The inaugural Africa Ageing Conference will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in October 2027, creating a new flagship platform to put population ageing firmly on Africa’s development agenda.
The announcement comes as leaders, policymakers, civil society organisations, researchers, private sector and advocates gathered in Hangzhou, China, in end October for the 2026 Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Population Ageing, a major regional forum co-hosted by HelpAge International, UNFPA and the China National Committee on Ageing.
Convened by the African Union Commission and HelpAge International, and co-hosted by the Government of Ethiopia, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the conference will bring together leaders and changemakers from across Africa and beyond to build a shared response to demographic change. It is being established as Africa’s flagship platform on ageing, longevity and demographic change, with a focus on turning collaboration and learning into practical action.
The inaugural conference will focus on four interconnected areas: population intelligence and evidence; healthy ageing and care; social protection and inclusive economies; and climate resilience and humanitarian action.
Together, these themes reflect a broader ambition: to ensure population ageing is understood as a central development priority connected to health systems, economies, social protection, climate resilience, rights and national planning.
Africa has a window to prepare now
Africa remains the world’s youngest continent, but that demographic picture is changing rapidly.
The number of older people in Africa is expected to rise from around 75 million today to more than 220 million by 2050. In Asia and the Pacific, meanwhile, more than 722 million people are already aged 60 and over.
These different stages of demographic change were at the heart of an Africa–Asia South–South dialogue held during the China conference, organised by the African Union Commission, UNFPA and HelpAge International. The discussion explored what the two regions can learn from each other, from healthy ageing, pensions and long-term care to community-based support and the rights and leadership of older people.
The message was clear: African countries have an opportunity to prepare before demographic change accelerates further, investing in the policies, institutions and systems needed to ensure longer lives bring greater dignity, security, health and participation. This commitment to translating demographic change into inclusive development and practical action, will sit at the heart of the 2027 conference.
From rights on paper to change in people’s lives
A central part of the Africa–Asia dialogue was the question of how Africa can translate its strong continental commitments into meaningful change for older people.
Her Excellency Ambassador Amma A. Twum-Amoah, African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, opened the dialogue by placing political leadership at the centre of Africa’s response to population ageing. Her intervention highlighted why Africa’s exchange with Asia matters, what African countries bring to that partnership, and the need for the dialogue to lead to sustained cooperation and practical action. This political commitment will be essential to securing greater government investment in ageing and longevity, and to turning the African Union Protocol on the Rights of Older Persons into meaningful change across countries and communities.
Dr Olubusayo Ruth Akinola, Head of the Social Welfare, Drug Control and Crime Prevention Division at the African Union Commission, joined the dialogue as its lead respondent. The discussion focused particularly on the rapid growth of Africa’s older population, asking what countries should prioritise now and what other regions can learn from Africa’s collective political commitment to older people’s rights.
That challenge is increasingly important. The Protocol provides a continental foundation for protecting older people’s rights, but the next step is turning commitments into implementation and accountability across countries and communities.
The Hangzhou dialogue therefore went beyond identifying challenges. Speakers examined practical experience on social protection, community-based care and healthy ageing from both continents, including Kenya’s Older Persons Cash Transfer Programme for people aged 70 and over, Vietnam’s expansion of Intergenerational Self-Help Clubs, and China’s development of home and community-based care and long-term care insurance.
This kind of reciprocal learning is central to the emerging Africa ageing agenda: not simply importing solutions from elsewhere, but understanding what works, adapting it to local contexts and recognising the knowledge and innovation that African countries themselves bring to the global conversation.
From Hangzhou to Addis Ababa
The Africa–Asia dialogue highlighted the value of cooperation between regions at different stages of demographic change. Both regions bring valuable experience in social protection, health and care, community-based approaches, innovation and older people’s rights. Continued exchange will enable countries to learn from one another, adapt practical solutions and strengthen South–South cooperation.
The Africa Ageing Conference 2027 will build on this exchange, creating a continental platform to strengthen leadership and systems, share evidence and solutions and ensure older people and their organisations help shape the decisions affecting their lives.
The conference will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in October 2027. Exact dates and further programme information will be announced in due course.
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