FEWA AI Summit Kigali '26

Kigali
FEWA - MWC

18th June 2026

2nd Edition

FEWA AI SUMMIT University & the Future of Work in the Age of AI

“Higher education was designed to prepare humans for tasks only humans could do. But what happens when an AI can write essays, generate code, analyze case law, or diagnose diseases faster and more accurately than the best-trained graduates?.

- Sam Altman

Background

Can the traditional university model continue to prepare students for the AI-age economy?

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is now in view, how prepared are governments and the private sector to navigate the massive job disruption across industries?

AI is accelerating the pace of discovery, how do we ensure African research priorities shape the AI research agenda and not just global commercial interests?

If a student can acquire job-ready AI skills through a six-month micro-credential or a fraction of the cost of a traditional degree, what value proposition does the university degree still hold and for whom?

Can the traditional university model continue to prepare students for the AI-age economy?
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is now in view, how prepared are governments and the private sector to navigate the massive job disruption across industries?
AI is accelerating the pace of discovery, how do we ensure African research priorities shape the AI research agenda and not just global commercial interests?
If a student can acquire job-ready AI skills through a six-month micro-credential or a fraction of the cost of a traditional degree, what value proposition does the university degree still hold and for whom?

Across Africa and globally, institutions are beginning to question the relevance of the four-year degree model, the speed at which universities adapt curricula, and their capacity to equip students with the interdisciplinary skills demanded by AI-driven industries. On the other hand, governments and the private sector are anticipating massive disruption to labor.

2nd Edition FEWA AI Summit-

In 2025, FEWA formalised an exclusive partnership with the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communication Association), which led to the hosting of the inaugural FEWA AI Summit within the Mobile World Congress (MWC) series in Kigali – Learn more. The Summit themed ‘Driving AI innovation in Education & the future of Work’ was held under the patronage of Rwanda’s Ministry of Education and was formally opened by Hon. Joseph Nsengimana, Minister of Education, Rwanda. Key summit outcomes included the signing of a Smart Education partnership agreement with Ethio Telecom – one of Africa’s largest telecommunications providers: Learn more.

The 2nd edition of the FEWA AI Summit, which will be held in Kigali on June 18th, 2026, will convene Ministers, Policymakers, University leaders, Innovators, Labor experts and Industry executives to rethink the role of higher education & the Future of Work in the age of AI.

The summit will explore:

i. How universities could transform from static degree providers into dynamic platforms for lifelong learning, innovation, and workforce readiness in the AI era.

ii. The rapidly evolving world of work with massive disruption of industries, potentially redefining the meaning of work in the wake of AI Agents, AGI, UBI, UHI and Humanoid Robot advancements, with imminent replacement of human workers.