Africa's CX Leaders Unite for the Africa Customer Experience Conference & Awards 2026
Johannesburg, South Africa – The Chartered Institute of Customer Management (CICM) proudly announces the Africa CX Conference & Awards happening from 27-28 August 2026 at the Protea Marriott Hotel, Balalaika, Sandton, bringing together Customer Experience (CX) leaders, government representatives, business executives, academics, and industry professionals from across the African continent under the inspiring theme, "Connect and Thrive."
Source: UGC
The annual conference has become one of Africa's leading platforms for advancing Customer Experience excellence, encouraging collaboration, sharing innovation, and recognising organisations and individuals who are transforming customer service across both the public and private sectors.
As Africa continues its rapid digital transformation, organisations are increasingly recognising Customer Experience as a key driver of economic growth, customer loyalty, organisational performance, and sustainable competitive advantage. The conference provides a unique opportunity for leaders to address common challenges while shaping a customer-centric future for the continent.
A United Vision for Customer Experience in Africa
A central message of the conference is the importance of collaboration among Customer Experience professionals, organisations, governments, and industry bodies to create consistent, inclusive, and world-class customer experiences across Africa.
Guided by the African Union's philosophy of Ubuntu – "I am because we are," CICM believes that no customer, employee, organisation, or community should be left behind..
CICM believes that customers do not experience individual departments—they experience organisations. By breaking down organisational silos and empowering employees to make customer-focused decisions, African organisations can significantly improve service delivery and build lasting customer trust.
Technology with Humanity at its Core
Artificial Intelligence will be a major focus of this year's conference, with discussions centred on how organisations can responsibly leverage AI, automation, chatbots, and Agentic AI to improve customer experiences while maintaining meaningful human engagement.
Rather than replacing people, CICM advocates for AI that augments human capability by automating routine interactions, intelligently routing complex enquiries, and enabling employees to deliver faster, more personalised service.
The conference will also address an important African reality: many communities continue to experience limited access to digital infrastructure. As organisations embrace automation, they must ensure that human support remains accessible to all customers throughout the omnichannel journey.
Technology should remove barriers—not create them.
Empowering Employees to Deliver Exceptional Experiences
Employee empowerment remains one of the cornerstones of sustainable Customer Experience excellence.
The conference will reinforce the importance of equipping frontline employees with the authority, skills, confidence, and accountability to resolve customer issues efficiently while creating memorable service experiences.
Investment in continuous professional development not only improves customer satisfaction but also strengthens employee engagement, customer retention, organisational profitability, and long-term business growth.
Celebrating Excellence Across Africa
The Africa CX Conference & Awards also celebrates the outstanding achievements of Customer Experience professionals and organisations that continue to raise service standards across the continent.
Awards presented during the event include:
- Africa CX Leadership Awards
- Africa Service Excellence Awards
- CICM Fellow Membership Recognition
- Additional industry recognition categories celebrating excellence across multiple sectors
Each year, the awards programme continues to expand, recognising new areas of innovation, leadership, and service excellence.
Advancing the Customer Experience Profession
As Africa's leading professional Customer Experience body, CICM continues to expand its impact across the continent.
The organisation's internationally recognised Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) programme now supports learners from 21 African countries, contributing to the professionalisation of Customer Experience across multiple industries.
CICM has also established itself as a thought leader through its research and benchmarking initiatives, including the development of National Customer Experience Index Reports for several African countries.
Building on this work, CICM has introduced the Africa Customer Satisfaction Index Report, providing organisations, governments, and policymakers with meaningful insights into customer satisfaction trends and service performance across the continent.
These research initiatives support evidence-based decision-making and reinforce Customer Experience as a strategic driver of national competitiveness and organisational success.
Building Africa's Customer-Centric Future
The Africa CX Conference & Awards represents more than an annual event—it is a movement dedicated to creating a customer-centric Africa where innovation, collaboration, inclusion, and service excellence become defining characteristics of every organisation.
Through strategic partnerships, professional education, research, leadership development, and recognition programmes, CICM continues to advance its vision of positioning Customer Experience as a catalyst for economic growth, organisational excellence, and improved quality of life throughout Africa.
As organisations navigate an increasingly digital world, the conference encourages leaders to embrace innovation while preserving the empathy, trust, and human connection that remain at the heart of exceptional Customer Experience.
In the words often shared by CICM:
"Your customer doesn't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
Together, Africa's Customer Experience community will continue to connect, collaborate, innovate, and thrive.
Source: Briefly News
