The countdown has begun, and the anticipation is electric. In just a few days, business leaders, policymakers, investors, and innovators from across the continent will gather at the Sandton Convention Centre for SEACon 2025 — Africa’s largest Sustainability & ESG Africa Conference.

This year’s theme, “Adapt, Innovate, Succeed – Sustainability in Changing Times,” speaks directly to the moment we are in, a time when agility, foresight, and collaboration are no longer optional, but essential. SEACon 2025 will bring together those who are leading with courage and creativity to navigate uncertainty and build a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable Africa.

“The conversations we’re hosting this year are bold, future-focused, and deeply human,” says Wendy Poulton, SEACon Co-Founder and Director. “They’re about leadership that stays grounded when things get tough, and transformation that endures through disruption. Sustainability today is about resilience, the capacity to adapt, recover, and keep moving forward.”

Resilience and adaptability run through every thread of this year’s programme. Delegates can expect compelling dialogues on how African companies are reshaping business models for long-term impact, investing in future-fit skills, and aligning sustainability with innovation, finance, and digital transformation. Sessions such as “Risk + Sustainability = Strategy,” “Finance for Impact: Making Money Work for Africa,” and “Digital Sustainability: Tech as a Transformation Engine” will explore how leaders are steering through volatility with integrity and vision.

The programme also features sector-focused breakout sessions on energy and mining, manufacturing, agriculture and food systems, and finance and investment, each designed to explore how sustainability is being embedded across Africa’s key industries, from boardroom strategy to community impact. Among the headline speakers are some of the continent’s most respected executives including Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO of Naspers South Africa; Karen Basiye, Director of Sustainable Business and Social Impact at Safaricom; Ziaad Suleman, CEO at Cassava Technologies; Mitslal Kifleyesus, Founder and CEO of Ecopia; and Rian Coetzee, Executive at the Industrial Development Corporation. Each brings a distinctive perspective on how leadership, innovation, and inclusion are redefining Africa’s sustainability agenda.

Joshua Low, SEACon Co-Founder and Director, says SEACon has become a space where honest conversation meets real collaboration. “SEACon is where business, government, and civil society come together to explore what forward progress looks like in practice. It’s about shifting from talk to tangible action.”

This year’s event will also celebrate innovation and impact through the YES Awards and Beyond Awards Function, recognising the people and organisations proving that doing good and doing well can go hand in hand. Additionally, the first morning of the conference will see the announcement of the winners of the third edition of the ESG Student Innovation Challenge, sponsored by Naspers and DP World. ‘’We are delighted to be able to offer a platform which recognises students from across the continent who are developing practical solutions to addressing some of the continent’s most pressing sustainability challenges’’ adds Low.  “We are particularly encouraged to see an increase in the number of entries from across the continent, with finalists hailing from Ghana, Malawi and Kenya’’.

Lastly this year will welcome two new elements. Firstly, the organisers in partnership with the NBI, the UN Global Compact South Africa, Shared Value Africa and ESKOM will be hosting the first Leadership Forum.  This event will take place on the first morning of the conference and is targeted at C-suite executives from corporates in Africa, looking to discuss, debate and find solutions to driving sustainability forward across the continent.  Secondly, on the second morning of the conference, the organisers will be hosting the first SMME workshop, aimed at equipping SMMEs with the tools and knowledge they need to embed sustainability and ESG into their operations.  This event will be organised in partnership with ECOIQ and GRI. 

Across plenaries, leadership forums, and interactive sessions, SEACon will spotlight Africa’s ability not just to weather disruption, but to thrive because of it.

As the opening day approaches, the organisers say the excitement is mounting. “We’re seeing so much momentum,” adds Poulton. “There’s a real appetite for practical, courageous conversations, not theory, but how to make sustainability work in the real world.”

 “We are incredibly grateful to our sponsors including; EY, SGS, ECOIQ, NERDMA, the IDC, RAUBEX, Carbon Trust, EWSETA, S&P Global, BDO, WSP and the FSC for their commitment and support.  We are expecting over 500 delegates to attend the event this year and are looking forward to two days of networking, knowledge sharing and celebration, through our various awards programmes and competitions’’

The time is drawing near — and SEACon 2025 promises to be two transformative days of connection, learning, and inspiration. Join us at the Sandton Convention Centre on 15–16 October 2025 and be part of Africa’s sustainability journey. 

As the opening day approaches, the organisers say the excitement is mounting. “We’re seeing so much momentum,” adds Poulton. “There’s a real appetite for practical, courageous conversations, not theory, but how to make sustainability work in the real world.”

 “We are incredibly grateful to our sponsors including; EY, SGS, ECOIQ, NERDMA, the IDC, RAUBEX, Carbon Trust, EWSETA, S&P Global, BDO, WSP and the FSC for their commitment and support.  We are expecting over 500 delegates to attend the event this year and are looking forward to two days of networking, knowledge sharing and celebration, through our various awards programmes and competitions’’