Runway to Railway puts innovation and African identity at the heart of infrastructure
Raising the Bar for African Infrastructure. Panel participants: Dirk Ackerman, moderator; Nicholas Ferguson, Executive Managing Director, RSA Aero; Hasnain Motlekar, Acting Chief Executive Officer, BCX; and York Ning, Director, ICT Marketing & Solution Sa
Anna K Hecart, Founder and Director of Connected Group and visionary behind Runway to Railway, addresses the gathering. Photo: Elvis Nyelenzi
Gavin Rajah, closing speaker, addresses creativity and African identity in the airport experience. Photo: Elvis Nyelenzi
Smarter infrastructure, better connected transport systems and airport experiences that reflect African creativity were at the centre of Runway to Railway
Held under the theme Simply Connect Africa, the event forms part of the Runway to Railway vision conceived by Anna K Hecart, founder and director of Connected Group. The platform brings different sectors together to explore connections between infrastructure, business and opportunity across the continent.
Chairman of RSA Aero, Business leader and former (Airports Company Of South Africa (ACSA) CEO Dirk Ackerman moderated the panel, Raising the Bar for African Infrastructure, with Nicholas Ferguson, Executive Managing Director of RSA Aero; Hasnain Motlekar, Acting Chief Executive Officer of BCX; and York Ning, Director of ICT Marketing & Solution Sales Department at Huawei South Africa.
“Runway to Railway began with a belief that Africa’s progress depends on the connections we make between people, industries and ideas,” said Hecart. “We are pleased to announce the Runway to Railway Expo for November 2027. Our ambition is to bring the people shaping transport, infrastructure and technology together with investors and creative businesses to explore practical solutions and build partnerships that move Africa forward.”
The Expo is being developed as a meeting place for aviation, rail, logistics, infrastructure, technology, tourism and design professionals, alongside investors and public-sector stakeholders. Partners can expect opportunities to showcase their capabilities and connect with potential collaborators. Attendees can look forward to discovering innovations, exchanging ideas and exploring how better connected infrastructure can support African business and communities.
The infrastructure conversation brought the airport development perspective together with the technology expertise of BCX and Huawei. It considered how closer collaboration can support better passenger experiences, reliable operations and the practical delivery of connected infrastructure.
“The decisions that shape a passenger’s journey are made across many different organisations,” said Ackerman. “Bringing developers, operators and technology partners together early helps us see how those decisions fit together and where collaboration can make infrastructure work better.”
“An airport is part of a much wider economic network,” said Ferguson. “Its development needs to consider how people arrive, how businesses connect and how the surrounding region benefits. Innovation should support that wider purpose while making the everyday experience more efficient and welcoming.”
“The value of connected infrastructure lies in what it enables people and businesses to do,” said Motlekar. “Reliable networks, secure systems and useful information need to work together. Planning these capabilities from the outset helps organisations improve services and respond as demand changes.”
Award-winning South African designer and creative entrepreneur Gavin Rajah delivered the closing remarks, extending the conversation to the quality and character of retail experiences at African airports. He highlighted the opportunity to bring greater creativity and a stronger expression of African identity into spaces that shape travellers’ first and last impressions of a destination.
“An African airport should give travellers a real sense of place,” said Rajah. “Our retail spaces can do far more to showcase the continent’s design, fashion, food and craft. We have the talent and the stories. The opportunity is to present them with imagination and the quality they deserve, while creating space for African creative businesses to grow.”
ABOUT RUNWAY TO RAILWAY
Runway to Railway is a platform conceived by Anna K Hecart of Connected Group to bring together perspectives on connectivity, infrastructure and economic opportunity in Africa. Project Maverick’s Cape Town gathering explored these themes through aviation, technology and the airport experience.
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