From winning the bid to building something Africa will remember: ACCS 2027 in Addis Ababa

Ethiopia is proud and genuinely excited to welcome the next edition of the Africa Commerce Convergence Summit (ACCS) to Addis Ababa in 2027. Winning the bid is a milestone; our greater ambition is to build an experience that Africa will remember for the partnerships it creates, the ideas it advances and the opportunities it unlocks. 

We extend our sincere appreciation to the ACCS Secretariat, the African Marketing Confederation (AMC), Africa Supply Chain Confederation (ASCON), TICON Africa and the Federation of Creative Economies (FACE), as well as every previous host and organising team that has helped strengthen this unique continental platform.  

We offer special thanks to the organisers of ACCS 2026 in Livingstone, Zambia, whose leadership, hospitality and lessons will help inspire the next chapter in Addis Ababa.

ACCS 2027 will be jointly led by the Ethiopian Marketing Professionals Association (EMPA), ICT Association Ethiopia (ICT-ET), and the Ethiopian Logistics and Supply Chain Management Professionals Association (ELSA). Together, we will connect marketing, technology, supply chain and creative leaders – communities whose work increasingly shapes the same African marketplace and the same conversation about Africa’s economic future. 

Our ambition is to convene approximately 1,200 delegates for three days of shared plenaries, focused professional streams, exhibitions and purposeful networking. But success for us will not simply be measured by how many people attend. We want to see practical cross-border partnerships created, businesses connected with investors, policymakers and customers, African expertise elevated, and new doors opened for young professionals. 

The issues reshaping how Africa does business 

We also want the summit to tackle the issues already reshaping how Africa does business – from AI, digital transformation and fintech to e-commerce, logistics, branding and the skills needed for the future and turn those conversations into practical collaboration. 

Addis Ababa offers an exceptional setting for that ambition. Home to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and connected by Ethiopian Airlines to more than 60 African destinations, the city has a long history of bringing Africa together. It gives us the opportunity to connect business, technology, policy and professional communities in one of the continent’s most important convening capitals. 

Delegates can also expect more than a conference. We want them to experience Ethiopia – its renowned hospitality, culture and creativity, as well as its evolving business and technology landscape. We want the conversations in conference rooms to continue over coffee, cultural experiences, exhibitions and new connections across the city. 

Over the coming months, we look forward to working with partners, sponsors, speakers, innovators and professional communities across Africa to shape the summit together. We want ACCS 2027 to be built not only for Africa, but with Africa.

By September 2027, we want the story to be bigger than the bid Ethiopia won; it should be about the connections Africa made, the ventures it launched and the future it chose to build together in Addis Ababa.