Inaugural Middle East and Africa Harvard Alumni Summit – CAS Faculty Director Dr. Zoe Marks joins alumni and colleagues at newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo
Cairo, Egypt — Alumni, faculty, and regional leaders from across the Middle East, Africa, and beyond convened in Cairo for the Harvard Alumni Summit – Middle East and Africa 2026, held January 16–18 at the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum. The Harvard Center for African Studies (CAS) joined Harvard affiliates and regional partners for this inaugural gathering.
The multi-day gathering brought together more than 200 participants, including Harvard graduates, policymakers, business executives, entrepreneurs, and innovators committed to advancing cross-regional collaboration. With an overarching theme of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, conversations over the three days focused on the future of health, education, and economic development. The Summit included a Harvard faculty panel that brought together research center directors from across the University to share research and perspectives on opportunities in the region.
Vice Provost for International Affairs, Mark Elliott, opened with a keynote address emphasizing the importance of Harvard’s role as a global university that trains leaders and future leaders from around the world. Acknowledging the challenging nature of our current moment, he emphasized the University’s commitment to nurturing global partnerships and international exchanges that benefit humanity.
“Bringing together alumni and Harvard faculty in this incredible space at the inaugural Middle East and Africa Alumni Summit in Cairo is truly visionary, as it acknowledges the reality of contemporary geopolitics, where Middle East and Africa become an increasingly integrated region.” said Dr. Zoe Marks, the Oppenheimer Faculty Director of the Harvard Center for African Studies. “At our Center, we are committed to deepening partnerships with alumni across Africa, to identifying cutting-edge work that can benefit from research and learning partnerships with Harvard faculty and students, and to work with leaders and practitioners across Africa to strengthen our genuine exchange .”
Dr. Marks joined the faculty panel as one of the featured speakers, contributing perspectives from the continent and highlighting the Center’s partnerships, research, and core programs. Faculty discussed current priorities and initiatives, including work from the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Center for International Development, and, of course, the Harvard Center for African Studies, underscoring Harvard’s connection with pressing social, economic, and political issues in the global world. Twelve Harvard alumni clubs from the Middle East and Africa co-organized the summit, reflecting Harvard’s global alumni community.
Panels throughout the Summit examined the digital finance evolution and how emerging technologies are reshaping financial services; digital pathways to care and expanding access in underserved settings; how startups are shaping the future of Africa and what organizations need to thrive in a digital world; and how AI and digitalization are transforming healthcare delivery. Sessions also explored unlocking economic value through AI and digital innovation, modern data infrastructure and strategies for a digital economy; delivering education in the digital age by rethinking teaching and learning; and women driving innovation, inclusion, and the digital future across the Middle East and Africa. Additional discussions focused on power, policy, and the algorithm; governing AI in service of people; and AI governance and safety, including how to build ethical and secure systems.
During the Summit, Dr. Marks also engaged with alumni of the South African Fellowship Program, a historical flagship CAS initiative established forty-seven years ago to advance education in response to apartheid; including alumni Naomi Thompson ‘23, Zakhona Mvelase ‘22, and Natalie Keetsi ’23 who were in attendance for the summit.
Throughout the Summit, alumni and participants took advantage of opportunities to reconnect and form new networks. The weekend program also featured curated experiences that showcased Cairo and the Grand Egyptian Museum, including a guided tour of GEM, a gala dinner and networking happy hour, and a breakfast near the pyramids. The setting of the newly inaugurated Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)—overlooking Giza and home to a striking view of the historical pyramids—provided a magnificent backdrop for forward-looking conversations about regional and African futures.
