Leon Greyling, COO of EBnet

The Batseta C° AFRICA Winter Conference returns from 1-4 June 2026 where asset owners, pension funds, regulators, and infrastructure investment professionals from across the continent gather. Hosted under the banner “C° AFRICA,” the four-day programme promises high-level dialogue on one of the most pressing opportunities of our time: channelling long-term pension capital into transformative African infrastructure while delivering competitive returns, local development impact, and resilience in a volatile global economy.

With information sessions/panel disussions spread across multiple rooms simultaneously, the agenda blends plenary addresses, deep-dive workshops, roundtables, and networking. Industry leaders including EPPF, Old Mutual Investment Group, M&G, AlexForbes, Ninety One, OMAI, Momentum, Riscura, Revego Fund Managers, Salt, and Motswedi Economic Transformation Specialists, plus others, are actively shaping the conversation through sponsored and hosted sessions, underscoring the conference’s role as a powerful platform for collaboration between industry stakeholders.

Day 1 – 1 June: The Power of One Degree – Small Shifts, Big Impact

The opening day sets an ambitious tone. After a welcome note and address, the flagship panel discussion, “The Power of One Degree: Small Shifts, Big Impact,” hosted in association with EPPF, explores how modest changes in policy, allocation strategy, and decision-making can deliver outsized outcomes for African pension funds and infrastructure development.

Parallel breakout sessions in Workstream 1 dive into practical themes. Mahlako examines “The Power of One Degree: Going All In on Africa’s Infrastructure.” Salt’s session, “From Allocation to Outcomes,” focuses on embedding member experience into investment decision-making in African pension funds. 27Four presents a compelling case study on the Transformation Fund, tracing the journey “From Policy Ambition to Investable Platform.” Ninety One addresses infrastructure diversification strategies, while the LCP session asks how funds can combine attractive returns with meaningful local development objectives.

Workstream 2 shifts the spotlight to service providers and market dynamics. Motswedi poses the provocative question: “Where are you losing out on returns? Who are the Allan Grays and Coros of tomorrow?” AlexForbes delivers a trustee guide titled “Is infrastructure your next investment destination?” M&G confronts “The Cost of Disconnection,” analysing what happens when pension capital leaves the JSE. Revego Fund Managers rounds out the track with insights from a specialist infrastructure manager.

Later sessions feature “One Degree of Change,” sharing entrepreneurial success stories built on pension capital (facilitated by Anusha Naidu, CEO of SAVCA, with panellist Soysile Mokweni, Chair of the Consolidated Retirement Fund), followed by Old Mutual Investment Group’s compelling narrative: “Africa: The unexpected safe haven in a world of economic shock.” The day closes with the Mogodu Monday an informal Shabeen networking dinner.

Day 2 – 2 June: Policy, Regulation and Investable Opportunities

Day two opens with a high-stakes Round Table Discussion with Regulators and a keynote address. Workstream 1 continues the momentum with Momentum’s “Think Global, Act Local,” Old Mutual Alternative Investments asking “What if your Pension Fund Helped Build The Country You Plan to Retire In?”, Riscura’s deep dive into a South African Infrastructure Benchmark, and Reunyte’s session on setting a course through uncharted waters for South African infrastructure.

A dedicated Roundtable Conversation tackles “From Water Crisis To Investable Opportunity.” Workstream 2 explores Pan-African and international matters, Continental Regulators-focused approaches, DFIs, and project-focused strategies. The AFIX Launch and Panel Discussion caps the formal programme before delegates move to the evening Graduation Networking Dinner.

Day 3 – 3 June: AFIX Workshops for Asset Owners Only

Restricted to asset owners, Day 3 delivers intensive, practical learning. An AFIX Masterclass is followed by two workshops: “Defining what infrastructure is” and “Ways to Invest and Role of DFIs.” A panel discussion then presents real-world case studies on how infrastructure opportunities behave in relation to risk, return, and impact. A World Café format encourages collaborative dialogue on “how we work together,” followed by a Site Visit Briefing and Conference Closure. A working brunch precedes departure.

Day 4 – 4 June: AFIX Programme in Johannesburg

The conference concludes with an action-oriented day in Johannesburg. Four targeted presentations set the stage for half-day site visits to high-impact infrastructure assets, including the Advantage Data Centre and Student Accommodation projects. The programme ends with a Closure & Networking Cocktail, giving delegates a final opportunity to forge partnerships that will drive capital deployment long after the event.

Throughout the conference, the emphasis remains on moving from policy to investable platforms, from allocation to measurable outcomes, and from disconnection to deep, value-creating engagement with African infrastructure.

EBnet will be covering the entire Batseta C° AFRICA Winter Conference live through real-time social media posts on X (@EBnet and @EBnet Editor). Our team will be on the ground capturing key insights, panel highlights, and networking moments as they happen. At the close of play each day, EBnet will publish a concise yet comprehensive article distilling the day’s most important learnings, practical takeaways, and strategic implications for our community of asset owners, trustees, and investment professionals. These daily summaries will ensure that even those unable to attend in person stay fully informed and can immediately apply the conference’s insights to their own portfolios and decision-making.

In an era when African infrastructure needs are vast and pension capital represents one of the largest sources of patient, long-term funding, the 2026 Batseta CO AFRICA Winter Conference arrives at a pivotal moment. By bringing together regulators, asset owners, DFIs, fund managers, and specialist service providers under one roof, the event promises to catalyse the small shifts that deliver big impact – precisely the “one degree” of change the continent requires.

Whether you are attending in person or following remotely via EBnet’s coverage, the conference offers an unparalleled opportunity to engage with the ideas, people, and projects that will shape Africa’s investment landscape for the next decade. We look forward to sharing the journey with you.

Click here to visit the Batseta C° AFRICA Winter Conference page: https://app.glueup.com/event/batseta-winter-conference-2026-c-africa-163158/

ENDS