Cape Town named official host city for Africa’s first GCUC conference
future of work and innovation economy.
Cape Town, South Africa : The City of Cape Town has been announced as the Official Host City Partner for GCUC Africa 2026, marking a significant milestone as the internationally recognised Global Coworking Unconference Conference (GCUC) comes to the African continent for the very first time.
Taking place on 16–17 September 2026 at The Avenue at the Two Oceans Aquarium, GCUC Africa will convene up to 200 leaders from across the global flexible workspace ecosystem, including coworking operators, commercial property developers, investors, technology innovators, architects, hospitality leaders, policymakers and entrepreneurs.
“The conference represents far more than the arrival of our internationally recognised event. It signals Africa’s growing influence in shaping the future of work, entrepreneurship and connected communities,” says Liz Elam, founder of GCUC.
Enabling business growth
As work continues to evolve across the globe, coworking spaces have become far more than shared offices. They are increasingly recognised as economic infrastructure that supports entrepreneurship, enables small businesses to scale, attracts investment, builds resilient communities and creates opportunities for collaboration across industries.
The partnership with the City of Cape Town reflects a shared commitment to fostering innovation, supporting entrepreneurs and positioning the city as a destination where business, investment and collaboration converge.
“This City government continuously strives to enable entrepreneurs, businesses and communities to thrive economically. GCUC Africa 2026 aligns squarely with this goal, as it will bring together thought leaders for critical discussions and collaboration on the ever-changing ways of working. This is an especially important conference on a continent that is as young and diverse as Africa, and I look forward to welcoming speakers and delegates to it,” said Alderman James Vos, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth.
Representing an important shift in the global conversation around the future of work, Antonette Benting, Producer of GCUC Africa, adds, “For too long, many of the world’s conversations about the future of work have happened without Africa at the table. GCUC Africa is about changing that narrative. It creates a platform where global leaders come to learn from Africa, collaborate with African innovators and build partnerships that will shape the future of work together.
There could be no better place to begin that journey than Cape Town. The city combines world-class infrastructure, entrepreneurial ambition and an unmatched spirit of connection, making it the perfect host for Africa’s first GCUC.”
What participants can expect
Delegates will participate in keynote presentations, interactive discussions, and networking experiences, including a tour of coworking spaces across the city and collaborative sessions exploring topics such as workplace innovation, commercial real estate, technology, community building, investment, sustainability, and the future of flexible work.
For more than a decade, GCUC has served as the world’s leading conference series dedicated to the coworking and flexible workspace industry, bringing together thousands of industry leaders across North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. The launch of GCUC Africa represents the next chapter in its global expansion, recognising the continent’s growing influence in entrepreneurship, innovation and the future of work.
As the global workforce becomes increasingly connected, decentralised and purpose-driven, GCUC Africa 2026 will provide an important platform where global expertise meets African innovation, creating conversations, partnerships and ideas that will shape the future of work across the continent for years to come. Click here to be part of the conversation: https://africa.gcuc.co/buy-tickets/
