed

  3. 09:30–10:15

    Main stage

    From Regulatory Challenges to Strategic Opportunities in Pension and Retirement Funds

  4. 10:15–10:45

    Break

    Coffee and networking

  5. 10:45–12:00

    Breakouts

    Morning parallel breakouts

    Three rooms; see the streams below.

  6. 12:00–13:00

    Lunch

    Lunch and networking

  7. 13:00–13:45

    Main stage

    Deploying Pension Capital Toward Localized Infrastructure Without Compromising Member Returns or Risking Funding GapsDiscussion panel

  8. 13:45–15:00

    Breakouts

    Afternoon parallel breakouts

    Three rooms.

  9. 15:00–15:20

    Break

    Coffee and networking

  10. 15:20–16:00

    Report-back

    Breakout report-backs

    Three 10-minute report-backs and the Chair's synthesis.

Breakout streams, Day 1

Three rooms run in parallel. Choose one per slot.

Stream A: Governance & Regulatory

Morning, 10:45–12:00
Harmonising Pension Funds Regulations Across Africa and the Role of the African Union (AU)
Afternoon, 13:45–15:00
From Governance Gaps to Accountable Pension Institutions: What Has Changed and What Works?Discussion panel

Stream B: Investment

Morning, 10:45–12:00
Ensuring Pension Fund Domiciliation Stays on the Continent to Strengthen Emerging Local Managers
Afternoon, 13:45–15:00
Application Lab

Stream C: Trusteeship & Practice

Morning, 10:45–12:00
Pension Administration, Systems and Operational Resilience
Afternoon, 13:45–15:00
How to Provide Emergency Liquidity Without Undermining Retirement Adequacy

Day 2

Thursday20 May 2027

Partnerships & infrastructure

  • P3Partnerships & collaboration
  • P4Investment & infrastructure

Day 2 deliberately clusters overlapping finance topics to create depth.

A grey-haired woman smiling and raising her fists in celebration

  1. 08:00–09:00

    Networking

    Registration and networking coffee

  2. 09:00–09:30

    Main stage

    Keynote and opening plenaryTo be confirmed

  3. 09:30–10:15

    Main stage

    An Introspection of the Africa’s Pension Assets Performance vs the Global Average InvestmentsDiscussion panel

  4. 10:15–10:45

    Break

    Coffee and networking

  5. 10:45–12:00

    Breakouts

    Morning parallel breakouts

    Three rooms; see the streams below.

  6. 12:00–13:00

    Lunch

    Lunch and networking

  7. 13:00–13:45

    Main stage

    Using Pension Funds to Support Public Private Partnerships (PPP) Frameworks

  8. 13:45–15:00

    Breakouts

    Afternoon parallel breakouts

    Three rooms.

  9. 15:00–15:20

    Break

    Coffee and networking

  10. 15:20–16:00

    Report-back

    Breakout report-backs

    Three 10-minute report-backs and the Chair's synthesis.

  11. 18:00–20:00

    Networking

    Cocktail Reception

Breakout streams, Day 2

Three rooms run in parallel. Choose one per slot.

Stream A: Governance & Regulatory

Morning, 10:45–12:00
Establishing Risk-Sharing and Due Diligence Structures
Afternoon, 13:45–15:00
Allocating Pension Capital to Bankable, Climate-Resilient Projects

Stream B: Investment

Morning, 10:45–12:00
Creating Co-Investment Platforms in Pension Funds in Africa and Leveraging Blended Finance to Fund Gaps and Pension Potential
Afternoon, 13:45–15:00
The Rise of Purpose-Driven Portfolios in Pensions Funds Investment

Stream C: Trusteeship & Practice

Morning, 10:45–12:00
Sensible Investment Decisions and Systems that Actually Work for Members of the Pension Fund
Afternoon, 13:45–15:00
Investing with Intent: Why Pension Funds Choose Investing in Social Infrastructure

Day 3

Friday21 May 2027

Inclusion, impact & close

  • P5Informal sector coverage & inclusion
  • P6Social impact, sustainability & digitalisation
An older woman in a beaded headband smiling as she talks on her mobile phone

  1. 08:00–09:00

    Networking

    Registration and networking coffee

  2. 09:00–09:30

    Main stage

    Day 3 keynote and opening plenaryTo be confirmed

  3. 09:30–10:15

    Main stage

    Beyond Enrolment: What Turns Pension Access into Regular Contributions and Scale?

  4. 10:15–10:45

    Break

    Coffee and networking

  5. 10:45–12:00

    Breakouts

    Morning parallel breakouts

    Three rooms; see the streams below.

  6. 12:00–12:45

    Main stage

    Cybersecurity and Operational Resilience: Protecting Pension Systems and Member Data

  7. 12:45–13:30

    Close

    Report-back and Summit Close

    Breakout feedback, key takeaways and the Summit closing discussion.

  8. 13:00–14:00

    Lunch

    Closing lunch and networking

  9. 14:00–15:00

    Tour

    Windhoek City and Township Tour

Breakout streams, Day 3

Three rooms run in parallel. Choose one per slot.

Stream A: Governance & Regulatory

Morning, 10:45–12:00
Integrating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Standards in the Africa Pension Framework and Administration InvestmentsDiscussion panel

Stream B: Investment

Morning, 10:45–12:00
Strategies for Tapping into Diaspora Remittance Channels to Create Structured, Long-Term Patient Capital for Pension InvestmentsDiscussion panel

Stream C: Trusteeship & Practice

Morning, 10:45–12:00
Transforming your Pension Fund Investment, Management and Administration Using Artificial Intelligence (AI)

From Promise to Performance

The 8th Annual Africa Pension Funds and Retirement Summit’s goal is to transform the Africa Pension and Retirement Funds to be strategic engines of sustainable growth, linking long-term savings to long-term development by bridging coverage, partnerships, infrastructure and social impact and committing to a future where pensions capital drives prosperity, resilience and climate-aligned transformation across the African continent.

Programme highlights

  • Overcoming the leadership and governance challenges of the African pension funds
  • Leveraging blended finance to fund gaps and pension potential
  • Fostering administrative transparency, accurate contribution tracking, and independent regulatory oversight to cement public trust in pension and retirement funds
  • Sensible investment decisions and systems that actually work for members of the pension fund
  • Balance high liquidity demand with preservation
  • Establishing risk-sharing and due diligence structures
  • Carefully managing portfolio and tax administrative friction
  • Allocating pension capital to bankable, climate-resilient projects
  • Implementing open digital portals for member tracking
  • Using pension funds to support PPP frameworks
  • Deploying pension capital toward localized infrastructure without compromising member returns or risking funding gaps
  • Expanding access and leveraging digital platforms and mobile money to reach gig-economy and unorganised workers
  • Ensuring pension fund domiciliation stays on the continent to de-risk emerging local managers
  • Integrating ESG standards in the Africa Pension framework and administration investments
  • Aligning legal frameworks, tax rules, and investment limits across different regional economic communities
  • Transforming your pension fund investment, management and administration using AI
  • Boosting cross-border investments
  • Creating co-investment platforms in pension funds in Africa

Six pillars, two a day

Breakouts run in three streams: Governance & Regulatory, Investment, Trusteeship & Practice

  1. 01

    Leadership, regulatory & structural reforms

    Overcoming regulatory hurdles, enforcing independent audits, tracking contributions accurately, and preventing political interference in fund governance.

    Day 1, Wednesday 19 May
  2. 02

    Balancing national mandates & fiduciary duty

    Reconciling high liquidity demand with long-term preservation, including South Africa's Two-Pot retirement system, and keeping fund domiciliation on the continent.

    Day 1, Wednesday 19 May
  3. 03

    Partnerships & collaboration

    Creating co-investment platforms that pool capital into large-scale infrastructure, and leveraging blended finance to de-risk participation.

    Day 2, Thursday 20 May
  4. 04

    Investment & infrastructure

    Deploying pension capital toward bankable, climate-resilient projects and Public-Private Partnerships that meet fiduciary return requirements.

    Day 2, Thursday 20 May
  5. 05

    Informal sector coverage & inclusion

    Expanding access through digital platforms, mobile money and targeted micro-pension schemes, building on models such as Kenya's Mbao Pension Plan and Rwanda's Ejo Heza.

    Day 3, Friday 21 May
  6. 06

    Social impact, sustainability & digitalisation

    Integrating credible ESG standards and transforming investment management through applied artificial intelligence.

    Day 3, Friday 21 May

Where the four days happen: Windhoek, Namibia

The floor, last edition

7th Annual Summit · Balaclava, Mauritius · 19-22 May 2026

A speaker at the podium beside the summit welcome screen
The welcome address, from the podium.
The summit hall in session, seen from the back of the room
The hall, from the floor.
Delegates talking outdoors under parasols at a summit reception
An outdoor delegate reception.

Secure your place in Windhoek.

This is the draft programme. Register and you will receive keynote and speaker announcements, the final running order and the delegate pack as they are released.

Register for Windhoek 2027

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