AN INITIATIVE OF THE UK AFRICA SANDBOX
UK Africa
Ecosystem Week.
Four days of curated market entry support during London Tech Week for African founders scaling into the UK and UK founders scaling into Africa.
london, uk
7 - 10 june 2026
ENDORSED BY
London Tech Week
SUPPORTED BY
Department for Business and Trade
POWERED BY
Ventures 54
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
London Tech Week is the UK's biggest tech moment. We curate it for African founders.
500+ events and sessions, 100,000+ attendees from 100+ countries and less than <1% Africa-focused programming. For African Founders without structure, it is hard to access the right opportunities. We bring that structure.
Navigating The Week
LTW has hundreds of options which can be hard to navigate, we create the African filter for what matters.
Opportunity Breath
African ecosystem support is often stretched in this period and founders rarely get dedicated attention.
Tourism Trap
Without structure, founders can leave LTW with no real opportunities. Sightseeing, not activation.
Support you'll receive during the week
THE ANSWER
A physical Market Entry Sandbox across
London Tech Week.
London Tech Week.
UK Africa Sandbox is the structured initiative that equips African founders to scale into the UK and UK founders to scale into Africa. An initiative of Ventures 54, funded by the UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) Africa alongside the UK South Africa Tech Hub and UK Nigeria Tech Hub. UK Africa Ecosystem Week is its annual flagship: Once a year. Four days. Two directions. The full UK–Africa market access ecosystem under one programme.
WHAT THE WEEK SUPPORTS YOU WITH
Marquee moments, mapped for you. The week, curated by you.
We've built and curated the key marquee moments across London Tech Week focused on African tech - orientation, dedicated meeting spaces, our flagship Ecosystem Day, the closing mixer. Around these staple moments, we help each founder curate their own week of meetings, networking and tailored sessions across the hundreds of other LTW events happening in parallel - to get the most out of the week.
THE MARQUEE MOMENTS
The Week at a Glance
We've created the staple moments within UK Africa Ecosystem Week to set the foundations for core market entry support, while giving founders the time and space to tailor London Tech Week to their specific needs. Around these anchors, we support each founder in curating the best sessions and activities throughout the week, so every visit translates into real opportunity.
Sun 7 June
16:00 - 19:00
Welcome Reception
The Africa Centre
Founder packs, VIP passes, LTW orientation, delegations networking
16:00 - 19:00
Welcome Reception
The Africa Centre
Founder packs, VIP passes, LTW orientation, delegations networking
16:00 - 19:00
Welcome Reception
The Africa Centre
Founder packs, VIP passes, LTW orientation, delegations networking
Mon 8 June
10:00 - 13:00
Africa Lounge - Day 1
Kensington Olympia
15:00 - 16:00
UK Africa Panel
Kensington Olympia
"Scaling from Africa to the World"
17:00 - 21:00
International Reception
London Guild Hall
Tue 9 June
10:00 - 13:00
Africa Lounge - Day 2
Kensington Olympia
1300 - 18:00 [INVITE ONLY]
GEP Day
Venue TBA
Selected scaleups attend Global Entrepreneur Programme afternoon
Wed 10 June · Flagship
12:00 - 18:00
UK Africa Ecosystem Day
The Forum at 40 Leadenhall
Roundtables, Masterclasses, Office Hours, Pop-Up Meet & Greets
18:00 - 22:00
London Africa Network Mixer
The Forum at 40 Leadenhall
Closing celebration with the wider London Africa community
UK Africa
Ecosystem Day.
We identify your needs. We match you with the right partners. You build out your UK market entry stack.
This is not a traditional conference day. Alongside a select number of keynote addresses and curated ecosystem sessions, the focus is on tangible market entry support and direct engagement. We bring together leading individuals and organisations across UK market entry, including law, tax, finance, regulatory, hiring, PR, real estate and investment, under one roof for founders to engage with directly. Each founder receives a curated list of sessions and experts, builds their own day of meetings, and walks away with a real UK market entry plan in motion.
12:00 · Doors Open & Welcome
Ahead of the day, founders receive their custom Market Entry Journey plan for the afternoon. Sessions, meetings and connections tailored to their specific needs.
13:00 · Market Entry Orientation
Welcome address from the UK Africa Sandbox plus quick-fire pitches from our partners. Know who is who and what is what across end-to-end Market Entry Support Stack building.
14:00 · Sandbox Sessions Begin
Your curated mix of sessions, 1:1s and networking to build each founder's UK Access Support Stack.
17:00 · Fireside Chat
A special guest on building and scaling in the UK to close out the day of sessions.
18:00 · London Africa Network Ecosystem Mixer
Hosted in partnership with the London Africa Network, we open the doors to the wider UK Africa community to connect founders with its builders, operators, investors and leaders.
Roundtables & Masterclasses
Live group sessions with experts who answer questions, share founder-tested insights, and live-map UK market entry realities and best practice.
Office Hours Sessions
1:1 sessions with industry advisors who help unpack specific blockers, troubleshoot challenges, and refine UK entry paths.
Pop-Up Meet & Greets
Informal meeting opportunities with UK ecosystem leaders and peers to build connections and explore soft landing support throughout the day.
Roundtables & Masterclasses
Live group sessions with experts who answer questions, share founder-tested insights, and live-map UK market entry realities and best practice.
Office Hours Sessions
1:1 sessions with industry advisors who help unpack specific blockers, troubleshoot challenges, and refine UK entry paths.
Pop-Up Meet & Greets
Informal meeting opportunities with UK ecosystem leaders and peers to build connections and explore soft landing support throughout the day.
The Forum at 40 Leadenhall
The Forum powered by Huckletree is the City of London's newest events venue and will be the sponsoring host for this year's UK Africa Ecosystem Day.
40 Leadenhall Street, London, EC3A 2BJ, United Kingdom
View on Google Maps
UK AFRICA TECH IMMERSION PROGRAMME
UK founders, scaling into Africa.
UK Africa Ecosystem Week also supports UK founders scaling into Africa's fastest-growing markets. Through the UK Africa Tech Immersion programme, delivered with London & Partners and Grow London, we connect UK founders directly with our flagship Africa-side partners across South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya.
UK Africa Ecosystem Week is the moment that activation happens, under the same roof as the African founder programme. We host our key Africa partners for a day of 1:1 Office Hour Sessions where UK scaleup founders meet and engage with them directly around real opportunities on the ground.
UK Africa Ecosystem Week is the moment that activation happens, under the same roof as the African founder programme. We host our key Africa partners for a day of 1:1 Office Hour Sessions where UK scaleup founders meet and engage with them directly around real opportunities on the ground.
south africa
Wesgro
The trade and investment promotion agency for the Cape Town and Western Cape region of South Africa. Direct routes into one of Africa's most mature startup ecosystems.
nigeria
Itana
Africa's first digital free zone - supporting digital businesses scaling across the continent from a Nigerian hub. Regulatory, infrastructure and ecosystem access.s.
Are you a UK Founder eyeing Africa?
Apply to join UK Africa Tech Immersion as part of UK Africa Ecosystem Week 2026.
wednesday 10 june · 18:00-22:00
CLOSING CELEBRATION
The London Africa Network Closing Mixer.
London Africa Network is the largest community of people building between the UK and Africa - founders, investors, operators, advisors, ecosystem leaders. Their closing mixer brings the founders attending UK Africa Ecosystem Week together with the broader London Africa community to celebrate, connect and continue building beyond the week. One room. The full network.
BUILDING ON PREVIOUS YEARS
From a mixer to the UK-Africa convening moment.
2023
Started as a small community mixer with the London Africa Network.
2024
Grew into facilitated expert sessions on international growth for visting founders.
2025
Became the UK-Africa convening moment in London Tech Week for African Delegations.
2026
Now a full week of structured programming across the entire London Tech Week.
Check out the 2025 UK Africa Ecosystem Day video
Beyond the Week.
Africa Ecosystem Events Digest
Africa-focused events happening in and around London Tech Week - May and June 2026.
Resources
LinkedIn
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Get involved.
for african founders
Apply to join
Apply as a single founder or full delegation. We'll curate the week to your UK market entry priorities.
for uk founders
Scaling into Africa
Apply to UK Africa Tech Immersion, connecting you with our partners across South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya.
for partners
Become a Partner
Offer your expertise as a Masterclass, Roundtable or Office Hours partner. In-kind partnership, deep relationships.
for sponsors
Sponsor the Week
Anchor the week or a named activity. Three sponsorship tiers with full visibility across press and programme.