WITESA 2026, the 5th edition of the Women in Technology and Engineering Summit and Awards organised by Womenovate and Tech Revolution Africa, will be held in Lagos on June 23 and 24, 2026.
- +MTN backs WITESA 2026 as Lagos prepares for Africa’s largest women tech summit
It is the first time the summit, which has run for four previous editions, is being held in Lagos, and the corporate interest it has attracted suggests the market understands exactly what is at stake.
It is the first time the summit, which has run for four previous editions, is being held in Lagos, and the corporate interest it has attracted suggests the market understands exactly what is at stake.
The summit is structured around a simple but important argument: Africa’s technology sector cannot reach its potential without the full participation of women at every level, from the engineer on the ground to the founder in the boardroom to the policymaker setting the rules.
WITESA 5.0 is designed to accelerate that participation, not through speeches alone but through structured programming, genuine access, and the kind of recognition that changes careers.
The numbers reflect the ambition. Over 2,000 participants are expected across the two days. More than 60 speakers will lead sessions across nine tracks covering artificial intelligence, green technology, infrastructure, and equitable scaling.
Fifty startups will pitch directly to investors and corporate leaders on the summit floor. And at the gala awards night on the evening of June 24, more than 60 women will be recognised for outstanding contributions to technology and engineering across Africa.
For the corporate sponsors, the value proposition is clear. WITESA 5.0 puts their brand in front of 2,000 decision-makers, founders, engineers, and investors at a single event. MTN Nigeria’s decision to come in as Gold Sponsor is consistent with a broader corporate trend of backing platforms that connect talent to opportunity in the technology sector.
Motunrayo Opayinka, Founder of Womenovate, described the vision plainly: to move beyond celebration and create lasting systems that support women in technology and engineering. That framing matters.
Too many events in this space are content to gather people in a room, take photographs, and send everyone home. WITESA 5.0 is structured differently. The nine tracks are designed to produce actual insight and output.
The startup pitch programme will give 50 early-stage founders direct access to investors and corporate decision-makers. The awards are built around impact, not just visibility.
Tickets are available now across multiple tiers. A current “Buy More, Save More” promo is also running: buy two Standard tickets and get one free, or buy one Executive ticket and receive two Standard tickets at no extra cost.
For companies considering sending their teams, the Executive and Premium tiers both include access to investor and deal-making sessions, souvenir packs, and premium gala access, making them a reasonable investment for organisations that are serious about building female leadership pipelines in tech and engineering.
