Imagine taking a flight to a destination, not for a vacation, but for a business event. Upon arrival, you meet people from different destinations, industries and cultures.
In one room, startups are pitching to investors. Yet, in another room, government representatives are discussing trade opportunities. On the exhibition floor, businesses are discovering new markets and forming partnerships. You attend a panel discussion and leave with insights that could transform your business.
Over lunch, you meet a local who tells you about an excursion you can explore after the event.
Such is the power of MICE. That is the acronym for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions. A multibillion-dollar industry that sits at the intersection of business and tourism, MICE brings together people, ideas and investment while driving demand for hotels, restaurants, transport, entertainment and other local services. It extends the value of tourism beyond leisure travel, as delegates and business travellers often spend more, stay longer and generate opportunities for repeat visits.
In turn, the economic activity generated by MICE creates jobs, grows local businesses, attracts investment and strengthens the global profile of destinations. When strategically developed, MICE and tourism become mutually-reinforcing engines of economic growth, transforming destinations into vibrant hubs for business, innovation, trade and leisure.
For a resident of Naivasha in Kenya, MICE could mean conference menus supplied by local horticultural and dairy producers, excursions run by local guides, accommodation booked outside peak leisure periods, and new business for tent, décor, transport and audiovisual companies. For a resident of Ndola, Zambia, it could mean a mining, manufacturing or logistics exhibition connecting local firms to buyers, investors, engineers and technical partners.
There are many other possibilities. The benefits can extend to anyone – from ordinary residents, captains of industry and government officials. In Accra and Lagos for instance, MICE can be built around heritage while strengthening the nations role as west Africa’s commercial and conference hubs; in Addis Ababa, it could mean opportunities from conferences hosted around the African Union, UNECA and other international institutions.
Sector specific events on energy and trade could thrive in cities like Luanda and Windhoek; Cairo in Egypt could leverage its large business market, historic attractions, and established conference while Seychelles and Mauritius combine their strong leisure-tourism appeal as island countries for high-end incentive travel, corporate retreats and international meetings.
The ordinary resident, therefore, is not a spectator to MICE. They are already living through its economic effects. What needs to change is the intentionality with which Africa grows the sector, moving beyond benefiting economically from individual events to building continental partnerships and collaborations that use business events to facilitate trade, investment and long-term economic empowerment.
Despite this potential, Africa still captures only a small share of the global business events economy. The Events Industry Council’s global study estimated Africa’s share at approximately 2% of global direct business-events spending and direct GDP. This is equivalent to about 5% of global participants. According to most-recent ICCA data, Africa accounted for a Suboptimal4% of international and regional association meetings held in 2025. This is a small improvement. However, the latest numbers show that Africa still straggles well behind Asia-Pacific at 22%. Europe, at 53%, is a global industry leader by far.
Building on the aspiration to advance the industry will require more strategic initiatives. This means moving from fragmented destination marketing to stronger continental collaboration. It also means investing in convention infrastructure, air connectivity and digital capabilities; strengthening convention bureaux and bidding expertise; developing homegrown MICE technology and professional talent; and using better industry data to identify and pursue opportunities.
Further, actualizing the strategic initiatives means becoming more deliberate about the economic value of business events. Globally, business events accounted for more than US$1.15 trillion in direct spending, supported 10.9 million direct jobs and generated US$662.6 billion in direct GDP in 2023, according to the Events Industry Council. Africa cannot afford to view business events merely as an opportunity to attract visitors. It must view MICE as an economic development tool.
There are already African examples showing what is possible.
Cape Town remains a continental benchmark. According to the ICCA GlobeWatch 2025 Business Analytics Report, Cape Town hosted 55 qualifying international association meetings in 2024, retaining its position as Africa’s leading city in that ranking. The Western Cape Convention Bureau also secured 30 high-impact business-event bids in the last financial year, representing an estimated R683 million injection into the regional economy. That is an equivalent of US$11 million from this sector.
Nairobi offers a different advantage. The city stands out for combining international connectivity, a concentration of diplomatic and development institutions, a strong corporate base, purpose-built MICE facilities and proximity to wildlife and other leisure experiences. Nairobi’s opportunity therefore lies in turning an established international reputation into wider economic opportunities for Kenyan suppliers, businesses and neighboring counties. At the heart of Kenya’s ambition is the Africa MICE Summit, an annual learning and networking event dedicated to advancing the MICE industry in Africa. This year’s edition of the summit will take place in Mombasa from 1st – 2nd October 2026.
Coastal cities likeMombasa offer another proposition: the ability to combine business events with a distinctive coastal experience. The 2026 Our Ocean Conference, held from 16–18 June, was the first edition hosted on African soil. Its programme went beyond high-level plenaries to include exhibitions, community and cultural events, a youth leadership summit, a business and investment forum and a research symposium. It demonstrated how an event can connect its formal agenda with the identity, communities and economic priorities of its host destination.
Varun Arora, the Chief Operating Officer of Tembo International Convention Centre, the venue that hosted this year’s Our Ocean Conference, recalls proudly the sight of world leaders exploring Mombasa beach, walking barefoot in the sand after the conference ended.
Kigali, meanwhile, demonstrates the value of disciplined destination management. The city’s investment in the Kigali Convention Centre and reputation for efficient hosting have helped it attract major continental gatherings. This year the venue will host he Africa Food Systems Forum 2026 from August 31 to September 4, 2026. Further, the forthcoming AHAIC 2027, scheduled for 28 February–3 March 2027 strengthens the continent’s ability to host large scale international events.
These examples point to a bigger opportunity. In particular, Africa should deliberately invest in signature events with local ownership, predictable calendars and measurable community benefits. The objective should not simply be to fill hotel rooms and convention halls, but to use events to market African expertise, strengthen local businesses, stimulate investment, build professional networks and create opportunities that continue long after delegates have departed.
Africa should certainly pursue more international conferences. But its MICE ambition must mature from a numbers game into a value game.
The winning destination of the next decade will not necessarily be the city with the largest ballroom. It will be the destination that can demonstrate, credibly and transparently, that a meeting improved local business, strengthened African expertise, created meaningful connections, reduced avoidable environmental costs and left behind relationships that outlast the event.
So, when residents of an African destination hear that their town or city has been selected to host an international conference, the first question should not be, “How many delegates are coming?”
Instead, it should be: “What value will this event bring to our town?”
That is the question Africa must answer if it is to move its MICE share beyond 2%.
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*Kezy Mukiri is the Founder of Africa MICE Hub and Convener of the Africa MICE Summit and Awards. *
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