President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead a multi-stakeholder South African delegation to Silicon Valley next week on a working visit built around a single practical question: what infrastructure, investment and skills does the country need to deliver an AI economy at home?
The visit to California, scheduled for 15 to 21 November 2026, runs its main programme from 16 to 20 November, moving the delegation across several locations in Silicon Valley. The itinerary is dense. Participants include government, academia, business, research institutions, technical experts and university students, engaging with technology companies, investors, researchers and AI specialists.
It begins on 16 November with the Semafor: Silicon Valley and the World engagement, which convenes leaders and experts on technological developments and the evolving global AI landscape. The next day the delegation travels to Stanford University, where engagements with venture capital investors and AI faculty include a Presidential fireside chat and a visit to a robotics laboratory, with discussions centred on the journey from research to commercial AI applications and how venture capital supports innovation.
On 18 November the delegation moves to San Jose for a workshop titled “South Africa and the Future of AI”, focused on infrastructure, the application of AI in government, AI safety and the future of work, while exploring what is required to build an African AI economy. The programme continues on 19 November in Mountain View with visits to Alphabet and Google, as well as Cisco, exploring the application of AI in digital commerce, small business and government. On 20 November the delegation visits Palo Alto Networks and the Microsoft Experiential Centre in Santa Clara, where the focus shifts to cyber resilience and digital sovereignty in the AI era.
Meanwhile, a central focus of the visit is the South Africa AI Opportunity gathering, under the theme “Building the African AI Economy: Infrastructure, Investment and Innovation”. That engagement will examine the infrastructure and investment required to support AI development and adoption, including data centres, computing capacity and reliable energy supply.
The scale of global investment underscores why these delivery questions matter. According to the Presidency, leading hyperscalers are planning approximately US$650 billion in AI capital expenditure in 2026, while venture capital investment in AI reached US$259 billion in 2025, with three-quarters of that investment taking place in the United States. Against this backdrop, the delegation will engage investors, asset managers and development finance institutions on how digital infrastructure projects are financed, how investment risks are shared and what makes countries attractive destinations for investment. Discussions will also examine the energy requirements of AI data centres, including how the infrastructure needed to power them can be financed and developed.
South Africa intends to use the engagements to explore opportunities to attract investment into its digital infrastructure and strengthen its position as a competitive AI hub on the African continent. The visit will also showcase the country’s reform programme, including Operation Vulindlela, as well as its digital economy, research and innovation ecosystem.
Delivery runs through eight tracks: high-level engagements; business, trade and investment; financing digital infrastructure; energy and electricity; higher education and skills; small business and innovation; science, technology and research; and legal and governance matters. The tracks bring together relevant stakeholders to explore opportunities for cooperation, knowledge exchange, investment and skills development.
The delegation will include Ministers responsible for Finance; International Relations and Cooperation; Science, Technology and Innovation; Trade, Industry and Competition; Communications and Digital Technologies; Electricity and Energy; Small Business Development; and the Presidency. They will be supported by senior government officials, business leaders, start-up founders, small and medium-sized enterprises, university students and academics, researchers, scientists, and legal and regulatory experts.
Beyond technology and investment, the programme will consider how AI can be applied across sectors of the economy and government. Potential areas include health, education, criminal justice, public administration and public procurement, where AI could support productivity and improve public service delivery. The delegation will also examine the implications of AI for law enforcement and public safety, as well as its impact on businesses, the labour market and the future of work. Dedicated engagements on higher education and skills will see students and academics engage with leading universities on AI research, while small and medium-sized enterprises, start-up founders and technical specialists connect with accelerators and the wider innovation ecosystem. A further focus is strengthening scientific research and technological capabilities through engagements between South African officials, researchers and science entity leaders and leading research institutions.
“The visit will provide an opportunity to learn from countries and institutions at the forefront of AI development, understand the associated risks and challenges, and consider how South Africa can develop an enabling policy, regulatory and skills environment to support responsible AI adoption,” Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said, briefing the media at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Thursday.
While seeking to harness the opportunities presented by AI, South Africa will also consider how to safeguard its digital sovereignty, policy autonomy and data protection. The engagements on AI governance will examine different approaches to regulation, responsible AI frameworks and the relationship between governments, technology companies and international experts. The objective is an enabling environment for AI adoption that still allows the country to make decisions in its national interest and protect its data and policy priorities.
“South Africa seeks to harness the transformative potential of AI while safeguarding digital sovereignty, policy autonomy, data protection and responsible AI governance, ensuring that technological advancement contributes meaningfully to inclusive economic growth and development,” Magwenya explained.
The visit is expected to provide insights into South Africa’s potential role in the global AI value chain, from research and innovation to infrastructure development, investment and the application of AI across the public and private sectors. Whether the week in California converts into financed data centres, reliable power and a skilled workforce at home is the question that will outlast the itinerary.