Ummah Tech 2026: Building faith-driven technology for lasting impact

Ummah Tech 2026 brings Muslim technologists, founders and creatives together to build ethical, faith-driven innovation, strengthen digital independence and shape technology that serves communities across South Africa for generations.

By HASANAIN ABDULLAH

In an era of rapid technological advancement and geopolitical shifts, the need for values-driven innovation has never been more critical. Ummah Tech exists to unite Muslim founders, technologists, creatives, and community leaders committed to shaping technology with faith, purpose, and responsibility.

The inaugural 2024 conference in Johannesburg brought together key talent in tech, IT, and marketing to foster collaboration on solutions for the Ummah. It sparked new collaborations and led to regional chapters in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg—which now run programmes on cybersecurity and host roundtables on pressing issues like Islamophobia.

The 2025 conference, themed “Building Madinah – Uniting Faith and Technology for Community Impact”, introduced the “Madinah Operating System” – a framework inspired by the Prophetic blueprint for a just, ethical society, exploring archetypes like the Visionary, the Architect and the Connector.

Ummah Tech 2026, themed “Growing Madinah”, which will take place on November 7, 2026, at Royal Majestic Hotel in Rosebank, Johannesburg, takes the next step: moving beyond individual projects to nurture the institutions, communities and systems needed for a flourishing, enduring civilisation. It will explore how to ensure our technological efforts are sustainable and create lasting impact for generations.

This matters because Big Tech increasingly displaces public institutions, voices are censored and we grow dependent on technologies whose values do not reflect our own.

Ummah Tech values include:

Striving for technological independence to secure the Ummah’s future
Designing technology driven by Islamic values
Building tech that is both purposeful and profitable
Keeping Muslim technologists at the forefront of global tech

“The technology we build today will shape the communities we inherit tomorrow,” said Ummah Tech co-creator Ismail Dhorat.

The speaker line-up includes, among others:

Muhammad Simjee, CEO and co-founder, Asd24
Nazeer Jamal, co-founder, Mindscaped Media
Zakkiya Cassimjee, IT Executive Africa
Shabirah Abdullah, Tech Leader
Mika’il Williamson, Head of Design, PostBank SOC
Khaliq Dollie, Founder, Haytham Digital

These industry professionals will guide conversations on ethical tech, responsible AI, digital media and community-centred innovation.

Ummah Tech is more than a one-day event; it is a means to build a dynamic ecosystem of Muslim tech professionals who believe technology should uplift humanity. We invite businesses, community organisations and tech enterprises to partner with us in shaping the future of tech in South Africa.

To view the videos of the past conference on YouTube, visit: https://www.youtube.com/@Ummah.TechZa