Two days, four tracks

Doors open & opening protocol

Welcome, accreditation and official opening of the second edition.

Opening keynote: the state of African cyber

Setting the scene for two days of cybersecurity, AI and local innovation.

With Djimgou Ngameni

Networking break

Coffee and B2B introductions on the exhibition floor.

Panel: digital sovereignty in practice

Regulation, infrastructure and the policies shaping the region's autonomy.

With Dr. Hilaire Noubissi, Djimgou Ngameni

Lunch & exhibition

Demonstrations and stand visits over lunch.

Workshop: building a modern SOC

Hands-on detection engineering and incident-response fundamentals.

With Dr. Hilaire Noubissi

SMI-CYBIA Challenge — kick-off

Teams take on the flagship hackathon: defensive and AI builds against the clock.

Cocktail dinner (on invitation)

Evening networking with speakers, partners and VIP pass holders.

Keynote: secure & sovereign AI

Applied AI, safety and what responsible deployment looks like locally.

With Dr. Hilaire Noubissi

Talk: growing African cyber talent

From training to hiring — closing the regional skills gap.

With Dana Bahanag

Networking break

Coffee and curated B2B meetings.

Wargame 2026 simulation

A live blue-team / red-team exercise testing real incident response.

With Djimgou Ngameni

Lunch & exhibition

Final stand visits and demonstrations.

Careers & recruitment forum

Meet recruiters, share your CV and explore open roles.

With Dana Bahanag

Startup pitch competition

Local startups pitch to a jury of investors and operators.

With Djimgou Ngameni

Awards & closing ceremony

Challenge results, pitch winners and the close of SMI-CYBIA 2026.