Event Overview
About the Conference
We are thrilled to invite you to our upcoming Africa Governance, Risk & Compliance Summit, a premier event for risk professionals, dedicated to exploring the latest trends and challenges in risk governance. This conference will be held from the 5th until the 8th of May 2026 at Pepperclub Hotel & Spa, Cape Town, and will be an invaluable experience for all risk professionals.
Why Attend?
Depending on how one chooses to look at it, today’s world has either proved a challenging or exciting conundrum for risk professionals the world over; because the sheer amount of uncertainty and complexity of the situations that have to deal with in recent times is unprecedented.
In the words of the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Risk Report, underlying geopolitical tensions combined with the eruption of active hostilities in multiple regions are just but a few of the issues contributing to an unstable global and business operating order, characterised by polarizing narratives, eroding trust and insecurity.
At the same time, countries and business are grappling with the impacts of record-breaking extreme weather conditions, as climate-change adaptation efforts and resources fall short of the type, scale and intensity of climate-related events already taking place. Cost-of-living pressures continue to bite, amidst persistently elevated inflation and interest rates and continued economic uncertainty in much of the world.
In general terms, risk governance means the responsible management of risks, with societal sustainability requirements, such as combating climate change or effective banking supervision, playing an important role at the macro level and the management of business risks, especially financial risks, at the micro level.
According to the WEF, below are the biggest risk factors affecting businesses, state and corporate leaders, as well as risk professionals today:
- Economic: Risks including national economic downturns and inflation
- Environmental: ESG, sustainability, climate change, pollution, shortages of natural resources, extreme weather events, among others
- Technological: cybersecurity concerns, adverse effects of AI technologies; as well as misinformation and disinformation
- Societal: Involuntary migration, societal polarisation; and lack of economic opportunity
- Geopolitical: shifting international relations and armed conflicts
- Board Importance: Regulators expect credible evidence of dynamic risk assessment and decision-making from boards and senior management. This includes formalized documentation, mapping, ownership, and ongoing testing and monitoring of controls
- Risk Management: The robustness of the risk framework across all three lines of defence is critical. This involves ensuring that risk and compliance programs are geared to current and emerging risks and are sufficiently resourced1.
- Individual Accountability: There is a focus on individual accountability and companies deemed to be “repeat offenders” in investigations and enforcements.
- Third-party Risk: With companies increasingly dependent on third parties for mission-critical services, there is a greater regulatory and risk exposure that needs to be managed.
These risks are multifaceted, borderless, shared regularly and widely, and can give a sense of frustration to risk managers and related stakeholders. On the other hand, these challenges highlight the importance of a proactive and integrated approach to governance, risk management, and compliance in today’s complex operating environment.
Against this backdrop, theAfrica Governance, Risk & Compliance Summit was organised with the aim of exploring the rise of global risks, the tectonic clashes between them, as well as their impact on businesses countries and professionals in the risk governance and management space.
The conference will provide a platform for leaders to tackle conversations that most organisations are not comfortable sharing with peers, the risks that all our organisations face. These conversations can no longer be avoided. Businesses need insights to be able to face the risks and maximise organisational performance without compromising value.
Join our experts and fellow industry peers as we tackle these important conversations with an esteemed group of risk experts, who will share their insights as we unpack and discuss critical risk issues affecting Africa today.