Tanzania’s northern tech community is gearing up for one of the biggest developer events on its calendar. GDG Arusha, a local chapter of Google Developer Groups, will host DevFest Arusha 2026 on October 30 and 31. The theme is “Build, Secure, Scale: Developers and Builders in the Agentic Era.” One report says the event will host about 150 people. We could not confirm that number, and the organiser’s listing we reached does not state a headcount.
First, the dates. The report that prompted this post gives only October 31 and calls it a two-day event. The call-for-speakers page and an events directory both list October 30 to 31, so plan for both days. The listings do not name a venue. They say only Arusha, Tanzania. Ticket details are not shown either. Google says DevFests vary by chapter, with some free and others charging a small fee for the venue and catering. Check the official event page before you plan, and pay only through it. The listings point to it as gdg.community.dev/e/m4t9bg, though we could not open that page ourselves.
The two days are built for different people. Day one is a Secondary School Edition, with introductory talks, basic tech concepts and digital mentorship for young learners. Day two is the University and Community Ecosystem Edition. It covers advanced talks, architecture breakdowns, code labs, AI agent orchestration, security practice and stories of ecosystem growth. It targets professional developers, university students and startups. The speaker call ran from August 8 to September 20 and has closed. The page’s status labels are inconsistent, so ask the organisers if you hoped to speak.
What is “agentic AI”? In simple terms, an AI agent is a program that can take several steps on its own. It might search, use a tool and write up the results, instead of answering one question at a time. Builders must think about how agents are controlled, tested and kept safe. That is why “secure” is in the theme. Google says the wider DevFest focus is faster development, safer building and scaling on solid systems. Tools named for the series include Gemini, Google AI Studio, Google Cloud, Firebase, Android, Flutter and Angular. We do not know which will be used in Arusha, because each chapter sets its own agenda.
DevFest Arusha is part of a global series. Google says DevFest 2026 includes more than 800 events in 115 countries between October 1 and December 31, with nearly one million developers expected. Those are Google’s figures. We found no full Arusha agenda, so claims about specific sessions should wait for the organisers. The original report also cited sessions from a Nigerian DevFest and other conferences. Those are different events, so we left them out.
Why does this matter beyond one weekend? A community event is often where a student first builds with a cloud tool. It can also be where a developer meets a future co-founder. The school day is a good sign for inclusion, because it brings younger Tanzanians into the room early. The harder question is what happens after the talks. Local developers need steady internet, affordable cloud access and chances to ship real projects. Watch for the full agenda, the venue, ticket terms and any follow-up from GDG Arusha.
If you want to go, find the event through the official page or Google’s DevFest directory at developers.google.com/community/devfest. Bring a laptop if workshops require one, and confirm the details with GDG Arusha before you travel.
Sources: Sessionize call for speakers, DevFest Arusha 2026; dev.events listing; Google, DevFest is back; Google Developer Groups, DevFest.
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