By every global statistic, the continent is digitally switched on. But then, over 70% of its small businesses still cannot access proper finance or usable digital tools. 

We can stream, scan, tap, and swipe, but millions of founders still cannot fund growth or scale operations. That contradiction defines this moment.

Small and medium-sized enterprises account for about 95% of African businesses, generate roughly 40% of GDP, and employ over half of the workforce. The mobile sector alone already contributes more than $140 billion to sub-Saharan Africa’s economy. 

Add to this a population where over 60% are under the age of 25, and the picture becomes clear. Demand is not the problem. Infrastructure is not the problem. Leadership is the differentiator.

2026 is the year where surface-level innovation gives way to execution. The first wave of technology built rails, wallets, and connectivity. The next wave must bring credit that works, platforms that hold up under pressure, products people trust, and systems that serve the informal and formal economy equally. This work is quieter, slower, and far more difficult.

The people featured in this list are operating inside that gap. They are not reacting to growth but are organising it. Across finance, platforms, design, security, public systems, and digital services, these leaders are standing to enhance how Africa’s technology actually functions, not just how it is marketed.

These are the emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026, because while the continent is busy counting connections, they are building results. 

In no particular order, they include:

1. Adeshina Adewumi

If Africa’s next chapter of growth will still be driven by small businesses, then the people in the background, fixing access to money deserve close attention. Adeshina Adewumi is one of them. 

We see his work as infrastructure in motion. After more than a decade across banking, asset management, and digital ventures, he now operates at the point where policy goal meets street-level execution. 

His experience at institutions like Stanbic IBTC gave him structure. His ventures gave him speed. The result is a founder who understands both the limits of traditional finance and the urgency of replacing it with something that actually works for SMEs.

At Trade Lenda, Adewumi is not just building a fintech product; he is building trust at scale. A community of over 260,000 SMEs does not grow by marketing alone. It grows because the platform solves a relatable problem, which is access to credit, insurance, and micro savings for businesses that banks routinely ignore. 

What makes this worth watching in 2026 is not the size of the network, but the model behind it. Data-driven credit decisions, mobile-first delivery, and partnerships that strengthen SME bankability rather than trap founders in debt cycles. This is why global recognition, from the Milken-Motsepe Prize in FinTech to IFC and EY awards, keeps following his work.

What elevates Adewumi into the emerging leader bracket is range. Through One Kiosk Africa, he is also tackling retail inefficiencies by connecting small merchants, supermarkets, and farmers directly to digital markets. 

Few founders operate confidently at the intersection of finance, retail technology, and trade policy. Fewer still sit on international trade bodies while building tools for market women and shop owners. 

He believes that Africa’s sustainability will be funded by structured, inclusive financing that allows MSMEs to grow on their own terms. By 2026, that philosophy may well impact how financial inclusion is measured across the continent.

2. Joshua Esiebo

That next chapter we talk about in Africa’s tech growth will not be driven only by startups. It will also be built inside large institutions that are reinventing themselves. Joshua Esiebo sits at that critical junction. 

At MTN, Africa’s largest telecoms group, his work as a senior manager in platforms management directly influences how millions experience digital services every day. His role is not limited to products, but more about direction, guiding a telecom giant away from pure connectivity and into a fully formed digital ecosystem.

Across Ayoba, MyMTN eMarketplace, MTN Play, and premium content platforms, Esiebo operates where technology, partnerships, and customer experience overlap. Platforms fail or scale based on governance, integration, and usability, so, you can tell how important his work is.

His focus on platform thinking, bringing content, payments, gaming, and data into coherent systems, is exactly what MTN needs as it executes its Ambition 2025 strategy and looks beyond it. By 2026, the success of MTN’s digital services will depend heavily on how well these platforms work together, not just how many users they attract.

What makes Esiebo one of the emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026 is his ecosystem mindset. He builds with partners, not around them. OTT providers, fintech players, content creators, and startups all plug into systems designed for scale and reliability. 

Importantly, his work prioritises accessibility, ensuring platforms serve both urban and rural users without friction. This customer-first discipline is usually talked about and rarely enforced. As MTN strengthens its drive into fintech and digital lifestyle services, Esiebo represents a new class of African tech leader, platform-driven, partnership-led, and quietly influential.

3. Emmanuel Olorundare

Great technology fails without good design. Emmanuel Olorundare has built a career proving the opposite. When design is done right, products travel, scale, and stay resilient. 

A senior product designer, creative technologist, and startup co-founder, his work already spans Europe, Africa, the UK, and now North America.

He has built digital products that do not just scale geographically, but culturally. His influence is heavy on how complex systems are turned into simple, usable experiences that millions rely on daily.

As Co-founder of Gupta, supporting over 3,000 businesses globally, Olorundare operates at the sharp end of product execution. His fingerprints are also on platforms like AfriPay, which simplifies international payments for African students and migrants, and ShipAfrica, now active in over 200 countries. 

These are not design exercises but operational products solving payment friction, logistics complexity, and trust gaps across borders. Add to this Jami, a UK-based social platform focused on worthy connections, and we see a pattern;  Olorundare builds products where human behaviour, technology, and scale collide.

What places him among emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026 is depth. His experience spans fintech, logistics, edtech, civic platforms, and AI-powered applications, yet his approach remains grounded in human-centred thinking. 

Beyond delivery, he is building future talent through mentorship across more than ten countries and UK-certified design education programmes. With an engineering-informed mindset and a designer’s instinct, he brings clarity to chaos and momentum to ideas. 

Design leadership is the difference between products people tolerate and products they trust. Emmanuel Olorundare understands this better than most.

4. Ogechi Okwechime

Some leaders build products. Others build markets. Ogechi Okwechime does both, and that is why she belongs on any serious watchlist for 2026. With more than fifteen years across banking and fintech, she has mastered the hard part of innovation in Africa, which is turning complex infrastructure into something businesses can actually use. 

At Interswitch, as Divisional Head of Growth Marketing for Enterprise Solutions, she operates behind the scenes of systems backing payments, preventing fraud, and keeping commerce moving at scale.

What makes her unique is her ability to turn technical depth into commercial momentum. When Verve needed to move beyond national relevance, Okwechime helped drive the strategy that transformed it into a truly African card scheme, active in over 22 countries. 

This was not expansion for clout. It was functional growth. Cards that worked across borders. Users who could shop on international platforms. Local consumers plugged into the global digital economy without friction. That alone changed how African payments are perceived.

Her record before Interswitch holds the same depth. At Access Bank, she helped launch digital loan products that reached over 50,000 borrowers. At Fidelity Bank, she scaled Instant Banking from nothing to more than 600,000 users. These are adoption numbers that reflect trust.

By 2026, as enterprise fintech solutions become more urgent to Africa’s economic plumbing, leaders like Okwechime, who combine product-led growth with disciplined execution, will define who wins and who fades.

5. Wallace Omobhude

Africa’s digital sustainability will be determined by how well large platforms understand entertainment, data, and youth culture. Wallace Omobhude is already deep in that work. 

At MTN Nigeria, he leads strategy for digital services with a focus on video and gaming, two verticals that sit at the centre of attention, engagement, and new revenue models. This is where telecoms stop selling data and start owning digital experiences.

Omobhude operates at a difficult confluence of product teams, marketing, regulators, and external content partners all pulling in different directions. His strength lies in alignment. OTT partnerships, VAS integrations, and regulatory compliance are handled with the same discipline as go-to-market execution. 

The result is platforms that scale without disorder. His work feeds directly into MTN’s diversification strategy, opening up entertainment-led revenue streams in a market where youth demographics are impossible to ignore.

Why watch him in 2026? Because MTN’s next phase depends on leaders who understand ecosystems. Omobhude’s data-driven approach, combined with sharp consumer insight, positions MTN to capture value far beyond connectivity. 

Gaming, video, and digital content are not side projects anymore. They are core to how Africa’s largest telecom stays relevant. Leaders who can build and govern these platforms will impact the industry’s direction. Wallace is already doing that work.

6. Nnaemeka Ani

Every tech ecosystem needs builders who think beyond products and into purpose. Nnaemeka Ani is one of those rare figures. He does not go after trends. He dismantles problems to their core and rebuilds from first principles. 

As Founder of MGX Research Centre and MexyGabriel Tech Company, Ani operates across research, infrastructure, policy, and execution, a combination that gives his work unusual depth and national relevance.

MGX Research is not a think tank for theory’s sake. It is a working laboratory focused on deployable systems across data science, cybersecurity, digital identity, smart cities, education, health, robotics, and automation. 

Ani believes that Africa’s growth will not come from borrowed solutions, but from systems designed for local realities and owned locally. This philosophy drives his push for digital sovereignty and African-built data infrastructure, turning code into both social and commercial value.

His influence expands into governance. As Special Adviser on ICT to the Enugu State Governor, Ani is proving that technology and public policy do not have to operate in parallel worlds. His work in Enugu shows what happens when political will meets technical clarity, resulting in better services, smarter systems, and a functional digital ecosystem. 

With Nigeria approaching major milestones in broadband expansion and tax reform in 2026, Ani represents a new kind of leader, part technologist, part reformer, fully invested in nation-building. He is one of the emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026 not because he speaks loudly, but because his work changes structures.

7. Abraham Oghenero Efemena

Scale is usually discussed loosely in tech. Abraham Oghenero Efemena treats it as discipline. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Apex Web Network Limited who has built a fintech platform operating across Africa and key European markets, with a focus on structure, resilience, and growth.

His leadership style is more operational than performative. Systems first. Expansion second. Noise last.

Reaching 300,000 active users in 2025 is not a small win. It shows product trust across borders, regulatory environments, and user behaviour patterns. That kind of traction only happens when infrastructure works quietly and consistently. 

Efemena oversees every moving part of Apex Web Network, ensuring teams, technology, and market strategy move in sync. This hands-on leadership is essential in fintech, where failure usually comes from weak internal alignment rather than bad ideas.

Why is he among the emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026? Because the next phase goes beyond surviving to controlled expansion. As Apex Web Network grows its user base and deepens its footprint, Efemena is building the company to compete in markets where compliance, security, and user experience determine winners. He represents a class of founders building for longevity.

8. Victor Daniyan

Payments are the bloodstream of any digital economy. Victor Daniyan understands this, and he is rebuilding how that system works across Africa. 

The CEO and Founder of Nearpays is pushing payment acceptance away from hardware-heavy models and into scalable, software-led infrastructure. We could call his work foundational, because when payments become easier, entire ecosystems are opened.

Nearpays has received recognition from EY, TechCabal, BusinessDay, and global platforms such as GITEX and the UN AI for Good Innovation Factory. The startup is empowering over 50,000 users through contactless and Soft POS solutions. 

Daniyan’s leadership sits on applied innovation and real-world adoption, proving that inclusion works best when technology fades into the background.

Looking forward to 2026, the company is entering its scale phase, with expansion in Nigeria and Ghana, stronger collaboration with Visa, and a focus on usability. Victor Daniyan stands among emerging leaders in tech to watch in 2026 because he is not just building a fintech product, but changing how businesses participate in the digital economy. That impact will only grow.

9. Peter Ndukwo

Every digital system is only as strong as the people testing its limits. Peter Ndukwo lives at that edge. As a Web3 Security Researcher and Smart Contract Auditor, his work protects some of the most valuable and complex decentralised systems in the world. When security fails, innovation collapses.

His record speaks; Audits on Chainlink, ZetaChain, and Brevis Pico. Multiple high-severity vulnerabilities discovered solo. Over 30 competitive audit wins across Sherlock and Code4rena. These are not academic exercises, they secure billions in value and protect users. 

Beyond these, his work at Zippel Labs places him inside zero-knowledge systems and cryptographic research driving the next generation of blockchain infrastructure.

Why he is placed among emerging tech leaders to watch in 2026 is not far-fetched. With decentralised systems becoming more complex, the cost of failure increases. Ndukwo is securing protocols and also mentoring African security researchers, as well as building tools to automate vulnerability discovery. 

He represents a system where Africa goes beyond using just decentralised systems to actively safeguarding and enhancing them.

10. Oluwatomi Alagbe

Security leadership today demands more than defence. It demands foresight. Oluwatomi Alagbe, one of the emerging tech leaders to watch in 2026, brings that perspective. Based in Tallinn and working at the convergence of cybersecurity, crypto, and advanced research systems, his career shows depth rather than drift. His strength is seen in how he turns complex risk into systems people can actually trust.

From protecting users at Malwarebytes to contributing to Caesar’s deep research platform, Alagbe’s work centres on resilience. He does not chase threats reactively; he builds frameworks that anticipate them. 

His experience across AI-driven systems and crypto environments gives him a rare interdisciplinary view, one that is becoming more important as boundaries between sectors blur.

What makes 2026 pivotal is what he is building next. Razzle, an AI-native communication platform, challenges how teams collaborate by placing intelligent systems at the core, not the edges. 

Alongside this, his continued work at Caesar focuses on reliability and real-world applicability, not abstraction. Alagbe is unique because he understands that trust is the currency of the next digital era, and security is how that trust is earned.

Held on Thursday, November 20, at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, the event convened government leaders, founders, investors, creators, technologists and policy makers to map out what tomorrow could look like for Ogun’s fast-growing innovation sector. 

The summit, now in its sixth edition, has become the largest annual gathering of youth and digital talent in the state.

A Summit Framed by Urgency and Opportunity

The Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Engr. Naimat Salako-Oyedele, described the digital economy as “the backbone of modern development” She stressed that young people are central to the state’s growth strategy.

She described how Ogun has spent the past few years laying the foundations for a thriving technology ecosystem: “We have been intentional here in Ogun state about creating the right environment for technology to flourish.” 

She pointed out the transformation of the Ogun Tech Hub; partnerships with innovation clusters; and new international collaborations, including the Window America initiative, which provides workshops and learning opportunities for young people.

The Deputy Governor also announced the newly commissioned NCC Koba Centre, already training youths in AI engineering, cloud computing and data technologies. According to her, its location in Ogun is “not accidental… It reflects the confidence that national institutions and private partners have in our talent base.” 

But she also warned, “We must not work in silos. We need more coordination, more shared learning and more deliberate linkages between state programs, federal initiatives, private sector projects, university research and community-based ecosystem.” 

A Federal Perspective: Nigeria Must Create, Not Just Consume

Representing the Presidency, Tobi Matthew, director of the PBAT Media Centre, gave a statement reinforcing the federal government’s position on digital acceleration growth.

He noted, “Nigeria must not only consume technology, we must create it and also export it.” 

He outlined three pillars of a functional digital ecosystem, policy, governance and partnership, and emphasised the administration’s focus on reforms that ease doing tech business, expand broadband access and strengthen global partnerships.

According to him, summits like Ogun’s bridge government and the tech community by helping “co-create policies that work in the real world.” 

Legislative Power Meets Tech Vision

The summit received a strong policy perspective from Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, who announced that the long-awaited National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill would soon be signed into law.

The bill, he explained, will compel ministries and agencies to digitise operations: “They are all compared, not as a matter of option. They are compared to digital patients.” 

He described how digital signatures and electronic documents would gain full legal recognition, removing long-standing limitations for startups and online businesses. The Senator called the summit “the largest gathering of youth in Ogun state… gathered for empowerment that truly empowers.” 

Founders and Innovators Urged to Build for Ogun, Not Just From It

Summit Convener Victor Adeleye returned to a central problem; retention. Although many celebrated Nigerian startups originated from Ogun institutions, most relocate to Lagos. He challenged young innovators to stay and build where they were trained.

“The tech skill is not the destination, it’s just the beginning.” 

He added that more than 7,500 talents have been supported since 2020, and that the state is now spotlighting revenue-generating startups built locally.

PaidHR’s Seye Bandele Urges Founders to Build for Africa’s Realities, Not Imported Playbooks

Seye Bandele, co-founder & CEO of PaidHR, told young founders that Africa is in its own “printing-press moment”, a turning point impacted by AI, rapid information flow and a high youth population.

He drew parallels between Gutenberg’s invention and today’s technology wave, stressing that the tools being built now will affect the next 100 years of African innovation.

Seye warned that founders must build with Africa’s realities in mind; weak infrastructure, low internet access and high volatility, not imported frameworks. He urged them to design products that work offline, handle currency swings, embed trust from day one and collect data intentionally.

He also emphasised that Africa’s population surge makes the continent the world’s next major market, and those building today must think in decades, not sprints. For him, progress comes from solving real problems and adapting global ideas to local context.

“You may not see the full impact, but what you build today is what the next generation will inherit.”

Microsoft’s Damila Rashu, lead for AI and Cloud, reiterated the global relevance of Ogun’s emerging talent pool and encouraged founders to join Microsoft’s startup programmes.

“Hopefully, in a few months, a few years down the line, we will have our own global unicorns right here in Ogun state.” 

Earlier, Bola Akindele, group managing director of Courteville Business Solutions Plc, recalled the evolution of his own company and the importance of domain understanding, using examples from his early academic journey.

Messan to Founders: “Traction Is Your Number One De-Risker”

David Lanre Messan, chief venture builder at FirstFounders, explained that most struggles with fundraising come from poor positioning, not lack of ideas.

He stressed that “every investor has an investment thesis,” urging founders to first identify whether they are at the idea, product or revenue stage before approaching anyone.

Messan noted that early-stage success depends on validation and real market demand, noting that “you cannot build anything without automatic demand.” He closed with an insight that investors respond to proof, not promises: “traction is your number one de-risker.”

Dr Solomon King: The Power of Diaspora Capital

From the Lagos Angel Network, Dr Solomon King presented a startling economic context: “17 million Nigerians live in the diaspora, and those 17 million people push back home to Nigeria, 20 billion US dollars on average per year.” 

He argued that this flow of capital, coupled with Ogun’s youth base, positions the region for outstanding investment if structures stay consistent.

Community Leadership: Ogun Tech Community’s Stand

President of the Ogun Tech Community, Adekunle Durosinmi, commended the summit for becoming a reference point. “We have seen the ecosystem growing stronger, more connected, more impactful.” 

He urged attendees to “disrupt Google”, amplify Ogun’s tech story online, and enhance collaboration instead of isolation.

Inspirational Close: What Will You Build?

One of the most memorable reflections at Ogun Digital Summit 2025 came from a keynote speaker who linked today’s creators to historical innovators: “Your code, your content, your companies are the real printing presses of this generation.” 

The challenge was, “What infrastructure are you going to build today that the people of tomorrow will inherit from you?” 

PANEL SESSION HIGHLIGHTS

Panel Session 1: The Creative Economy

Key Highlights

• Defined the creative economy as the movement of goods and services within creative industries.
• Identified various creative sectors, including music, storytelling, photography, design, YouTube content, branding, and cinematography.
• Discussed the role of storytelling and its relevance to audience engagement.
• Raised matters about content creators ignoring policy updates that directly benefit them, including tax reforms and IP protection.
• Emphasised that Ogun has the strongest environment for creative-tech talent development.
• Called for more platforms that highlight policies affecting creators.

Fireside Chat: Journey from Zero to 1 Billion

Key Highlights

• Speakers discussed realistic planning for market size and expansion.
• Warned founders against exaggerated market assumptions that harm investor confidence.
• Emphasised calculating total addressable market (TAM) within one’s region before expanding.
• Explained the investment committee process and how risk assessments shape funding decisions.
• Encouraged founders to build strong roadmaps and avoid premature scaling.

Panel Session 2: Policy, Governance and Talent

Key Highlights

• Examined how data governance, digital payments and financial infrastructure affect tech growth.
• Highlighted existing federal and state programmes supporting innovators, including tech hubs and new digital infrastructure.
• Noted the gap between policies and actual adoption by citizens and creators.
• Stressed the need for intentional inclusion of youth-led tech teams in procurement and governance processes.
• Raised issues about low awareness of policy benefits, especially tax reforms.
• Reemphasised the importance of intellectual property protection.
• Asserted that Ogun should become Nigeria’s digital capital due to its youth population and number of tertiary institutions.

Ogun Digital Summit 2025 stressed that Ogun is no longer waiting for inclusion in Nigeria’s digital growth. The state is supplying talent, building institutions, attracting global partners and implementing policy-driven reforms designed to keep innovators rooted at home.

In Nigeria’s digital economy, Ogun State is now one of the country’s strongest engines.

As revealed by the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) latest Indicators report, the surge was driven by inventors in China, India, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the United States. 

China alone accounted for 1.8 million applications, while the US filed 501,831. India recorded a 19.1% increase in patent filings, continuing a six-year streak of double-digit growth in the global space.

Finland and Türkiye also posted strong increases, with filings growing 15.4% and 14.6% respectively.

“In today’s competitive, global economy, innovation is a key driver of growth with IP at the center of many business strategies – whether protecting and promoting breakthrough technologies, trusted brands or eye-catching designs. 

“The continued growth in IP filings also reflects strong confidence in the IP system and the efforts of governments, with WIPO’s support, to incentivize and strengthen innovation. Sustaining this trust requires ongoing global cooperation to ensure a robust and effective IP framework,” said Daren Tang, WIPO director general.

Globally, computer technology was the most patented field, representing 13.2% of applications in 2023, followed by electrical machinery (7.2%), measurement technologies (6.2%), digital communication (5.8%), and medical technologies (4.9%). 

Computer technology was the only field to experience double-digit growth over the past decade, rising 10.3% from 2013 to 2023.

Trademark applications, meanwhile, stabilised after a two-year slowdown, totaling 15.2 million classes in 2024, a marginal 0.1% decline from 2023. 

China led filings with 7.3 million classes, followed by the US (836,457), Russia (559,436), India (532,900), and Brazil (436,291). Growth was strongest in Brazil (+10.4%), India (+7.4%), and Russia (+2.9%), while China and the US saw slight declines.

Design filings also grew, reaching 1.6 million in 2024, up 2.2% from 2023. China topped global design applications with 906,849 filings, followed by Germany, the US, Italy, and South Korea. 

Among the top 20 countries, India (+44.9%), Morocco (+20.2%), and Indonesia (+18.9%) recorded the largest increases. 

The sectors generating the most design activity included furniture and household goods, textiles and accessories, tools and machines, ICT and audiovisual equipment, and electricity and lighting, which together accounted for nearly 63% of global filings.

Intellectual property is now a very important tool for economic growth, and the report on global patent filings, among other aspects, stresses this even more, driving innovation and brand development across multiple sectors worldwide.

According to the Banking on Innovation report by Briter Intelligence and Lateral Frontiers, fintech firms in Egypt, Kenya, and Nigeria collectively raised more than $6.5 billion in the last decade.

This shows a shift from rapid expansion to sustainable, partnership-driven growth.

The report found that Nigeria alone attracted over $3 billion, led by major payment startups such as Paystack, Flutterwave, and Moniepoint, while Kenya’s fintech ecosystem secured around $2 billion, largely in digital credit and asset finance. 

Egypt’s fintech sector, now the country’s most funded, amassed $1.68 billion, driven by players like Fawry, Khazna, Paymob, and MNT-Halan.

What stands out is how collaboration, rather than disruption, is now bolstering Africa’s financial inclusion. In Egypt, Banque Misr’s partnership with valU has expanded Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services to underbanked groups, modernising consumer credit in a country where cash remains dominant. 

In Kenya, Citi’s alliance with Visa and Cellulant created Citi Optimised Pay, tackling a $25 billion SME financing gap by allowing small suppliers to access instant payments. And in Nigeria, Paystack’s integration with leading banks has enhanced merchant transactions, a success so notable that Stripe’s $200 million acquisition of Paystack became a model for fintech-bank synergy across the region.

Across these economies, central banks are taking a more active role. Egypt’s Digital Wallet Interoperability Regulation and the Meeza national payments network, Kenya’s Digital Credit Provider laws, and Nigeria’s Open Banking Framework (2023) reveal a coordinated regulatory initiative to encourage innovation while maintaining consumer protection. 

Samakab Hashi, partner at Lateral Frontiers, noted, “Policymakers are no longer passive observers. They are actively shaping the future, using sandboxes, tiered licensing, and data protection mandates to balance innovation with stability.”

The research stresses that over one-third of all venture funding in Africa since 2014 has gone to fintech, now the continent’s most dynamic technology sector. 

However, the focus is now changing direction. Rather than chasing payment volumes, investors and founders are turning toward credit infrastructure, embedded finance, and insurtech, sectors with deeper, long-term impact.

On challenges, the report warns that issues around data governance, regulatory inconsistency, and compliance costs threaten progress. 

Nigeria’s resolutions on unlicensed digital lenders and Egypt’s limits on data sharing have slowed expansion for some startups. Still, fintechs are adapting through strategic partnerships, early engagement with regulators, and a stronger focus on cybersecurity and user trust.

For founders, the report recommends building before licensing, forming smart alliances, and focusing on infrastructure rather than duplication. In Egypt, the opportunity lies in e-KYC and Banking-as-a-Service; in Kenya, agricultural and SME credit tools; in Nigeria, open banking-based embedded finance.

Even with global venture slowdowns, African fintechs are standing on resilience and reinvention. Egypt’s steady growth, Kenya’s ecosystem maturity, and Nigeria’s scale show that the continent’s financial sector must continually focus on collaboration among banks, telcos, and innovators working together to bridge access and trust.

Disruption and the ability to collaborate, adapt, and build inclusive systems that leave no one behind, are highly indispensable among African fintechs and others.

Taking place in Cape Town on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, the competition will see one startup walk away with a $50,000 equity investment and access to a global network of mentors and investors.

The announcement follows two days of rigorous semi-final pitches held on October 28 and 29, where young innovators from eight African countries showcased products bolstering financial technology across the continent. 

Ten startups stood out for their creativity, impact potential, and market readiness.

The finalists include:

1. mystocks.africa (Botswana);
2. Credify Africa Inc (Uganda);
3. Logistify AI (Kenya)
4. Kutana Technologies Ltd (Ghana);
5. Investa Farm (Kenya);
6. Black Swan (Mauritius);
7. Mighty Finance Solution Inc (Zambia);
8. Devdraft AI (Zambia);
9. Kanzu Finance Ltd (Uganda); and
10. Farmsky (Kenya).

According to Ashwin Ravichandran, Portfolio Advisor and MAC lead at MEST Africa, this year’s cohort represents a new phase of African innovation. “Each year, the Challenge grows not only in reach but in the depth of innovation it attracts. We’re seeing founders build financial systems that are inclusive, intelligent, and unmistakably African. The Top 10 exemplify the kind of purposeful innovation driving Africa’s next wave of growth.”

Now in its seventh year, the MEST Africa Challenge focuses on FinTech ventures and startups embedding financial solutions into technology systems. 

The 2025 edition covers eight of Absa’s nine priority markets, which include Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Uganda, and Zambia, targeting businesses that enhance financial inclusion and digital transformation.

For Absa, the partnership shows its drive to enhance banking through technology. “Our ambition is to reimagine financial services through technology, and the innovations presented by these FinTechs showcase what’s possible,” said Tamu Dutuma, head of Strategy and Transformation for Technology at Absa Regional Operations (ARO). 

“Many of the solutions are directly relevant to our business, with the potential to enhance customer experience, drive efficiency, and accelerate transformation. We’re excited about the opportunity to turn some of these ideas into meaningful partnerships that deliver value at scale.”

MEST Africa’s long-standing focus on entrepreneurship development has impacted the continent’s tech sector since 2008, having trained over 2,000 entrepreneurs and invested in more than 90 startups.

“What stands out in the Top 10 is how digital innovation is being applied to real market challenges,” said Tawanda Chatikobo, head of Digital – ARO RBB. “From AI-driven insights to seamless payments, these solutions demonstrate how technology can unlock access, efficiency, and financial inclusion. Digital solutions are no longer a luxury – they have become an imperative for the financial sector.”

The 2025 MEST Africa Challenge finale will support the organisation’s mission to enable scalable African ventures, helping them transform industries and drive inclusive growth across the continent.

The four-day meeting, which begins on November 4 in Abuja, is expected to gather over 400 delegates from more than 50 countries, including government officials, academics, and industry leaders.

The International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV), organised by the United Nations University (UNU-EGOV) in partnership with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), is being held under the patronage of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy. 

This year’s theme, “Shaping the Future of Digital Governance through Cooperation, Innovation and Inclusion,” highlights the growing influence of Africa’s largest economy in global technology policy and governance.

ICEGOV has been staged in major cities including Beijing, Athens, Bogota, and Galway. Abuja now joins that list, making it the first city in West Africa, and only the second in Africa, to host the conference since its inception in 2007.

NITDA’s Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, described the event as a major endorsement of Nigeria’s leadership in digital transformation.

“This moment affirms Nigeria’s place at the table of digital policy and innovation. Our guiding principle has always been to build digital systems that reflect our context, empower our people, and contribute to global progress. 

“Hosting ICEGOV 2025 allows us to exchange knowledge, celebrate innovation across regions, and work together toward a more inclusive and digitally sovereign future.”

Under Abdullahi’s leadership, NITDA has become central to Nigeria’s digital strategy, driving reforms in public administration, advancing local digital skills, and strengthening international partnerships. 

Earlier this year, the Agency co-hosted GITEX Nigeria, further strengthening the country’s standing as an emerging technology hub. ICEGOV 2025 builds on that, placing Abuja as a platform for dialogue on digital sovereignty, collaboration, and innovation in governance.

The programme will feature keynotes, panel sessions, and technical workshops covering digital inclusion, cybersecurity, data governance, and public-sector innovation. 

Researchers will also present academic papers and participate in a doctoral colloquium, while exhibitions will showcase new solutions shaping digital public services.

Ahead of the main conference, two key side events will take place. The West African Governance Forum (WADGoV), scheduled for 3–4 November, will bring together policymakers from across the region to discuss joint efforts on digital governance and cross-border cooperation. 

The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) session will focus on refining the E-Governance White Paper and strengthening indicators that guide digital transformation across the African Union.

With the world’s attention turning to Abuja this week, Nigeria’s part in enhancing Africa’s digital economy is coming into sharper focus, anchored on collaboration, innovation, and inclusion.

Marking its entry into the continent’s expanding digital economy, the launch, attended by representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), key industry partners and regulators, highlighted TGIPay’s goal to drive seamless and secure financial transactions across the continent.

TGIPay was designed to simplify payment collection and processing for businesses of all sizes, offering multi-channel acceptance options, including cards, transfers, USSD, and bank accounts. 

The platform provides real-time settlements, intuitive dashboards, and developer-friendly APIs, making it a comprehensive solution for merchants navigating Africa’s growing digital commerce landscape.

Speaking at the launch, Gbolahan Raji, managing director and chief executive officer of TGIPay, said the company aims to close the gap between financial inclusion and digital adoption across the continent.

“TGIPay is more than a payment gateway; it’s a catalyst for growth,” he said. “We have built a platform that empowers businesses to scale effortlessly, giving them tools to collect payments securely and manage transactions transparently. Our mission is to redefine trust and reliability within Africa’s payment ecosystem.”

Also addressing guests, Olumide Adebowale, chairman of TGIPay, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to innovation and collaboration.

“Africa’s payment landscape is evolving rapidly, and TGIPay is here to set a new standard of excellence,” Adebowale noted. “Our collaborations with banks, fintechs, and regulators demonstrate our commitment to building sustainable solutions that simplify commerce, strengthen compliance, and foster confidence in digital payments.

This vision has been over three decades in the making — a dream conceived more than 30 years ago has thoughtfully been nurtured into reality. Seeing it come to life today is both humbling and deeply fulfilling. I extend my sincere appreciation to everyone who contributed to turning this long-held dream into a thriving platform that will shape Africa’s financial future.”

TGIPay’s technology is built on a unified payment experience that enables merchants to receive payments via cards, bank transfers, USSD, or bank accounts, all from a single dashboard. Its smart settlement system supports real-time tracking and instant notifications, while its PCI DSS–certified security framework ensures robust protection for every transaction.

Tanitoluwa Adebowale, chief technology officer of TGIPay, shed further light on the company’s technology-first approach.

“Our goal from day one was to build a platform that doesn’t just process payments but anticipates risks, ensures reliability, and scales intelligently. Every line of code at TGIPay reflects our commitment to performance, data integrity, and security. This product represents our commitment to innovation and excellence, and we are excited to see how it will positively impact our customers and the market. We are obsessed with creating technology that serves people — safely and seamlessly.”

In line with this, Lanre Adelanwa Basamta, co-founder and CEO of Optimus AI, commended TGIPay’s dedication to building a secure and resilient infrastructure.

“TGIPay’s intentionality toward data protection and user security is impressive. Their architecture shows deep respect for customer trust — a quality that sets them apart in today’s fintech landscape. It’s refreshing to see a platform built with such precision and foresight.”

The launch featured live demonstrations, partner showcases, and networking sessions, underscoring TGIPay’s readiness to reshape how businesses and consumers transact across Africa.

As TGIPay embarks on its continental expansion, its focus remains on building trust, simplifying payments, and accelerating financial inclusion.

But a new report by Column reveals that despite this surge of activity, there are weaknesses that affect much of Africa’s AI policy space: great vision, but little follow-through.

According to the State of AI Policy in Africa 2025 report, authored by Mo Shehu and Gideon Onunwa, Nigeria scores 18 out of 24 on the AI Governance Maturity Index, placing it in the continent’s second tier. 

The country has innovation and global attention, but lacks a dedicated budget, enforceable law, or monitoring framework.

“The findings show a clear divide between ambition and execution,” the authors write.

Promise Without Policy Backbone

Nigeria’s draft National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2024) rests on five pillars: infrastructure, ecosystem, adoption, responsible AI, and governance. Oversight sits with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence & Robotics (NCAIR).

The document outlines a commendable national vision but, as the report notes, “lacks explicit budget lines or projections, relying on external partners.” 

In 2024, UNDP, UNESCO, Meta, Google, and Microsoft jointly provided $3.5 million in seed funding to jump-start implementation.

There is progress; the N-ATLAS model now supports Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo; the AI Scaling Hub, a Gates Foundation partnership, is expanding use in health, education, and agriculture.

Still, “the strategy also has no binding legislation; it remains a policy rather than law.” 

It is this mixture of visible innovation and fragile governance that defines both Nigeria and the continent’s AI story.

A Continental Picture of Uneven Progress

Across 20 African countries, more than half have drafted or adopted national AI strategies. However, fewer than one in four have committed budgets, enforceable laws, or monitoring systems.

AI, the report argues, has become both a symbol of modernity and a test of governance capacity.

The AI Governance Maturity Index rates countries out of 24 points across four categories: policy design, implementation capacity, governance and accountability, and external engagement.

Below these leaders, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe remain in early drafting. 

A further 34 countries, including Chad, Sierra Leone, and Eswatini, have no AI policy at all.

Follow the Money

Funding exposes the depth of the gap. Kenya’s $1.1 billion allocation dwarfs Zambia’s U.S. $335,000 budget by more than 300 times.

Ethiopia increased its national AI budget by 42% in 2025. Egypt, the regional heavyweight, continues to pull foreign capital through a €1.8 billion hyperscale data centre and a $300 million semiconductor investment.

Yet most countries depend on donors.

“Only a few governments have dedicated, multi-year AI budgets; most depend on donor support or general ICT allocations that are easily diverted,” the report cautions.

Where Law and Ethics Lag

Legal infrastructure is also far behind rhetoric. While 35 African nations now have data-protection statutes, almost none have AI-specific regulation. 

Egypt’s framework remains voluntary; Ethiopia’s ethics guidelines are not binding; South Africa’s draft bill awaits ratification. Nigeria, the authors note, operates on policy intent rather than legal force.

The result is what Column calls “ethics without accountability,” a moral vocabulary without enforcement.

The Transparency Deficit

Few governments publish metrics or progress reports. Egypt stands out for tracking outcomes through measurable key performance indicators. 

Elsewhere, “too many strategies are unpublished or inaccessible,” the report says, “reducing transparency and accountability.”

This opacity makes it hard for citizens, researchers, or investors to know whether AI spending yields tangible results.

Regional Contrasts

• North Africa (Egypt, Algeria): strong institutions, industrial investment.
• East Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda): innovation and experimentation.
• West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire): numerous strategies, weak enforcement.
• Southern Africa (South Africa, Zambia, Lesotho): policy structure, modest budgets.

The data reveal a continent moving at different speeds toward the same uncertain finish line.

Why It is Important 

AI is not only a technological issue but also a governance test. It could improve crop yields, detect disease, streamline justice systems, and expand financial inclusion.

However, as the authors warn, “Without strong governance, it can deepen inequality, embed bias, or be used for surveillance and censorship.”

With more than 60% of Africans under 25, the economic stakes are immense. Countries that craft and enforce sound AI policies will shape not just algorithms but their own development futures.

“Countries that shape the technology also shape the rules,” the report reminds readers.

From Paper to Proof

To bridge the gap between ambition and delivery, the authors urge African governments to:

1. Legislate AI frameworks rather than rely on non-binding strategies.
2. Fund multi-year national programmes.
3. Establish independent bodies for ethics and accountability.
4. Publish monitoring data for public scrutiny.

“Africa is not behind—it is early. The task now is to make ambition durable: to move from promise to proof.”

Nigeria as Mirror and Test Case

In many ways, Nigeria encapsulates Africa’s AI journey, a nation bursting with innovation, global partnerships, and youthful expertise, yet constrained by governance policy and finance. 

Its N-ATLAS language model and AI Scaling Hub demonstrate what is possible when local capacity meets global collaboration. But without statutory backing or sustainable funding, such progress risks fading into headlines rather than history.

As the State of AI Policy in Africa 2025 makes clear, the next frontier will not be who drafts the most visionary strategy, but who brings measurable, lawful, and lasting impact.

But they cannot act in isolation. Government, donors and the private sector need to move as one if resilience is to take root in Nigeria.

In late May 2025, flooding in Mokwa in Niger State killed at least 117 people and left several still missing. Earlier, heavy rains destroyed homes and claimed at least 21 lives in north-central Nigeria. 

On August 6, the federal government issued flood alerts for 19 states, warning of further extreme rainfall between August 5-9. 

These events show a pattern of high climate risk: poor drainage, urbanisation, infrastructure vulnerability and changing rainfall patterns all combine to raise the stakes for agriculture, food security and human lives.

Why this is important – the drivers

• Scale of the hazard. Floods are not occasional. The Mokwa event was one of the deadliest in recent years. Lives and livelihoods are being wiped out.
• Underlying drivers. Rapid urban growth, informal settlements without drainage, old dams or reservoir‐releases (the latter implicated in past flood alerts) and infrastructure that wasn’t built with climate resilience in mind. 
• Financial gap. According to the latest report by Climate Policy Initiative, Nigeria mobilised about $2.5 billion in climate finance in 2021/22, up from $1.9 billion in 2019/20, but the annual gap (the amount needed vs the amount mobilised) is around $27.2 billion. 
• Data & systems weakness. There are limited hydrological sensors, weak last-mile alerting, and procurement systems that favour large infrastructure over agile tech-solutions.

What startups can build (and why)

Here are four areas of opportunity where startups can move from idea to impact.

1. AgTech for small-holder resilience

Startups can deliver climate-smart advisory (micro‐weather + seasonal forecasts), flood/drought-tolerant seed systems, bundled micro-insurance linked to weather triggers, and credit for replanting after floods. 

The reason: agriculture is highly exposed; floods destroy farmland and disrupt planting cycles. A viable business model could be subscription advisory plus revenue share on inputs and insurance commissions.

2. Urban resilience & data-driven infrastructure

A startup might build flood-risk mapping using satellite & local sensors, dashboards for municipalities or utilities, plus partnering with local contractors for nature-based drainage solutions. 

Drainage failures, particularly in fast-growing urban zones, magnify losses. Monetisation may come via B2G contracts (municipalities), and SaaS for decision-makers.

3. Disaster early-warning & last-mile alerting

Existing forecast agencies (e.g., the Nigeria Meteorological Agency and Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency) generate data. The gap is last-mile: reaching communities with actionable alerts, setting up evacuation triggers, and automating cash transfers tied to events. 

Startups can provide alert platforms, community-volunteer networks, and cash-trigger logic. Revenue comes from contracts with federal/state agencies or donors financing early‐warning programmes.

4. Data & risk-finance platforms

Startups can build APIs that feed river/dam sensor data, flood-indexes for insurers, and platforms that match resilience projects with blended finance. 

This matters because insurers, lenders and investors require data and pipelines to underwrite risk and invest in adaptation. Business models: licensing data/APIs, performance-based contracts, or match-making fees.

Real barriers—for clarity

I don’t want to sugar-coat it. To succeed, startups must navigate tough obstacles:

• Demand and payment risk. Many users (farmers, low-income communities) either cannot pay or are unwilling; commercial viability is weak without subsidy or public procurement.
• Procurement friction. Governments usually prefer big infrastructure contracts; small pilots are easier but scaling is slow.
• Finance constraints. As CPI found: “affordability of finance” and “limited supply of bankable projects” are major limitations. 
• Data gaps & interoperability. Without local sensors, standardised APIs or institutionalised data-sharing, solutions remain brittle.
• Policy/regulation lag. If legal frameworks, open data mandates and procurement reforms don’t keep pace, startups are left in limbo.

Government role – what must happen

If I were advising a government, I’d urge these five actions:

1. Commit to rapid procurement windows: allocate dedicated budgets for resilience tech (not just studies) so startups can contract and scale.
2. Mandate open data/ APIs from agencies like NiMet and NIHSA; make hydrological & meteorological data accessible.
3. Establish blended-finance/guarantee facilities that de-risk private investment in resilience (so startups can raise funding).
4. Embed impact-based early-warning systems in national disaster-risk management plans; authorise automatic triggers (e.g., cash transfers, evacuation alerts) when thresholds are exceeded.
5. Support local capacity at state and municipal level: invest in drainage, sensors, maintenance funds and community-volunteer networks.

Donors & development finance – their move

Donors and multilateral funds should focus on enabling, not just funding studies:

• Provide first-loss and outcome-based grants to make resilience commercially viable for startups.
• Fund data infrastructure: sensors, river gauges, ground monitoring networks and software platforms.
• Support risk transfer mechanisms, e.g., parametric insurance tied to flood/crop loss, accessible for rural farmers.
• Act as procurement catalysts: fund multi-year contracts that governments can absorb, reducing risk for startups.

Quick wins in next 12 months

• Launch a low-cost river-gage + SMS alert pilot across 1-2 high-risk LGAs identified by federal alerts.
• Bundle climate-smart advisory + micro-credit + parametric insurance for crop planting next season.
• Co-develop with NiMet a verified API feed for flood forecasts and package it commercially to insurers.

Medium to long-term (1-5 years)

• Build integrated river-basin monitoring (NIHSA + regional partners) and link to automated insurance triggers.
• Expand urban-resilience programmes: retrofit drainage, deploy nature-based solutions, create maintenance markets.
• Develop national procurement frameworks & climate-resilient infrastructure codes so tech innovation is institutionalised.

KPIs worth tracking

Choose measurable indicators:

• Time from warning to evacuation (hours) in pilot areas.
• Number of smallholders covered by parametric protection.
• % reduction in crop loss in project pilot zones year-on-year.
• Time from pilot to procurement contract for a resilience startup (months).
• Amount of blended finance mobilised (USD) for resilience.
• Number of municipalities using startup-delivered dashboards.

Risks & ethical issues

• Beware of “tech-solutionism”: technology alone won’t solve structural issues. Community involvement matters.
• Data privacy: especially for farm, household or geospatial data. Ensure consent and benefit sharing.
• Elite capture: resilience programmes must reach marginalised groups, not just well-connected players.

I believe we have a real opportunity in Nigeria. Startups are prepared to build the tools; the urgency is undeniable. But without policy clarity, finance reform and institutional buy-in, innovation will stall in pilots. 

If the next 12 months see coordinated action among startups + government + donors, we’ll move from reactive relief to proactive resilience.

The company seeks to replace outdated government systems with efficient, accessible, and user-friendly technology.

Led by NEA, with participation from 776, Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, and Carpenter Capital, the round follows an $11 million seed funding co-led by Accel and Andreessen Horowitz’s American Dynamism practice, bringing Kaizen’s total funding to $35 million.

Kaizen’s technology is already in use across more than 50 government agencies in 17 states, reaching over 30 million residents. From state parks and DMVs to court systems and tax portals, the company is bolstering how people access essential services. 

Instead of fragmented systems that charge taxpayers billions through maintenance contracts and outdated software, Kaizen offers a single, unified platform. Governments can deploy new services within weeks, and residents can interact with them through a modern, intuitive interface.

“Kaizen is focused on the most fundamental American services that we use every day – the parks, transit, licensing, the everyday systems that quietly hold our communities together. 

“That clarity of mission has accelerated their growth and embodies exactly what the American Dynamism movement stands for to ensure our government is working at the speed of technology and serving our national interests,” said Katherine Boyle, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz.

For Kaizen’s CEO and co-founder, Nikhil Reddy, the company’s mission is a personal one. He believes Americans have settled for less when it comes to public service technology. 

“American citizens have been worn down into accepting second-class solutions when it comes to public service technology,” Reddy said. “Think about it, when was the last time you had a delightful experience booking a DMV appointment or reserving a campsite at a state park?”

He added, “If we raise our expectations of what public service technology can and should be, we can transform not just someone’s day or weekend, but how millions of people experience the impact of their taxpayer dollars.”

The timing of Kaizen’s rise coincides with a national push for digital reform. The federal government recently established a National Design Office to oversee a $10 billion effort aimed at modernising more than 25,000 public service portals. 

Kaizen’s tools align closely with this agenda, providing governments with the digital infrastructure to serve citizens with the same ease as private-sector platforms.

“In so many places around the world, public services run on technology that’s every bit as good as what we use in our daily lives — sometimes better. There’s no reason America shouldn’t aim just as high,” said Alexis Ohanian, founder and general partner at Seven Seven Six. 

“Kaizen is building the backbone for public services that reflect the beauty, ambition, and potential of the society they serve.”

Co-founder KJ Shah, who began his career in mergers and acquisitions, saw how legacy systems affected public-sector efficiency. “For decades, public servants have been forced to use stagnant software built through acquisitions, not product innovation. Our agencies need and deserve a platform built natively and designed to grow with them,” he stated.

Kaizen’s results are already visible. In Maryland, the company launched a new state park day-pass system in less than two months, a full month ahead of schedule. 

On Independence Day weekend, state parks operated at full capacity without major check-in delays, eliminating long-standing traffic jams and cutting overtime costs. Wildlife even began returning to calmer park environments.

“As a career public servant with 30 years at the Department of Natural Resources, I can say without hesitation that this initiative is one of the most meaningful changes we’ve implemented to expand and safeguard public access while ensuring equitable access to our public lands,” said Paul Peditto, assistant secretary of Land Resources, Maryland DNR.

Since early 2024, Kaizen’s customer base has expanded tenfold, while annual recurring revenue has surged ninefold year-on-year. The company has recently partnered with Maricopa County, Arizona; San Bernardino County, California; Suffolk County, New York; and the Cherokee Nation. 

Its workforce is expected to grow from 30 to 50 by early next year as it targets federal agencies and new sectors such as courts and licensing.

“Kaizen is tackling one of the toughest areas in technology and doing it with precision and purpose,” said Amit Kumar, partner at Accel. “Nikhil sees opportunity where others see complexity, and his team is proving that public services can be modern, efficient, and built around the people they serve.”

Andrew Schoen, Partner at NEA, added: “Public services impact hundreds of millions of people every day in the US alone, yet their technologies often lag far behind the seamless digital experiences modern consumers expect. We’re thrilled to back Nikhil, KJ, and the Kaizen team as they bring streamlined, thoughtfully-designed, AI-native experiences to government services, already reaching more than 30 million residents across 17 states and 50 agencies.”

Kaizen’s long-term goal is to become the primary technology partner for public institutions, one that creates reliable, beautifully designed systems citizens can trust.