We list African mobility events to attend soon

From the newsletter

Events in the vehicle sector are often massive showcases: Consumers are dazzled in large halls while industry insiders meet in the back. And that sort of thing does happen in Africa. But increasingly events are tailored to the needs of tech companies. That means a little smaller, less flashy and more content-focused, especially in Africa. 

• Two significant events are about to take place in the next eight days: Auto Tech Egypt and Automechanika South Africa. The two countries are the largest and most sophisticated car markets on the continent. Both see a slow but accelerating transition to electrification. 

• We have counted a total of eight African events specific to the mobility sector in the coming twelve months. The details are listed on the link at the end of this story. If you’re organising an event but we haven’t yet featured it, please let us know by replying to this email.

More details

• Auto Tech, Cairo, Egypt, 17/11/2024, website

• Automechanika, Johannesburg, South Africa, 19/11/2024, website

• Auto Expo, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 06/03/2025, website

• Africa Rail 2025, Johannesburg, South Africa, 13/05/2025, website

• AutoExpo, Nairobi, Kenya, 28/05/2025, website

• TOC Africa, Tangiers, Morocco, 24/09/2025, website

• Smarter Mobility Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa, 07/10/2025, website

• Auto Expo, Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania, 23/10/2025, website

Our take

• The Africa E-mobility Week held in Nairobi, Kenya, in September was a fine example of a modern vehicle event. Yes, there were some motorbikes to look at. But the focus really was on comparing and aligning on issues such as policy, localisation and corporate cooperation. And of course, there was a fair amount of networking in the aisles, over lunch and in the evenings. We hope this event returns next year.  

• In a young but fast-growing sector, networking and info exchanges are vital. Fierce competition between companies is likely in years to come. But it’s not here yet and even when it arrives the benefits of talking and cooperating will remain substantial. Learning is the key purpose of a startup, and most e-mobility companies in Africa are still startups. Nowhere is learning done better than at industry events. 

• We look forward to a future where most nations in Africa host a mobility event. If you are organising one, please let us know. We’re happy to list it.