What Connecting Africa does

Connecting Africa is a Pan-African digital media brand that publishes news, analysis, podcasts, and video content focused on the continent's technology and telecommunications sectors. Founded in 2015 and operated as part of the Informa Connect Division of Informa PLC (LSE: INF), the publication is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, with editorial staff and special correspondents distributed across at least 15 African markets including South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and others. Core content spans connectivity infrastructure (4G/5G, fiber, data centers, broadband), enterprise technology, fintech, agritech, e-mobility, climate tech, digital inclusion, and AI adoption in African markets, with the editorial team led by Editor Paula Gilbert, an award-winning journalist with prior experience at Bloomberg TV Africa, CNBC Africa, and ITWeb.

The product surface consists of three integrated components: a free news website (connectingafrica.com) serving as the core editorial hub; a podcast series distributed via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Pocket Casts covering specialized topics including MVNOs, fintech, AI, and climate tech; and the Africa Tech Festival, an annual flagship conference held in Cape Town (next edition scheduled November 16-19, 2026) that anchors the brand's event-driven go-to-market motion. The company also serves as an official media partner for industry events such as the BFSI Innovation & Technology Summit South Africa 2026. The underlying technology is a web-based digital publishing platform with integrated podcast distribution, video hosting, and newsletter delivery infrastructure, with no disclosed proprietary technical differentiators, AI/ML capabilities, or developer APIs.

Revenue is generated through two principal streams: advertising placements and sponsored/partner content on the digital platform, and event sponsorship and exhibition revenue from the Africa Tech Festival and partner events. The reader-facing product is free, with no subscription paywall; monetization is therefore entirely B2B, dependent on enterprise sponsors, advertisers, and event exhibitors. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. As a brand division within a large publicly-traded parent, Connecting Africa does not raise independent external funding and operates without disclosed revenue, ARR, or headcount growth metrics at the brand level.

Name

Connecting Africa

Legal name

Informa UK Limited

Website

https://connectingafrica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Connecting Africa is a Pan-African digital media brand within Informa PLC's Connect Division, publishing free news, podcasts, and video on African technology and telecommunications, anchored by the annual Africa Tech Festival in Cape Town.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Advertising and sponsored content: Connecting Africa generates revenue through advertising placements, sponsored articles, and partner content on its digital platform. The website features partner content sections and sponsored content from companies like Palo Alto Networks and Exito Media Concepts.
2. Event sponsorship and exhibitions: The company organizes the Africa Tech Festival which drives sponsorship and exhibition revenue. The festival features world-class content, networking, and deal-making for Africa's digital transformation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Connecting Africa is an online news publishing platform that delivers Pan-African coverage of telecommunications, mobile, broadband, satellite, and enterprise technology developments through articles, podcasts, videos, and a weekly newsletter. The platform serves as the primary media brand for the Africa Tech Festival, organizing and promoting flagship industry events focused on Africa's digital transformation. Content is offered free to readers with revenue generated through advertising, sponsored content, and event sponsorships.

Product overview

Connecting Africa operates as a unified media platform consisting of a news website delivering Pan-African tech and telecoms coverage, a companion podcast series exploring specialized topics like fintech, climate tech, and AI, and partnership with the Africa Tech Festival event. The news platform serves as the core content hub while the podcast extends coverage into audio format, and the festival creates an annual in-person gathering for the technology community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Africa Tech Festival: A major technology festival event organized by Informa Connect that unites leaders in technology, telecoms, and innovation in Africa for content, networking, and deal-making.

Products and services

• Connecting Africa News Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• Africa Tech Festival 2026 to be held November 16-19, 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Africa Tech FestivalflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2026Africa Tech Festival is the flagship event organized by Connecting Africa's parent company Informa Connect. The festival unites leaders in technology, telecoms, and innovation for world-class content, networking, and deal-making driving Africa's digital transformation. Connecting Africa serves as the primary media brand for the Africa Tech Festival, which represents a core revenue-generating and brand-building partnership within the Informa Connect Division.
• BFSI Innovation & Technology Summit South Africa 2026coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 May 2026Connecting Africa serves as an official media partner for the BFSI Innovation & Technology Summit South Africa 2026, organized by Exito Media Concepts. The summit focuses on South Africa's banking, financial services, and insurance sector transformation and brings together 200+ CTOs, CIOs, CISOs, and senior decision-makers. This partnership extends Connecting Africa's reach into fintech and financial services coverage.

Scale indicators1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ITWeb: South African B2B technology and telecoms publication and the natural direct competitor to Connecting Africa. The overlap is so direct that Connecting Africa's current editor, Paula Gilbert, previously served as ITWeb's telecoms editor.
• Disrupt Africa: Pan-African tech and startup media publication covering funding, fintech and emerging technology across African markets. Targets a similar investor/startup readership as Connecting Africa with strong newsletter and event adjacencies.
• TechCabal: African-focused technology publication covering startups, fintech, mobile and digital infrastructure on the continent. Comparable audience of investors, operators and enterprise technology buyers in African markets.
• MyBroadband: South African technology and telecoms publication with deep coverage of broadband, mobile networks and consumer technology. Direct competitor for South African telecom/ISP advertiser budgets.

Broad incumbents

• Engineering News (Creamer Media): Established South African B2B trade publication covering engineering, infrastructure and ICT. While broader than Connecting Africa, it competes for the same enterprise technology advertiser and reader base across African markets.
• The Next Web (TNW): International technology media platform with events (TNW Conference) that covers African tech among other geographies. Comparable B2B tech audience and events-plus-media monetization model.
• African Business (IC Publications): Pan-African business magazine covering economics, technology and investment across the continent. Competes for the same investor and enterprise decision-maker audience as Connecting Africa.
• CNBC Africa: African business and technology broadcaster where Connecting Africa's editor Paula Gilbert previously worked. Competes at a broader business-news level for advertiser attention in African markets.
• TechCrunch: Global technology media brand that increasingly covers African startups, fintech and venture capital. Competes for global advertiser attention and audience for African tech news, even though its primary focus is broader markets.

Emerging players

• Ventureburn: African startup and venture capital media brand historically focused on the continent's emerging company ecosystem. Adjacent overlap with Connecting Africa's investor-facing coverage of African tech.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/results?search_query=connecting+africa+podcast
• Xx.com/connect__africa
• Facebookfacebook.com/ConnectingAfricaSeries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connecting-africa-news

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Connecting Africa