As artificial intelligence reshapes global labour markets and companies race to reskill their workforce, South Africa is preparing to host a conference designed to anchor Africa’s learning and development sector firmly within the global innovation cycle.
New Leaf Technologies has announced it will host Learning Indaba 2026 on 12 March 2026 at the Randpark Golf Club in Randburg, Johannesburg, positioning the event as a flagship platform to equip African organisations with global insights into the technologies, trends and strategies reshaping workplace learning.
At a time when automation, digital transformation and skills volatility are redefining competitiveness, the conference aims to translate global learning innovation into measurable African business outcomes.
AI, ROI and the Future of Work
Learning Indaba 2026 will focus on AI-powered learning technologies, digital learning strategy, workforce skills development, performance management and human-centred learning design. The agenda reflects a broader structural shift. African organisations are increasingly recognising that learning infrastructure is not an HR cost centre but a productivity lever.
Online attendance will be free, offering access to the main conference sessions a deliberate move to widen participation across the continent’s learning, HR and organisational development sectors.
The programme blends international expertise with local implementation realities. International speakers Eva Spekman and Robbert Ladan from global learning platform aNewSpring will headline the event, unpacking what organisers describe as the real return on investment of modern learning technologies. Their sessions will demonstrate how organisations are saving time, improving performance and proving impact through smarter learning design.
In a labour market where companies increasingly demand evidence of learning effectiveness rather than attendance metrics, the emphasis on ROI signals maturity.
Award-winning UK-based eLearning specialist Jonathan Hill will deliver a keynote exploring how storytelling theory can transform digital learning from functional to memorable. Drawing on Kurt Vonnegut’s “Shape of Stories,” Hill will argue that narrative structure can fundamentally alter learner engagement a subtle but commercially relevant shift in how digital training drives behavioural change.
From Theory to Measurable Impact
Beyond keynote theory, Learning Indaba 2026 will incorporate client-led case studies, enabling organisations to share real-world learning challenges and breakthroughs. The design is practical, innovation must convert into operational value.
Three dedicated afternoon breakaway tracks will deepen technical engagement:
- An L&D innovation workshop
- An advanced Articulate Storyline workshop exploring personalisation, live polling and learner engagement using JavaScript and Google Forms
- An HR Total Solutions workshop
For in-person delegates, the conference includes a hosted networking lunch and concludes with a Learning Indaba Cocktail Party, structured to encourage peer collaboration across sectors.
The hybrid model combining global insight, technical training and networking mirrors the evolution of Africa’s corporate learning market. As multinational firms expand across African markets and local enterprises scale regionally under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework, workforce capability has become a competitive differentiator.
Building a Globally Competitive Learning Industry
Paul Hanly, CEO of New Leaf Technologies, framed the conference as an industry-building intervention rather than a standalone event.
“The Learning Indaba is our way of giving back to the industry,” Hanly said. “By bringing international thought leaders and globally relevant technologies to South Africa through a heavily subsidised event, we’re giving organisations a clear view of what’s driving learning innovation worldwide and how to apply it locally in ways that deliver real, measurable impact.”
He added, “This year is simply bigger and better. More speakers, more depth, more interaction, and more value for every delegate who attends.”
The pricing strategy reinforces the accessibility narrative. In-person general admission tickets are available at an early-bird price of R1,150, with the offer ending on 16 February.
Africa’s Skills Imperative
Africa is home to the world’s youngest population, with millions entering the workforce annually. Yet the World Economic Forum and other global bodies consistently warn of widening skills gaps, particularly in digital competencies.
AI adoption is accelerating across sectors from banking and retail to logistics and public administration but reskilling infrastructure often lags behind technological implementation. Learning Indaba 2026 enters this tension point directly.
By bringing global platforms, applied workshops and African case studies into one forum, the event signals that Africa’s learning ecosystem is not passively observing global change but actively participating in shaping it.
The stakes are commercial as much as developmental. Organisations that fail to modernise learning systems risk productivity stagnation, those that succeed gain measurable performance advantages.
Learning Indaba 2026, according to its organisers, is designed to ensure African companies compete on equal footing in a global economy increasingly defined by AI, agility and measurable impact.
In a year when workplace learning is moving from optional to strategic, Johannesburg will briefly become a hub of that conversation.
