Acumatica Africa Event: Practical AI and Modern ERP Deliver Endless Possibilities

With the theme of “Imagine What’s Possible,” Acumatica welcomed over 600 customers, new prospects, and partners to the Sandton Convention Centre in Sandton, Johannesburg for it’s annual regional gathering – Africa Summit 2026. It was the company’s  fifth annual South-Africa-based event, highlighting for attendees the transformative power of Acumatica’s innovative cloud ERP solution as well as our latest AI-enabled product release, Acumatica 2026 R1.

For me, the highlight of the event was seeing firsthand the effect on the people looking to scale and modernize their businesses across every industry. They saw Acumatica’s dynamic capabilities—along with those of the third-party integrations being exhibited by our Independent Software Vendors (ISVs)—up close and personal. The event created awareness for those in the region who didn’t already know about our comprehensive, award-winning ERP solution.

“Interestingly, many haven’t heard of Acumatica, which is both a challenge and an opportunity. But once they see the product, it speaks for itself,” says Bernard Ford, Regional Director at Acumatica Africa. “Africa needed noise. Now we’re starting to see the impact.”

The Impact of Acumatica Africa Summit 2026

Africa Summit is a major Acumatica event that brings people together, enabling vital face-to-face conversations. These in-person discussions along with informative keynotes and in-depth sessions foster a deeper understanding of how Acumatica’s AI-ready solution delivers real success for businesses operating in today’s perpetually changing digital economy.

“If you come to our regional Summit, you should walk away with tangible benefits,” Bernard says. “Not just inspiration, but real, usable insights.”

Event attendees did walk away with real, usable insights, and they revolved around a few key themes, one of which was AI. The interest surrounding AI was palpable, but more than curiosity, people were looking for practical ways to apply it. This was especially true for businesses whose operating systems lack cohesiveness, and it’s something Bernard is hearing from his customers as well.

“From recent prospect meetings, the biggest issue is disconnected systems,” he says. “They’re dealing with multiple versions of the truth, and systems that are supposed to connect but don’t.”

Using fragmented systems while attempting to grow in a digitized environment only leads to disappointing outcomes, and event attendees who experienced this for themselves were eager to learn more about Acumatica’s advanced, integrated AI features.

Acumatica CEO John Case, who headlined the event, told the audience that Acumatica’s commitment to AI innovation is centered on user benefit. “Our strategy is AI that works for you, your role, and your business.”

The AI innovations he referenced included Acumatica’s AI Studio and AI Assistants as well as our AI anomaly detection and reporting capabilities. He also noted that our technology provides the functionality users want—and need—now. “The future is here. You don’t have to wait—the possibilities are ready for you.”

For businesses choosing to deplatform from larger platforms or are being forced to rethink their platforms as legacy systems sunset, gaining such immediate usability through a new solution is vital. According to Bernard, modernizing systems with AI and through migration is one of the biggest trends right now as is the shift towards construction, professional services, and manufacturing.

As organizations evaluate their business management solution options, Bernard cautions them to choose one that’s both industry-specific and AI-first, like Acumatica. “Make sure your platform is AI ready. Otherwise, you’re going to be left behind.”

He also says there’s nothing to be afraid of when it comes to AI. “Start small, focus on practical use cases, and build from there.”

Acumatica Africa Summit 2026: Delivering Practical AI in a Connected Business System

Packing keynote sessions, peer-to-peer conversations, and expert exhibits by Acumatica ISVs (whose applications provide an extended development ecosystem within the broader Acumatica ecosystem) into a single day, the Summit event offered attendees an all-inclusive look into how their businesses can grow and thrive with Acumatica’s AI-centered, industry-relevant innovations.

Arno Rautenbach, Chief Revenue Officer, APPSolve, who attended both our global and Africa Summit events, says, “I think Acumatica did a good job in showcasing the new and latest features. The AI Studio features, we’re really looking forward to. I think that it’s a low-code, easy-to-interact with feature within Acumatica [that] is going to add lots of value within the Acumatica ecosystem, and I also believe that the constant improvement in the UI…will add to Acumatica’s reputation as being the most user-friendly ERP in the market.”

That’s Acumatica’s promise to the Acumatica Community. We strive to provide a user-friendly solution that works the way they require and delivers the tools they need to ensure success. Says John Case, “Through the strength and quality of our platform…it’s all future proof and cloud based. It’s very unique in the industry. We have a great, huge network of channel partners around the world, but especially here in Africa, and we have a mindset that helps customers succeed.”

As Acumatica continues to expand globally, we understand the real challenges that accompany growth, and we’re committed to helping our customers overcome these challenges so they can experience unfettered growth. Acumatica’s Africa Summit event , which created space for conversations and knowledge sharing, set the tone for what they can expect from us and our award-winning ERP solution for years to come.

Finally, because this broader gathering of customers and prospects was so successful, we’re excited to share that we’ll be sponsoring smaller, high-impact events in the near future. We’ll let the Community know details as they come available, but until then, let our experts know if you have any questions or would like to schedule a demonstration.

You can also learn more about Acumatica 2026 R1 in our recent blog series, which covers our latest releases’ industry-specific value, how it expands AI from insight to action, and the real-time visibility and seamless adaptability.