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2nd Edition · Now Open for Registration

AI Forward Summit Intelligence Society 2026

Phase 1
Sep 7 – 8
Workshops & Meetings
Phase 2
Sep 9 – 10
Main Conference & Exhibition
Venue
Medina Congress & Exhibition Center
City
Hammamet, Tunisia
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Organized by
With the support of
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Summit opening Delegates
2025
Inaugural Edition
Tunis, Tunisia
About the Summit

The Arab World's
Premier AI Summit

The AI Forward Summit is the Arab region’s flagship ministerial-level event at the intersection of artificial intelligence, governance, and economic transformation. Organized by the Arab ICT Organization (AICTO) in partnership with the Ministry of Communication Technologies of Tunisia, the Summit convenes ministers, senior government officials, technology CEOs, and global investors.

For 2026, the Summit will be held at the stunning Medina Congress & Exhibition Centerin Hammamet, further expanding its scope and reinforcing the Arab world’s ambition to lead ethical, human-centred AI innovation.

01
AI-Ready Digital InfrastructureCloud, high-speed networks & edge computing across the Arab region.
02
Innovation Ecosystems & Capacity BuildingAI in healthcare, agriculture, and smart mobility.
03
AI Governance & Ethical FrameworksAligned with the Arab AI Ethics Charter and global standards.
04
Business Partnerships & Regional CooperationMoUs, joint R&D, and cross-border public-private collaboration.
05
Transition to an Intelligence-Driven SocietyAI-enhanced public services, smart governance & digital transformation.
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Ministerial
Keynotes
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Senior
Participants
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Expert
Speakers
0
Days of
Programme
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Global
Partners
2025 Edition Highlights

Relive the
Inaugural Summit

Nov 30 – Dec 3, 2025 · Palais des Congrès, Tunis

Join Us

Attendance
Packages

Choose the package that fits how you want to experience AI Forward Summit 2026.

Attendance Only
Free
  • Access to all sessions
  • Workshops & exhibition
  • Networking
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Standard Access
TND 150
  • Access to all sessions
  • Coffee Breaks
  • Workshops & exhibition
  • Networking Lunch & Coffee
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Best Experience
Premium Access
TND 500
  • Access to all sessions
  • Coffee Breaks
  • Workshops & exhibition
  • Networking Lunch & Coffee
  • Gala Dinner
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Distinguished Voices

High-Level Speakers
& Participants

Bilel Jamoussi
ITU
Bilel Jamoussi
Deputy to the Director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau
Seizo Onoe
ITU
Seizo Onoe
Director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau
Dimitri Gugunava
Council of Europe
Dimitri Gugunava
Council of Europe CDNET Member
Jawad Abbassi
GSMA
Jawad Abbassi
Head of MENA, GSMA
Sofiene Hemissi
Tunisia
Sofiene Hemissi
Tunisia ICT Minister
Lacina Kone
Smart Africa
Lacina Kone
Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Smart Africa
Bocar A Ba
SAMENA
Bocar A Ba
Chief Executive Officer, SAMENA Telecommunications Council
Oussama Kamel
Mercury Communications
Oussama Kamel
Owner, Mercury Communications
THE VENUE

Hammamet The Pearl of Tunisia

Often called the St Tropez of Tunisia, Hammamet is the country's most celebrated coastal destination a city where a 15th-century Kasbah meets a world class modern marina, where ancient Phoenician and Arab Andalusian heritage breathes alongside cutting edge congress infrastructure, and where the Mediterranean's warmth invites the world's leaders to think boldly and connect deeply

Get Directions
Programme

Four Days,
Two Phases

Ministerial keynotes, technical workshops, high-level dialogues, an Investment Forum, and an Awards Ceremony — Médina Mediterranea, Yasmine Hammamet, Tunisia.

Phase 1
Sep 7 – 8
Side Events & Strategic Alignment
Day 1
Day 2
Phase 2
Sep 9 – 10
Main Conference & Exhibition
Sep 7
Side Events
Day 1: Side Events & Strategic Alignment
Focus: setting the stage through specialized workshops and high-level policy convergence.
Sep 8
Side Events
Day 2: Side Events & Strategic Alignment
Focus: setting the stage through specialized workshops and high-level policy convergence.
08:30
09:30
Protocol & Media
VIP Arrival · Press Briefing · Registration
Opening Press Registry & VIP Networking.
09:30
09:40
Immersive Plenary
Horizon 2035: A Day in the Intelligence Society
Opening Cinematic: a 10-minute immersive AI-generated video charting the region's intelligence future.
09:40
10:00
Ceremony & Plenary
Grand Opening Ceremony — Shaping the Intelligence Future: Regional Strategic Visions Revealed
High-Level Opening: unveiling of the region's first common AI baseline by high-level personalities.
10:00
10:15
Tech Frontier
AI-Forward Keynote: “Shaping the Frontier”
Keynote + Live Demo: a global AI thought-leader showcasing a live, on-stage model execution.
10:15
10:30
Showcase
Frontier Briefing: Case Study
Impact Presentation: concrete regional infrastructure scaling milestones.
10:30
11:10
Cross-Regional Multi-Stakeholder Plenary + Keynote
High-Level Leaders' Dialogue: From Declaration to Delivery — Keynote: Shaping the Future of AI Through Cyberdiplomacy
Multi-Stakeholder Leaders' Dialogue translating the Tunis Declaration 2025 into practical inter-regional execution and measurable implementation pathways.
11:10
11:25
Showcase
Frontier Briefing: Ecosystem Integration
Impact Presentation: private sector acceleration strategies for emerging markets.
11:25
12:10
Pillar 1: Governance & Trust
TRACK 1 — Governance, Trust & Digital Sovereignty: Shaping Trust: Harmonized Frameworks & Resilient AI Ecosystems
High-Level Panel Output: a Regional Delivery Agenda consolidating strategic recommendations and actionable pathways.
12:10
12:50
Pillar 2: Talent & Leadership
TRACK 2 — The Inclusive Leadership Frontier: Launching the AWAIL Alliance
The AWAIL Fire Ignition: official activation of the AWAIL Alliance with immediate live registry scaling and resource allocation commitments.
12:50
13:30
Networking
Networking, Ecosystem Expo & Tech Pavilion Tours
Structured networking & interactive deployment sandbox visits.
13:30
14:15
Pillar 3: Digital Infrastructure
TRACK 3 — Foundations of Scale: Shaping Sovereignty: Sovereign Cloud, Federated Data & Strategic Digital Foundations
Action Panel: a solution-oriented roadmap to strengthen sovereign digital capabilities, enable trusted data ecosystems, and mobilize partnerships & investments.
14:15
14:30
Cross-Pillar: Talent & Economy
SPECIAL FOCUS — The Futures of Work Clash: The Automated Workforce vs. The Sovereign Human Economy
Fireside Clash (20-min sprint): a high-velocity, unscripted head-to-head debate. Output: immediate injection of workforce resilience guardrails into the final framework.
14:30
15:00
Pillar 4: Startups & Investment
TRACK 4 — The Innovation Economy: Shaping Markets: Capital, Compute & Public Procurement for Startups
Ecosystem Panel: actionable recommendations to strengthen AI entrepreneurship, expand access to compute, data, financing, and markets, and develop public-private mechanisms.
15:00
15:15
Showcase
Frontier Briefing: The Commercial Vanguard — Investing in the Intelligence Future
Impact Presentation: monetization and value creation pathways for regional enterprises.
15:15
15:30
Plenary Outcomes
Day 3 Synthesis: The Convergence Matrix
Live Analytics Wrap-up: real-time synthesis of the day's strategic conclusions, capturing the baseline convergence points to set the agenda for delivery.
15:30
16:30
Lunch
09:00
09:15
Plenary Briefing
Day 4 Opening: The Delivery towards “AI4ALL Forward”
Action Setting: outlining execution metrics for the AI4ALL Forward deployment frameworks.
09:15
09:30
E-Health Track
Official High-Level Opening
Opening Focus: why health is the region's defining AI test case.
09:30
09:50
Keynote + Deep Tech Simulation
The Outbreak Stress-Test: Real-Time Crisis Mitigation
Keynote + Live Simulation: an AI early-warning system detecting, tracing, and containing a simulated regional disease outbreak in real time.
09:50
10:35
Interactive Panel
“AI for Health Sovereignty & Equitable Care”
Moving AI in health from promise to deployment: exploring safe, validated, sovereign, and equitable regional ecosystems.
10:35
11:00
Showcase
Frontier Briefing: Healthcare Innovation Showcase
Impact Presentation: scaled deployments of machine learning in regional diagnostic networks.
11:00
11:20
AI-Forward & Agri-Tech Ecosystems
SPECIAL FEATURE — The AI-Forward Fireside Chat: Cultivating Resilience: The Future of AI in Regional Agriculture
Fireside Chat (20-min sprint): a high-impact dialogue connecting global UN sustainable goals with localized, high-tech agricultural solutions.
11:20
11:50
Networking
Networking Break & Innovation Pavilion Showcase
VIP B2B matchmaking and technical pavilion tours.
11:50
13:20
Investment & Scale
Regional AI Investment Forum (RAIF) — Unlocking AI Investment Pathways: From Innovation to Scalable Impact
Deal Room / Forum: a set of actionable investment pathways and partnership mechanisms to mobilize investment across Arab-Africa AI Corridors and connect startups with investors and strategic partners.
13:20
14:20
Youth & Leadership
The Intergenerational Flashpoint — Shaping Tomorrow's Leaders: Empowering Youth & Girls as Digital Changemakers
Format: The 3Gen Cognitive Mirror — a reverse-mentorship dialogue bringing together Senior Leaders, Young Professionals & Fresh Graduates, and High School STEM Students to challenge assumptions and co-design solutions.
14:20
14:30
Declaration Announcement
Closing Ceremony: The Roadmap of Value — Announcement of the “AI4ALL” Declaration
Presentation of the Summit's key messages and announcement of the AI4ALL Declaration, followed by the official closing of AI-Forward Summit 2026.
14:30
15:00
Ceremony
Celebrating AI Excellence — AI-Forward 2026 Awards
Awards Ceremony: honoring visionaries, innovators, partners, and impact makers demonstrating breakthrough contributions shaping the region's AI future.
15:00
15:30
Immersive Experience
AI4ALL — A Symphony of Human & Artificial Intelligence
A captivating exploration of the human–AI partnership, combining interactive demonstrations, visionary insights, and real-world use cases.
15:30
Hospitality
Farewell Luncheon · Expo · Final Pavilion Tours
Closing networking, final pavilion tours, and global media wrap-ups.
Parallel Programme

Workshops
& Side Events

Specialized workshops, high-level forums, and closed-door meetings running alongside the Summit, 7–9 September, Médina Mediterranea, Yasmine Hammamet.

Training Closed · On Invitation
Internet Gov School
7–9 Sep
Partner: ISOC
40 Participants
Confirmed
International Forum On Invitation
CxO Meeting
8 Sep
Partner: GSMA
40 Participants · HL Forum, U-Shape
Confirmed
HL Steering Committee Closed
Steering Committee
8 Sep
Partner: SMART
Meeting
Pending
Consultation Meeting Closed
Digital Health / Cancer Zero
8 Sep
Partner: Cancer Zero
25 Participants · HL & Ambassadors' Meeting
Pending
Training On Invitation
Capacity Building Training
7–8 Sep
Partner: SADA / ANCA
Forum
Pending
Regional Forum On Invitation
AAECANET Annual Meeting
8 Sep
40 Participants · Africa & Arab Region Forum
Confirmation TBD
Partners & Sponsors

Trusted by Regional
& Global Leaders

Partners from the 2025 inaugural edition. Sponsorship for Hammamet 2026 is now open.

Platinum
Platinum Sponsor
Gold
Gold Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Gold Sponsor

Partner with AI Forward Summit 2026

Diamond, Gold, Silver, Content & Supporting packages available. Place your brand in front of 500+ Ministers, CEOs, and senior decision-makers across the Arab world.

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Join the Summit

Register for
AI Forward Summit 2026

Ministers, CEOs, innovators, sponsors, and press, register your interest and our team will respond within 48 hours.

Email
aiforwardsummit2026@aicto.org
info@plexusas.com
Phone
+216 71 320 713
+216 53 542 864
+971 56 401 0080
Venue
Medina Congress & Exhibition Center
Hammamet, Tunisia
Summit
Phase 1
Sep 7–8 · Workshops
Phase 2
Sep 9–10 · Conference
Venue
Medina Congress Center
City
Hammamet, Tunisia
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We'll follow up within 48 hours with full details.
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