Digital identity company DIDx, in partnership with digital identity conference organisation Internet Identity Workshop, will hold its DID:Unconf Africa conference at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study from February 24 to 26.

The event serves as a bridge between local innovation and international standards and brings together industry experts to solve the complex challenges of digital identity, privacy and cross-border trust, DIDx says.

The 2026 edition will focus on making high-trust identity systems a reality for individuals and organisations across Africa.

Digital governance authority GLEIF Americas MD Karla McKenna will deliver a keynote address.

McKenna has played a pivotal role in the development of the verifiable Legal Entity Identifier, which is a cornerstone of trusted and secure organisational identity.

“GLEIF is pleased to join DID:UNCONF Africa 2026. These insights are essential as we explore how decentralised, verifiable organisational identity can support economic opportunity and regulatory alignment across the region,” she says.

This year’s event starts with an Africa-focused digital identity programme that features structured keynote addresses, panel discussions and question and answer sessions that establish a shared foundation around policy, interoperability, innovation and real-world implementation across the continent.

There are also two days of open space sessions, where the agenda is co-created live each morning by the participants themselves. These practical, hands-on workshops and break-out discussions ensure that the most pressing topics, from biometric security and verifiable credentials to cross-border digital trade, are explored by the people actively designing, deploying and governing these systems.

“By combining a focused, Africa-specific programme with two days of collaborative working sessions, we create the conditions needed to design and scale digital identity solutions that work for the continent. This enables collaboration, co-creation and practical problem-solving with the people actively shaping the future of digital identity,” says DIDx COO Gideon Lombard.