As African economies accelerate investment in energy, mining, manufacturing and infrastructure, senior business executives, policymakers, academics and occupational safety experts will gather in Accra next month to examine workplace safety and the human cost of industrial growth.
The discussions will take centre stage at the eighth edition of the Africa Safety Congress & Awards (AfriSAFE 2026), scheduled for November 5–6, 2026, at Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra.
Leading the congress will be Effiong Udofia Okon, Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Energy Plc, and Amevi Acakpovi, Vice-Chancellor of Accra Technical University and President of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) National Committee of Ghana.
They will be joined by Isa Emmanuel Omagu of Nigeria’s Bank of Industry (BOI) and senior executives from major African industrial organisations.
The gathering comes as African countries pursue ambitious industrial development programmes amid concerns about workplace accidents, emerging technological risks, environmental sustainability and worker protection. For millions of workers, these issues determine whether employees return home safely, families avoid losing breadwinners to preventable accidents and businesses grow without exposing workers and communities to unacceptable risks.
Leadership, Standards and Safer Industrial Systems
Okon, who leads one of Nigeria’s major indigenous energy companies, is expected to deliver a distinguished keynote address on industrial leadership, responsible operations and the protection of human lives.
His participation brings the perspective of an industry in which operational failures can affect workers, communities, the environment and national economies.
Acakpovi will address the theme “From Commitment to Action: Building Safe, Sustainable Systems Across Africa.” A prominent engineering academic and standards advocate, he will examine the role of technical education, engineering standards, institutional leadership and innovation in building safer, more resilient industries.
Together, the keynote speakers will highlight the complementary responsibilities of businesses, educational institutions and technical bodies in preventing harm.
Financing Safer Industrial Development
Omagu will contribute to discussions on development finance, artificial intelligence, emerging workplace risks and the economic value of prevention. His participation will raise questions about whether access to industrial financing should increasingly reflect companies’ commitment to worker protection, responsible governance and environmental sustainability.
The congress will also examine how development finance institutions can help businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, invest in safer machinery, automation, improved workplace systems and sustainable technologies.
Industry Perspectives on Workplace Safety
The congress will feature Kayode Adeleke, Group Chief Executive Officer of Arridex; the Business Improvement Director of Zambia Sugar; Atunde Olayinka, Chief Executive Officer of Yikodeen; Sumervant Singh, Vice President, Technical Operations at Olam Agri; and Antonia Berry, Chief Executive Officer of a safety consultancy and solutions provider.
Drawing on experience in manufacturing, agribusiness, engineering, safety consultancy and industrial operations, they will discuss how African businesses can move beyond regulatory compliance, strengthen safety cultures, improve operational resilience and integrate worker protection into everyday decisions.
Sessions will address the role of leadership, emerging technologies and workforce engagement in preventing accidents and strengthening productivity. They will also reinforce that workplace safety is not merely a regulatory obligation or operational expense, but a foundation of competitiveness, industrial sustainability and economic development.
Industrial Growth Must Not Come at the Cost of Human Lives
Speaking ahead of the congress, Femi Da-Silva, Chief Executive Officer of AfriSAFE, emphasised the need to place human lives at the centre of Africa’s development agenda.
“Africa is investing billions in industrial growth, infrastructure and technology, but we must ask an equally important question: are we investing enough in protecting the people who make that growth possible? No worker should lose their life simply because they went to work. Industrial progress must never come at the expense of human lives,” he said.
Held under the theme “Safeguarding Lives. Securing the Future,” AfriSAFE 2026 will bring together delegates from more than 45 African countries and the diaspora for two days of policy dialogue, technical discussions, professional engagement and recognition of contributions to safety and sustainability.
The congress is being organised in collaboration with the Ghana Institution of Safety and Environmental Professionals (GhISEP) and the Ghana Electrical Contractors Association (GECA). Its programme will address electrical safety, environmental governance, strategic partnerships, artificial intelligence, climate resilience and the prevention of fatalities in high-risk operations.
The event is supported by Zambia Sugar, Seplat Energy, Tropical Cable, Golden Africa Djibouti and Godef West Africa Limited, among others.
The two-day gathering will culminate in the AfriSAFE Awards, recognising individuals, organisations and institutions contributing to improved safety standards, responsible business practices and sustainable development across the continent.
As Africa pursues its industrial ambitions, the conversations in Accra will reinforce a fundamental principle: economic progress cannot be measured solely by investments, infrastructure and production figures, but must also account for the lives protected along the way.
AfriSAFE 2026 will take place on November 5–6 at Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra, Ghana.
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Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.
