Speakers

Justin Arenstein

Founder & Chief Strategist, Code for Africa (CfA)

Justin Arenstein, founder and chief strategist at Code for Africa (CfA), leads the continent's largest digital journalism initiative, with operations in 26 countries.

CfA develops forensic AI tools, drones, remote sensors, civic technologies, and data liberation infrastructure. CfA also runs PesaCheck, Africa's leading fact-checking newsroom, and the iLAB, a forensic investigation team combating weaponised hate speech and online extremism. CfA's TrustLab tracks the surveillance-for-hire industry and provides digital security to human rights defenders, while its AI Sandbox builds machine learning solutions.

CfA is also custodian of the African Fact Checking Alliance (AFCA), a coalition of 300+ newsrooms, as well as the AI+ Alliance, ANCIR, ADDO, AWA, and WanaData. Before CfA, Justin was an award-winning investigative data journalist and media entrepreneur, co-founding the Association of Independent Publishers and Southern African Freelance Association.

He has angel-funded numerous independent media startups. Justin serves on advisory boards for the Partnership for AI, World Economic Forum, World Bank/IMF, and Code for All. In 2025, he became co-CEO of the new ICFJ+ initiative.