Africa is coming together in South Africa.
The Africa Choice Awards (ACA) has announced strategic partnerships with FlySAA and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) as the 2026 edition prepares to bring nominees, delegates and honourees from across the continent to Pretoria.
The partnerships were announced on 13 August 2026 at the Africa Choice Awards Media Sponsorship Briefing in Johannesburg, where media representatives, partners, stakeholders and industry figures gathered to hear more about the awards and their broader Pan-African vision.
This year’s event is being positioned as more than a night of trophies. The organisers want the Africa Choice Awards to become a meeting point where African talent, culture, business, entertainment and influence can connect.
And with the continent’s stories at the centre of that vision, the partnerships with FlySAA and SABC add two important pieces to the puzzle: movement and reach.
Connecting Africa through travel and media
FlySAA’s partnership is intended to support the movement of Pan-African personalities, nominees, delegates and honourees travelling to South Africa for the celebration.
SABC, meanwhile, takes on the role of Media Partner, helping amplify the Africa Choice Awards and its Pan-African vision through the reach of broadcast and media.
Together, the partnerships support the awards’ ambition to connect Africa physically, culturally and through storytelling.
It is a fitting approach for an event built around celebrating African excellence.
The organisers believe bringing people together in South Africa can create opportunities for cultural exchange, collaboration, tourism and business development while encouraging stronger relationships between African countries.
Welcoming Africa to South Africa
The 2026 Africa Choice Awards will welcome Pan-African nominees, delegates and honourees from across the continent.
The gathering will bring together African leaders, creatives, entertainers, entrepreneurs and influencers, giving them an opportunity to experience South Africa while connecting with their counterparts from elsewhere on the continent.
But the organisers see the significance extending beyond the awards stage.
At a time when perceptions of South Africa can sometimes be shaped by narratives that create distance between African nations, the Africa Choice Awards wants to offer a different experience.
Its focus is on hospitality, collaboration, cultural exchange and African unity.
The ambition is straightforward: bring Africans together, celebrate one another and create opportunities to build relationships that extend beyond the ceremony itself.
A Pan-African message takes centre stage
The briefing also featured an address from Mama uLindiwe Zulu, who spoke about the importance of Pan-Africanism and strengthening connections between Africans across the continent.
Her contribution placed the awards within a broader conversation about what it means to celebrate African achievement.
The message was that African excellence should not be confined by national borders or individual industries.
Instead, platforms celebrating African talent can also become spaces for collaboration, tourism, business development and cultural exchange.
“The Africa Choice Awards is more than an awards platform; it is a celebration of who we are as Africans and what we are capable of achieving together.”
That vision is set to shape the 2026 edition as the awards prepare to bring the continent together in South Africa through the shared language of excellence, culture, entertainment and influence.
When travel meets storytelling
The FlySAA and SABC partnerships complement two different but connected sides of the Africa Choice Awards’ strategy.
FlySAA supports the physical movement of people across borders.
SABC supports the movement of African stories and achievements to wider audiences.
The combination creates an opportunity for the awards to become more than a single destination on the entertainment calendar.
It can become a platform where African personalities meet, stories travel and new connections are formed.
For the organisers, that is central to the purpose of the event.
Pretoria prepares for Africa
The Africa Choice Awards 2026 will take place on Saturday, 26 September 2026, at SunBet Arena, Time Square, Pretoria.
The ceremony will bring together entertainment, business, culture and social influence in a celebration of African excellence.
As South Africa prepares to welcome guests from across the continent, the awards are positioning the country as more than simply the host venue.
The organisers envision South Africa as a destination for African connection, cultural exchange, tourism, business and collaboration.
With FlySAA supporting continental connectivity, SABC amplifying the story and Pan-African voices such as Mama uLindiwe Zulu contributing to the wider conversation, the Africa Choice Awards 2026 is setting its sights firmly beyond a traditional awards ceremony.
It is a gathering designed to remind the continent that its greatest stories do not belong to one country.
They belong to Africa.
