Online Reporter
Fairness Moyana, [email protected]
PREPARATIONS for the ELISA Business Summit are at an advanced stage, with entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders from across the continent set to converge in Hwange for the 2026 ELISA Business Summit running under the theme: “Business Beyond Borders.”
The Pan-African summit, scheduled for March 19 and organised by the Enterprise, Leaders & Innovators Society for Africa (ELISA), is expected to draw a diverse mix of founders, operators and ecosystem builders who are actively working to expand businesses across African markets.
The gathering aims to strengthen cross border trade and investment at a time when regional integration is becoming increasingly central to Africa’s economic trajectory.
The ELISA Business Summit, first convened in 2023, has rapidly grown into a key continental platform designed to move Africa’s integration agenda from policy dialogue to practical business execution.
Organisers say the 2026 edition will take a deeper look at the real world challenges enterprises face when scaling across multiple countries, emphasising what works, what fails and what needs to change to unlock continental competitiveness.
Key discussions are expected to focus on regulatory complexity, rapidly shifting global supply chains and the need for responsive pricing and operational models across African markets, particularly as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) continues to take shape.
These conversations will centre on how businesses can adapt to diverse environments while leveraging shared opportunities.
In an interview ahead of the summit, ELISA Business Network co-founder Ms Elisabeth Valerio said the gathering was designed to dismantle the silos that often limit collaboration among entrepreneurs operating in neighbouring countries.
“Very often, you find like-minded entrepreneurs working very close to each other or just across borders, but not collaborating. What brings innovation is when people work together to advance a sector,” she said.
Ms Valerio said the summit would serve as both a platform for dialogue and a practical forum for continuous learning and skills development for entrepreneurs at different stages of their journeys.
“With the theme ‘Business Beyond Borders’, we are looking at how we support emerging entrepreneurs as well as established ones who want to scale. Entrepreneurs from Zimbabwe, for example, will gain a better understanding of how to position themselves by building sustainable value propositions and viable business models for the markets they are targeting,” she said.
She added that sessions would also explore marketing, branding and competitive analysis, noting that many entrepreneurs become so immersed in day to day operations that they have little time to reflect on long term business direction.
For more established businesses, discussions will centre on supply chain resilience, revenue diversification and cross border expansion strategies, especially within the AfCFTA framework. Ms Valerio stressed that a broad spectrum of voices was essential.
“We need representation from across the entire entrepreneurship ecosystem. That includes entrepreneurs, investors, educators, policymakers and academics, because we can learn from each other,” Ms Valerio said.
One of the highlights of the summit will be the Beyond Borders Live Pitch, where selected entrepreneurs will present their cross border business ideas to seasoned investors for direct feedback and potential funding.
The event will conclude with the Enterprise Leaders Dinner, during which the 2026 ELISA Business Scholars will be honoured for excellence in enterprise leadership.
ELISA is a Pan-African, multi-sector platform established by the International Centre for Professional Development (ICPD), a United States based non-profit organisation.
Through initiatives such as the ELISA Business Summit and ELISA Confab, the organisation continues to strengthen enterprise capability, promote cross border collaboration and support long term economic growth across Africa.
