CAF President Motsepe to speak at Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi

The Confederation of African Football Patrice Motsepe is expected to attend and speak at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi on May 11 and 12, as Kenya continues preparations to co-host the 2027 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations alongside Uganda and Tanzania.

In a statement on Sunday, the football body confirmed that Motsepe will participate in the high-level summit before holding talks with regional officials on the progress of AFCON 2027 preparations.

“CAF President Dr Motsepe will attend the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya on Monday and Tuesday, 11-12 May 2026,” the statement said.

CAF added that the South African businessman and football administrator “will speak at the Africa Forward Summit on Monday afternoon, 11 May 2026.”

The organisation further confirmed that Motsepe “will also hold several meetings with senior officials from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda on the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027 preparations.”

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are jointly preparing to host the continent’s biggest football tournament in June and July 2027, marking the first time in history that the Africa Cup of Nations will be staged across three East African nations.

CAF inspection teams have already visited the three countries to assess stadiums, training grounds, infrastructure, security and logistics as preparations intensify.

According to CAF, the inspections are part of efforts to ensure the hosts meet “strict, world-class delivery standards.”

The Africa Forward Summit, jointly hosted by Kenya and France, is expected to bring together African Heads of State, business leaders, development partners and investors to discuss innovation, trade, artificial intelligence, health systems, peace and security, climate action and sustainable growth.

Organisers say the summit aims to “demonstrate Africa’s innovation capacity and affirm a shared commitment to developing common, mutually beneficial solutions based on effective multilateralism and a spirit of transformative partnership.”

The event will be held at the University of Nairobi and the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), with more than 1,500 business leaders, entrepreneurs and policymakers expected to participate.

Motsepe’s visit comes at a crucial moment for the East African hosts as attention shifts from bidding success to actual delivery of infrastructure and tournament readiness ahead of AFCON 2027.