#9 2026 AIfE January Newsletter

2026 AIfE Newsletter

January 2026

Highlights

3 TECH TALKS for SMMES

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From AIfE Co-Founder and Chair

Dr JabulileMsimango Galawe

New talent on the block:

KELLY MORKEL

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Digital career pathways with GIZ pg 5

2025 marked a year of exciting developments.

At AIfE, we were proud to launch the first-ever 2025 Western Cape Drone/UAS Sandbox Business Case. As an NGO, to see our work go from research-based to actual plans for the growth of a new technology industry is tremendously exciting.

In attending the StartUp 20 South Africa 2025 as a member of the Inclusion and Sustainability Task Force, I was struck by how actively bringing in entrepreneurs today’s ecosystem remains a challenge.

take AIfE forward, we ask the question: how do ensure inclusive economic growth with new technologies?

2026, we look to new innovations with research and thought leadership. We continue on democratising tech, opening doors next generation, and bringing greater inclusive economic growth to Africa.

Dr Jabulile Msimango-Galawe Founder and Board Chair StartUp 20 Inclusion and Sustainability Task

Work we’ve done Western Cape Government Department of Economic Development and Tourism

In line with AIfE’s commitment to the development of SMMEs and entrepreneurs, the organisation is proud to assist in the conceptualisation and operations of the Western Cape Government Department of Economic Development and Tourism’s 2025/2026 Tech Talk Series.

Inspired by the world-famous TED TALKS, the 2025/2026 Tech Talk Series seeks to bring new technologies to small and medium sized businesses.

Four industries were selected: agri-tech, business services for 2025, with two events in 2026 in retail and manufacturing. For how to participate in 2026, contact info@aife.africa.

Entrepreneurs stood on the ‘blue dot’ to tell their stories and provide inspiration to others. AI Expert Sandras Phiri took the participants through a journey of ‘one step at a time’ to move towards tech adoption, and expert panellists and entrepreneurs shared their experiences in curated and insightful discussions at the UVU Africa Centre in Woodstock, Cape Town.

In addition to the TECH TALK SERIES, AIfE developed the comprehensive Technology Adoption Information Guide, ‘The Digital Edge: Unlocking Business Potential Through Technology’, designed as a plain-language resource to support SMMEs in navigating digital tools and opportunities.

The Guide provides relevant technologies, step-by-step adoption pathways, curated solution providers, and practical case studies Its purpose is to equip businesses with an accessible, user-friendly reference as they begin exploring and implementing new technologies

A downloadable version is on the Western Cape Government website, https://www westerncape gov za/edat/media/62860

Introducing KELLY MORKEL, the latest member of the AIfE team

Here’s what she had to say on LinkedIn:

AIFE is honoured to have Kelly Morkel, Stakeholder Engagement and Project Manager, on our team. Kelly worked with AIfE during the 2024/2025 Drone/UAS Business Case and proved to be invaluable in her understanding of the intersection between public and private sector.

She has now joined AIfE, assisting the organisation as it continues with work in the Western Cape. At AIfE, we prioritise giving young people greater scope and the opportunity to try new things

In our most recent project, Kelly was the MC for the first two TECH TALKS and did a stellar job, with participants ranking her performance top marks!

Back during my varsity days, I held onto a quiet, secret dream: I really wanted to be a TV presenter. I admired the energy, the connection with the audience, and the ability to steer a conversation. But life took its own course, and I focused on my tech career.

This week, things came full circle in the most unexpected way.

I had the incredible privilege not just to be part of the organising team for our Tech Talk Series, but to step up as the MC for the event.

Standing there, guiding the session, I realised something profound: Never let your dreams die.

They may not look exactly how you pictured them 15 years ago, and they might not happen on your original timeline. But if you keep striving, keep growing, and keep putting yourself out there, those dreams have a way of coming to fruition when you are ready for them.

A huge thank you to Tamiko Sher and Karen Goldstone-Hoffman for guiding and mentoring me in this preparation and the team for trusting me with the mic.

Here is to showing up and letting those old dreams breathe new life!

Kudos to Kelly for stepping up on the scene – and look out for her in 2026!

Here’s Vinnie Mzolisa, AIfE’s Reseacher and Digital Facilitator, on stage sharing research on agri-tech and business services at the TECH TALKS.

AIfE sees the empowerment and upskilling of youth as a primary element of how we work.

We see the building of young people’s confidence to stretch themselves, learn new skills and go beyond as part of our core mission.

Supporting Digital Career Pathways with GIZ

Tech support and job opportunities are critically important for the TVETs (Technical and Vocational Education and Training). Offering practical, skillsbased education, TVETs play an important role in vocational training that focuses on employability. GIZ has a joint German-SA government focused to build digital career pathways.

AIfE assisted GIZ in recent research on mapping potential job opportunities in five key areas: software development, cybersecurity, multimedia and content development, and data analytics.

A big thank you to Buntu Majaja and the South African Innovation Summit

Since AIfE’s inception in 2021, the South African Innovation Summit (SAIS) has been a big supporter and partner. Together the two organisations have joint research publications with the 2022 South African Future Drone Tech Evolution, the 2023 Women in Tech Africa, and the 2024 Generative AI: An Exploration of GenAI for Non-Tech Entrepreneurs and Youth.

SAIS has provided a platform for AIfE – and many others – to share its research publications and findings with a global audience. We especially thank Buntu Majaja as CEO for his enormous support to AIfE.

South African Innovation Summit (SAIS) is an organisation dedicated to entrepreneurs in all tech industries, ranging from incubation to the entrepreneurial lifecycle SAIS hosts the largest tech summit on the African continent SAIS proactively seeks out collaborations, forming partnerships with organisations such as AIfE to leverage ecosystem strengths and amplify impact and scale The organisation look forward to seeing how collaborative publications in thought leadership will inspire tech entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders and the African innovation ecosystem.

At AIfE, our framework is for knowledge and information.

We seek to develop research that helps entrepreneurs to leverage the power of technology, design innovative businesses, leverage new opportunities, and contribute to job creation and economic growth.

What’s important to an NGO values – linking to UN SDGs

It is critically important to recognise the importance of the United National Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) as an overarching framework within which development and impact work takes place

AIfE embraces the UN-SDGs as part of its core values. In particular, the NGO operates under five key SDGS:

SDG4 Gender equality

SDG8 Decent work and economic growth

SDG9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure

SDG10 Reduced inequalities

SDG17 Partnerships for the goals

The NGO welcomes partnerships, collaborations, thought leadership dialogues, initiatives and projects that embrace a vision and commitment to entrepreneurship ecosystem in Africa and seek to meet the UN-SDG for the future

For more information or to explore a collaboration, please contact us at: enquiries@aife.africa We look forward to engaging with like-minded partners who share our vision for inclusive, innovation-led development..

Meet the AIfE Board of Directors and Advisory Panel

Board of Directors Advisory Panel

Thank you and Goodbye to Guy Harris

AIfE says a big THANK YOU and farewell to Guy Harris, who joined from 2021 and was instrumental in building the organisation.

Guy comes from a long history in business and is well known in the entrepreneurship ecosystem as a stalwart of good governance and supporting entrepreneurs.

All best wishes to Guy in his retirement from the AIfE Advisory Panel and to his wife Melanie as they enjoy their many grandchildren!

CHAIR Closing Remarks

“My

take is that everyone has a responsibility to … achieve greatness in their lifetime. I live to remind people of this, especially women who, from my experience as a coach, I came to realise are the ones who short-change themselves the most and they are often not even aware of it."