MOONSHOT 2025
speakers
We’re bringing together some of the most audacious thinkers and doers in African tech, working on everything from fintech to commerce, energy, Web3 and AI, telco, cloud and more.
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Dr. Jumoke Oduwole
Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Nigeria
Dr. Jumoke Oduwole MFR currently serves as the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, spearheading initiatives to drive economic growth and innovation in Nigeria. A distinguished reformer, she has held pivotal roles in both the Buhari and Tinubu administrations, delivering impactful reforms that have improved Nigeria’s ease of doing business and boosted investor confidence.
Her career spans academia, corporate governance, and public service. As a Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Centre and Governance Advisor at MIT’s Governance Lab, she has brought a global perspective to governance innovation. Her academic achievements include degrees from the University of Lagos, Cambridge University, and Stanford Law School.
Dr. Jumoke Oduwole
Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Nigeria
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HM. Salima Bah
Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation, Sierra Leone
Minister Haja Salima Monorma Bah is the Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation in Sierra Leone. As a cabinet minister, her mandate includes leading the government’s digital transformation agenda as well as the country’s digital economy and innovation entrepreneurship strategic development, while also supervising the telecommunications sector.
Minister Salima Bah is most passionate about the potential of technology and innovation to accelerate the national development of developing countries and prior to her appointment, she led the design, development, and implementation of such programs as the Head of Project Coordination at the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation in Sierra Leone. Minister Salimah Bah holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Wales and a Master of Laws from Columbia Law School.
HM. Salima Bah
Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation, Sierra Leone
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Dr. Aminu Maida
Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)
Dr. Aminu Maida is the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), appointed in October 2023 by President Bola Tinubu. A seasoned technology executive, he brings over 15 years of international experience spanning fintech, telecommunications, and enterprise technology
Before joining the NCC, Dr. Maida served as Executive Director of Technology and Operations at the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS), where he led the standardization of devices across Nigeria’s financial system to drive interoperability in the e-payment ecosystem. His earlier career includes senior leadership roles as Chief Technical Officer at Arca Payments Network, Senior Manager at Cisco Systems in the UK, and network and systems engineering roles at EE (BT Group) and Ubiquisys, now part of Cisco.
Dr. Maida holds a PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Bath, an MEng in Information Systems Engineering from Imperial College London, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship (FinTech Pathway) from Cambridge Judge Business School.
Dr. Aminu Maida
Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)
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Carlos Rojas-Arbulú has over 20 years of international experience and has worked in 9 countries across
4 continents: Africa, Asia, South America and North America. As a Canadian diplomat abroad, he is currently serving as Deputy High Commissioner at Canada’s Deputy High Commission in Lagos, Nigeria. Previously, he has held Executive roles as Counsellor (Commercial) and Senior Trade Commissioner at the Embassy of Canada to Chile (2021-2024); Consul and Senior Trade Commissioner at the Consulate General of Canada in Mumbai, India (2019-2020), and Counsellor (Development) and Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Canada to Haiti (2017-2019), amongst other assignments in West Africa and Central America.
At Global Affairs Canada (GAC) in Ottawa, and in Executive roles, he served as Senior Departmental Advisor to two Ministers of International Cooperation & La Francophonie (2015-2017), and as Director of the Environment Division (2014-2015). In other leadership roles, he served as Deputy Director, Corporate Social Responsibility & National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (2007-2010), and advisor across Asia, North America and Central America portfolios.
He is recognized as an effective communicator in French, English, Spanish (and working on Portuguese) and has served in various community and business-related Boards of Directors. He holds degrees from Concordia University and McGill University in Montreal, Canada.Mr. Carlos Rojas-Arbulu
Deputy High Commissioner of Canada
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Mr Wale Adeosun
CEO, Kuramo Capital
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Dr. Vincent Olatunji, CPPPS,CDPO,FIIM
National Commissioner/CEO,NDPC
Dr. Vincent Olatunji holds a PhD in Geography and Planning from the University of Lagos, an Advanced Diploma in Computer Studies, and is a Certified Public-Private Partnership Specialist (IP3) as well as a PECBC Certified Data Protection Officer.
He has over 34 years of public sector experience, joining NITDA in 2002 and rising to Director in 2014 and Acting DG in 2016. As Director of e-Government Development and Regulations, he led the creation of major national policies and frameworks, including the Nigeria Inter-Operability Framework, e-Government Enterprise Architecture, Cloud First Policy, Government Digital Service Policy, Nigeria Data Protection Regulation, and the Smart Initiatives Framework.
Dr. Vincent Olatunji, CPPPS,CDPO,FIIM
National Commissioner/CEO,NDPC
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Mr. Temi Popoola
Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Group
Temi Popoola is the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Exchange Group. (NGX Group). A Wall Street–trained investment banker, he has built a career spanning investment banking, asset management, and capital markets leadership across Africa, Europe, and the United States.
Temi began his career in London as an asset manager specializing in Africa’s energy sector, before moving to New York as an Equity Derivatives Trader at Bank of America Securities. On returning to Nigeria, he led structured products and investments at UBA and later drove sales and trading at CSL Stockbrokers, where he helped channel global capital into the Nigerian market.
Since assuming leadership at NGX Group, Temi has worked to strengthen the Nigerian capital market, expand its role in Africa’s financial system, and drive innovation that improves access for both local and international investors.
Mr. Temi Popoola
Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Group
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Obi Asika
Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, NCAC
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Marlon Nichols is the co-founder and managing general partner of MaC Venture Capital, a leading seed-stage firm renowned for backing visionary founders who redefine industries. Under his leadership, MaC has grown into one of North America’s largest seed-stage venture firms, surpassing $600 million in assets under management (AUM). In October 2024, the firm announced the closing of its third fund ($150 million), further solidifying its influence in the early-stage investment landscape.
Marlon’s portfolio includes industry-defining companies such as Airspace, Blavity, FINESSE, Gimlet Media, MongoDB, Pipe, Purestream, Thrive Market, and Shekel Mobility, among others. His keen eye for transformative opportunities has earned him widespread recognition, including consecutive placements on the Los Angeles Business Journal’s LA500 (2022–2025) and Business Insider’s Seed 100 (Top Early-Stage Investors) for four years. Additionally, he ranks 25th on the Kauffman Fellows Fund Returners Index and has been featured in PitchBook’s 25 Black Founders and VCs to Watch for six years.
Marlon Nichols
Managing Partner, MaC Venture Capital
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Ambassador Gautier Mignot has served as the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS since September 2024. A career diplomat with 26 years in the French Foreign Service, he has held senior roles in Europe, Africa, and Latin America, including French Ambassador to Colombia and EU Ambassador to Mexico. An ESSEC and ENA graduate, he coordinated the French EU Council Presidency in 2008 and later served as Deputy Head of Mission in Senegal and Deputy Director General for Global Affairs in Paris. Ambassador Mignot is committed to fostering dialogue, cooperation, and cultural exchange across regions to strengthen CCI ecosystems.
Gautier Mignot
European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS
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Hon. Yussif Issaka Jajah is the Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts (MoTCCA), and is currently serving as a third term Member of Parliament for Ayawaso North Constituency in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. He is also a distinguished energy and development finance expert. He holds three (3) master’s Degrees from the University of Dundee, Scotland, and Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), where he obtained his MBA in International Oil and Gas Management, MPhil Development Finance and MSc Energy Economics respectively, he obtained a BSc in Finance (Accounting option) from the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA). He is happily married with four (4) children.
Hon. Yussif I. Jajah
Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Ghana
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Massimo De Luca is Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, a role he assumed in 2024. He previously served as Head of Trade and Economics in Costa Rica, South Africa, and Nigeria, following earlier work at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition. His expertise spans value chain development, public procurement, PPPs, and business environment analysis. With a strong commitment to inclusive growth and regional cooperation, Massimo works to strengthen ecosystems that foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development, supporting initiatives that align with CCI’s mission to drive transformative social impact.
Massimo De Luca
Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Nigeria
and ECOWAS -
Anu Adedoyin Adasolum is the Founder and CEO of Sabi, a leading technology platform that helps underserved merchants grow by providing access to fulfillment, logistics, ERP tools, a B2B marketplace, data insights, and financial services. Since founding Sabi in 2021, she has scaled the platform into one of Africa’s fastest-growing business networks.
Her career began with roles at Dangote Industries and KPMG Nigeria, where she gained experience in operations planning, management consulting, and business analysis. She went on to become Chief Operating Officer at Rensource Energy, where she played a pivotal role in scaling operations and driving growth. She has held senior leadership roles at Jumia Group, including Head of JForce Transformation and VP of JForce (Sales), as well as roles in vendor acquisition and sourcing. Across her journey, Anu has consistently focused on leveraging technology and operational excellence to unlock growth opportunities for businesses and communities across Africa.
Anu Adedoyin Adasolum
CEO, Sabi
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Dr. Bunmi Ajala
Senior Special Adviser (AI, Data & Research) to the HM of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy
Dr. Bunmi Ajala
Senior Special Adviser (AI, Data & Research) to the HM of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy
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Ebi Atawodi is the Director of Product at Google for YouTube Studio, the home of millions of creators worldwide. She has built a career at the intersection of technology, design, and business, leading teams that develop sustainable products and platforms designed to impact lives for generations.
Before Google, she was Director of Product at Netflix, where she led Payments in EMEA, and Head of Product at Uber, driving the global payments experience across Uber’s apps. She joined Uber in 2014 as General Manager for Lagos and went on to become General Manager for West Africa, scaling operations from a handful of cars to a major regional business.
Before Uber, she held several roles, from the Head of Corporate Communications and Sponsorships at Etisalat, where she created the Etisalat Prize for Literature, Africa’s most prestigious literary prize. She started the first half of her career as a full-stack engineer working for various global brands such as Nokia, GlaxoSmithKline, Channel 4, and Bupa.
Ebi Atawodi
Senior Director of Product Management, Google.
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Iyinoluwa “E” Aboyeji, OON is the Founding Partner of Future Africa, the continent’s largest seed-stage investor, backing over 100 startups with millions of dollars in funding.
He is best known as the co-founder of two of Africa’s unicorns, Andela and Flutterwave, both of which have redefined talent development and digital payments across the continent.
Beyond entrepreneurship, Iyinoluwa has served Nigeria as the youngest member of the Presidential Council on Industrial Policy and Competitiveness. He was also one of the youngest ever recipients of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) national honor.
Internationally, he has been named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, among other awards and fellowships.
Iyinoluwa “E” Aboyeji
Founding Partner, Future Africa
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Elisabeth «Liz» Gomis is a journalist, filmmaker, producer, and cultural strategist. After a career in media (Radio Nova, Arte, Canal+), she directed documentary series such as Africa Riding and Africa Demain, and founded OFF TO Magazine, a revue dedicated to African urban spaces. She is now Executive Director of MansA, Maison des Mondes Africains, a newly created French public institution dedicated to African and Afro-diasporic cultures. She also contributed to major cultural programs such as Africa2020 Season and serves on the board of Palais de Tokyo.
Elizabeth Liz Gomiz
Director, MansA Maison des Mondes Africains
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Biola Alabi is an investor, venture builder, and media executive with more than 20 years of experience driving innovation and entrepreneurship across Africa. She is an Investment Partner at Delta40, a venture studio building early-stage startups in climate innovation, energy, mobility, agriculture, and fintech, and a General Partner at Acasia Ventures, where she invests in transformative founders across emerging markets.
Through Delta40, Acasia, and her own angel investments, Biola has backed over 50 startups spanning climate-tech, fintech, health, and the creative economy. She also serves on the boards of Pulse Africa, Akili Network, and the Lagos Angel Network, where she is Deputy Chair. She is a Yale World Fellow and a WEF Young Global Leader, with a focus on capital formation, creative economy financing, and
inclusive innovation across Africa.Biola Alabi
Investment Partner, Delta40 Venture Studio
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Feyikemi Abudu is the founder of Unpacked, a recycling plant and luggage manufacturing company based in Lagos, Nigeria. A graduate of Chemical Engineering from University College London and a TIME 100 Next Leader, FK worked in business development before pivoting into the green economy. Known for her wit, sharp takes, and unmatched ability to survive on coffee and wine, she’s as passionate about making the planet better as she is about planning her next fabulous getaway.
FK Abudu
Co-host, I Said What I Said
Founder, Unpacked -
Jola Ayeye
Co-host, I Said What I Said
CEO, Carousel NetworkJola Ayeye is a writer, media entrepreneur, and storyteller obsessed with how technology shapes culture. She’s the CEO of Carousel Network, Head of Development at Salt & Truth, and co-host of I Said What I Said, one of Africa’s biggest podcasts.
She’s written for The Smart Money Woman and Far From Home on Netflix, and now leads creative development across film, podcasting, and digital media. Jola is passionate about helping young creators—especially women—leverage tech and storytelling to build impactful, sustainable careers.
She believes the future of African storytelling lives where creativity meets technology and community—and she’s helping to build that future.
Jola Ayeye
Co-host, I Said What I Said
CEO, Carousel Network
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Ebi Atawodi is the Director of Product at Google for YouTube Studio, the home of millions of creators worldwide. She has built a career at the intersection of technology, design, and business, leading teams that develop sustainable products and platforms designed to impact lives for generations.
Before Google, she was Director of Product at Netflix, where she led Payments in EMEA, and Head of Product at Uber, driving the global payments experience across Uber’s apps. She joined Uber in 2014 as General Manager for Lagos and went on to become General Manager for West Africa, scaling operations from a handful of cars to a major regional business.
Before Uber, she held several roles, from the Head of Corporate Communications and Sponsorships at Etisalat, where she created the Etisalat Prize for Literature, Africa’s most prestigious literary prize. She started the first half of her career as a full-stack engineer working for various global brands such as Nokia, GlaxoSmithKline, Channel 4, and Bupa.
Ebi Atawodi
Senior Director of Product Management, Google.
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Akeem Olujinmi Lawal is part of the founding management team at Interswitch Group and currently leads the Transaction Switching & Payments Processing (Purepay) division of The Interswitch Group as Managing Director where is responsible for the business line that contributes about half of the group’s revenue. He is a first class graduate in engineering with business degrees from the prestigious Lagos business school and the IESE business school of the University of Navarra, Spain.
With over twenty (23) years’ experience in electronic payments, payments technology, strategy and business management, his experience includes the Financial Technology, Information and Communications Technology as well as Technology in the Oil & Gas industry. He was the head of the Engineering team that built the Interswitch Super Switch infrastructure, and as a business leader, has been responsible for building and managing several business lines in his career and also for the successful launch of several innovative products into the African Fintech Ecosystem.
Akeem is an enthusiast of the intelligent use of technology for the transformation of Africa. He has a passion is for creative endeavour and ground-breaking innovation. He is responsible for some of the innovations driving the payments industry in Nigeria today.Akeem Lawal
MD, Payment Processing & Switching, Interswitch Purepay
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Ebere Nkoro
Senior Partner Success Manager for Enterprise, East and
West Africa at Amazon Web Services (AWS)Ebere Nkoro is the Senior Partner Success Manager for Enterprise, East and West Africa at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where she drives strategic partnerships and digital transformation across the region. With over 20 years of experience in technology sales and business development, she has worked with Fortune 500 companies, global system integrators, and innovative enterprises.
At AWS, Ebere leads data-driven sales strategies to identify partner growth opportunities, achieve revenue goals, and align go-to-market plans with customer needs. Passionate about innovation and value-driven growth, she leverages her technical and business expertise to help organizations harness cloud technology for sustainable impact across Africa.
Ebere Nkoro
Senior Partner Success Manager for Enterprise, East and
West Africa at Amazon Web Services (AWS) -
Gabriel Ologunwa
AVP, Global Expansion & Payment Partnerships for West Africa, Flutterwave
Gabriel Ologunwa is the AVP, Global Expansion & Payment Partnerships for West Africa at Flutterwave. With 14 years of experience in the financial services industry, he specializes in Business Growth and New Market Development.
In his current role, leading the Global Expansion & Payment Partnerships for the West Africa team, Gabriel spearheads the enablement of payment channels across Flutterwave’s largest market through strategic partnershipsGabriel Ologunwa
AVP, Global Expansion & Payment Partnerships for West Africa, Flutterwave
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Afolake Oyinloye
News Anchor, Euronews
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Josephine Sarouk is the Managing Director of Bayobab Nigeria, an MTN Group company, where she leads strategy and operations to expand Nigeria’s digital and connectivity infrastructure. With over 20 years of leadership experience across technology companies in the UK and Nigeria, she has demonstrated excellence in driving business growth, market expansion, and digital transformation.
Since joining MTN in 2009, Josephine has held several strategic roles, including Senior Manager of Strategic Accounts and General Manager, Regional Operations (Lagos and South-West), where she spearheaded enterprise service growth and regional market development. As Managing Director of Bayobab Nigeria, she has led the company’s acquisition of a National Long-Distance Operator License, the fiberization of data centres nationwide, and the landing of the 2Africa Submarine Cable in Lagos — a milestone strengthening Nigeria’s digital economy.
A Harvard GMP and University of West London alumna, and a John Maxwell Certified Coach and Speaker, Josephine was named a 2024 Woman in Telecoms awardee at the World Communication Awards in the UK. Passionate about women’s leadership and education, she actively contributes to Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR) and supports initiatives advancing the girl child in Nigeria.
Josephine Sarouk
Managing Director, Bayobab Nigeria (MTN Fiber Subsidiary)
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Gbite Oduneye is the Managing Partner at ODBA, a venture capital firm backing innovative startups using technology to create improbable stories across fintech, edtech, healthtech, logistics, AI, and digital infrastructure. He also serves on the Governing Council of Indexa Exchange Group, home to the Africa Tech 50 (AT50) Index, the benchmark spotlighting the continent’s most investable technology companies and leads Valmere Industries, an investment and acquisition platform focused on listed companies and high-growth SMEs. With over two decades of experience across entrepreneurship, finance, and capital markets, Gbite sits on several boards and speaks globally on venture capital, innovation, and company building. His work bridges innovation and institutional capital to shape the next generation of technology-driven growth and liquidity across emerging markets.
Gbite Oduneye
Founder, ODBA
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Goodness Okpani is the Chief Solutions Architect at Ethnos Cyber Limited, where he leads the technical delivery team in strategizing, designing, and implementing top-tier security solutions for multinational organizations across the finance, fintech, and IT sectors. With over a decade of experience, Goodness holds several prestigious cybersecurity certifications, including CISSP and AWS Security Specialty, among others.
In his current role at Ethnos, he oversees the strategic and technical delivery of security initiatives, providing guidance to business leads to ensure client satisfaction and successful project outcomes. His extensive expertise continues to drive innovative security solutions and contribute to the development of the cybersecurity ecosystem across West Africa.Goodness Okpani
Chief Solutions Architect, Ethnos Cyber Limited
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Napa Onwusah is a global business leader with over 25 years of experience across technology, finance, and consulting. She has held leadership roles at Amazon Web Services, Google, Visa, Microsoft, Cisco, and SAP, where she built a reputation for driving growth, leading high-performing teams, and advancing digital transformation. At AWS, she led startup engagement across the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, achieving 39% year-on-year growth and exceeding revenue targets. At Google, she headed sales for Sub-Saharan Africa, delivering record growth and earning the Google Leader Award. Napa is currently Managing Partner at PlacidCode Labs, helping founders build scalable products, and leads Built4Balance, a consultancy focused on revenue and business growth.
Napa Onwusah
Ex Google, AWS, Microsoft
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Sadaharu Saiki is a venture capitalist with deep conviction in Africa and the Middle East, focusing on ESG-driven, impact-oriented investments across Japan, the U.S., and emerging markets. Before founding Sunny Side Venture Partners, he held leadership roles at McKinsey and Dentsu (HQ & India), blending strategic rigor with creative insight.
Saiki earned his MBA (with distinction) from Harvard Business School and holds a bachelor’s degree in Integrated Human Studies from Kyoto University. He is passionate about bridging capital, innovation, and social value to realize transformative growth in underserved regions.Sadaharu Saiki
Founder & GP, Sunny Side Ventures
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Esohe Igbinoba
Venture Partner, Vencapital
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Frank Eleanya is a Senior writer at TechCabal who covers technology, innovation, and policy across Africa. With years of experience reporting on digital policy, connectivity, digital infrastructure, and emerging trends in AI and telecoms, his work explores how technology intersects with society and development. He has written extensively on the opportunities and challenges shaping Africa’s digital future.
Frank Eleanya
Senior Reporter, TechCabal
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Oyaje Idoko is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Layer3, a leading cloud and IT solutions provider in Nigeria. A recognized voice in Africa’s Information and Communication Technology sector, Idoko has established himself as a pioneer in Nigeria’s cloud computing, networking, and cybersecurity space, with influence extending across the continent.
Beyond business growth, Layer3 actively invests in society through initiatives in education, youth empowerment, talent development, digital literacy, and humanitarian support. These efforts reflect Idoko’s conviction that technology companies have a responsibility to help shape a better future.Oyaje Idoko
CEO, Layer3
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Dieko Ojo
Investment Professional, Novastar
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Adeyemi Adegbayi is an investor at Catalyst Fund. He is a member of the investment team, focusing on deal flow generation, investment execution and portfolio management. Yemi has spent his career in venture capital investing and tech, working alongside tech startups, investors, DFIs, and funders to pioneer tech-enabled solutions across emerging markets.
He has invested in and advised over 50 startups across Africa and Latin America. Previously, he worked at TLcom Capital, PurpleChip, and ARM, supporting investing strategies across Africa and technology adoption in the finance sector. Furthermore, Yemi co-created “Build by Vizible,” an emerging markets-focused technology and venture capital podcast, which explores the journey of founders, investors and entrepreneurs.
Adeyemi Adegbayi
Investment Associate, Catalyst Fund
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Charles Edosomwan is a certified computer engineer and digital marketer. He has a budding desire to improve PR practice and its reputation in Nigeria. To fulfill this desire, he founded TEKSIGHT Edge in 2014. Teksight is an Integrated PR and Digital Communications agency based in Lagos, Nigeria. Teksight has a special interest in tech and public relations.
Charles Edosomwan
Founder, Africa Tech Radio
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Olúwátóyìn is the Chief Investment Officer at Catalyst Fund, where he is responsible for the investment team and function. He brings over 17 years of experience working across the financing value chain. His primary focus is to bring the best out of innovative entrepreneurs solving fundamental problems by enabling them to build thriving businesses that deliver lasting superior value to their investors, organization, customers, communities, and environments.
His expertise includes fundraising, investment appraisal, commercial growth, organizational growth, strategic planning, board management, ESG, and impact. He is also passionate about helping people navigate career growth and align work with talent and purpose to drive excellence.
Toyin Emmauel-Olubake
Chief Investment Officer, Catalyst Fund
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Rotimi Thomas is the CEO and Co-Founder of SunFi, an Omnichannel platform unlocking Africa’s clean energy economy by empowering Solar Installer Sales agents with tools and infrastructure to transition end consumers to accessible and sustainable solar and clean energy solutions. With an extensive background in energy modeling, infrastructure finance, project development, and management, Rotimi has been instrumental in scaling SunFi’s impact. The company has exceeded 7MW of installed capacity, saving consumers over $2 million annually, and is impacting over 50,000 lives annually.
Rotimi Thomas
CEO, SunFi
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Adonijah Ndege is a journalist and analyst covering the intersection of finance, technology, and policy in Africa. His work explores how innovation is reshaping banking, payments, and investment across the continent. He brings sharp insights and real-world examples to conversations with regulators, founders, and investors on Africa’s economic future.
Adonijah Ndege
Senior Reporter, East Africa, TechCabal
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Yinka Ajose-Adeogun
COO Kemet Automotive
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Charity Mbithe
Founder & CEO of Kaizen Consultancy
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Dr. Bunmi Ajala
Senior Special Adviser (AI, Data & Research) to the HM of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy
Dr. Bunmi Ajala
Senior Special Adviser (AI, Data & Research) to the HM of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy
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For the past decade, Alex Tsado has championed initiatives making AI cheaper and accessible for innovators worldwide. He deployed the first Nvidia AI GPUs to the largest cloud providers globally, and now focuses on putting Africa on the AI innovation table. He currently works with key African governments to operationalize their AI strategies and has launched the Africa GPU Hub platform where Africans can rent GPUs for their ambitious AI projects.
Alex Tsado
Co-founder, Alliance4ai
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Jade Abbott (CTO) has over a decade of experience spanning the banking sector, non-governmental organisations, and startups. She is the co-founder of Masakhane, a grassroots initiative focused on advancing Natural Language Processing (NLP) research for African languages. Jade holds an MSc from the University of Pretoria and has received numerous accolades for her work, including being recognised by InspiringFifty, which highlights exceptional women in tech, and Mail & Guardian’s ‘200 Young South Africans’ list, which honours trailblazing young professionals. In 2024, she was named to MIT Technology Review’s prestigious Innovators Under 35 list, a global recognition celebrating the most promising young minds driving the future of technology.
Jade Abbott
Co-founder, Masakhane
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Satoshi Shinada is a Co-founder and GP of Kepple Africa Ventures, currently managing Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures, a $60m pan-African fund.
Since 2019, he led investment in major African startups including Moniepoint, Moove, Carry1st, and Autochek, etc. Prior to Kepple, Satoshi was Investment Manager at Sojitz Corporation in charge of investment in infrastructure and energy projects.
He has been based in Nigeria for 10 years. Satoshi holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a B.Sc. from The University of Tokyo.
Satoshi Shinada
Co-founder and GP of Kepple Africa Ventures
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Kate Kallot is a technologist and deep tech founder recognised globally for pioneering equitable access to advanced technologies across emerging markets. She is the Founder & CEO of Amini, a data infrastructure company building sovereign data and compute systems for Africa and the Global South. Under her leadership, Amini is transforming fragmented analog systems into AI-ready digital ecosystems that power supply chains, climate intelligence, and government modernisation.
Previously, Kate held senior leadership roles at NVIDIA, where she led global developer relations and ecosystem expansion across underserved geographies, and Arm, where she was instrumental in scaling the TinyML movement, enabling machine learning on ultra-low-power edge devices. At Intel, she spearheaded the development of the Neural Compute Stick, the world’s first USB-based AI development kit, democratizing computer vision and edge AI for millions of developers worldwide.
Her work has been recognized by TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in AI, the World Economic Forum as a Tech Pioneer, and One Young World as Entrepreneur of the Year 2024. A trusted voice in global AI policy and digital equity, Kate serves as Vice Chair of the ICC Global Environmental and Energy Commission and is a member of EY’s Global AI Advisory Council.
Kate Kallot
Founder & CEO, Amini
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Andrew Alli is a business leader, institution builder and adviser with 35 years experience, of which 25 years has been investing in, and managing businesses in Africa. He is a trained engineer, successful investment and development banker and investor that has been involved in well over USD10 billion worth of investments in Africa.
Andrew started his career in management consulting and investment banking in the UK. He joined the International Finance Corporation in 1996, where he worked for 11 years, gaining experience in energy and telecommunications investments at its headquarters in Washington D.C. In 2002, Andrew was chosen to lead the IFC’s operations in Nigeria. Four years later, he was appointed to lead the institution’s operations in Southern Africa.
In 2008, after a stint as the co-founder of a private equity fund, Andrew was appointed President and CEO of the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), which he led for ten years. Under his leadership, the AFC delivered over $4.5 billion in investments across 30 African countries, becoming a leading African financier of infrastructure.
In 2019, Andrew joined SouthBridge Group, a pan-African investment bank, as Partner and Chief Executive Officer of the firm, which he left in 2022.
Andrew also has an extensive directorship experience, serving on the boards of several leading organisations across two continents. Since 2009, Andrew has been an angel investor, supporting many well-known startups in their earliest stages of growth.
John Kamara
CEO, Adanian Labs
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Alero Boyo is the founder of AlexBoyo World (ABW), a partnerships consulting agency helping brands, startups, and ecosystems grow through strategic collaboration. She leads a team of partnership managers delivering event sponsorships, campaigns, and growth initiatives for B2B organizations, corporate enterprises, entrepreneurs, and professionals across Nigeria, Kenya, and Europe.
Alero has shaped partnership strategies and event sponsorships for leading brands such as Sterling Bank, Premia Business Network, and Selar, and serves as the brand ambassador for Nexford University. In 2025, she co-organized a high-impact trade mission to Paris with Bridge & Value, creating cross-border opportunities for African businesses. Her expertise spans campaign and project execution, strategic deal-making, event sponsorship strategy, and helping event organizers design partnerships that expand reach and revenue.
Alero Boyo
Founder & Director Of Partnerships, AlexBoyo World (ABW)
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Michael Emeeka is the Country Head at Blockchain.com in Nigeria, leading growth, customer engagement, and market expansion strategies. Passionate about financial inclusion and the future of digital assets, he brings deep insights into building user trust, scaling digital finance solutions, and unlocking opportunities for crypto adoption across Africa.
Michael Emeeka
Country Head, Nigeria, Blockchain.com
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Bidemi Oke is the Founder and CEO of FlashChange, a forward-thinking digital asset solutions platform built to meet the needs of today’s evolving financial landscape. A passionate leader with a reputation for driving innovation and growth in fintech, Bidemi is committed to reshaping how individuals and businesses interact with digital finance.
Since founding FlashChange, he has worked hand-in-hand with his team to position the company as a trusted leader in digital asset trading and beyond. Under his guidance, FlashChange launched its flagship product, the FlashChange App, delivering secure, reliable, and user-friendly options for digital asset trading to thousands of customers.Today, Bidemi is steering the company into its next chapter with the introduction of FlashChange 2.0, a cross-border payment solution designed to simplify and accelerate global transactions. This expansion underscores his vision of making FlashChange not just a trading platform, but a comprehensive financial ecosystem for the future.
His strategic acumen, coupled with a relentless dedication to innovation, has solidified FlashChange’s place as a key player in Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem and a rising force across Africa.
Bidemi Oke
CEO, FlashChange
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Ayo Shonibare is the Chief Marketing Officer at Roqqu, a leading African crypto exchange and fintech platform enabling fast, affordable cross-border payments and access to digital assets.Ayo is is a results-driven Sales and Marketing leader with over 7 years of experience in strategic planning, sales and marketing, and team leadership, Ayo has built a reputation for driving growth through data-informed strategies and impactful execution. As Chief Marketing Officer, Ayo has successfully led teams, developed high-impact campaigns, and implemented KPI-driven strategies to optimize performance. His ability to analyze market trends, generate leads, and enhance customer engagement has
positioned him as a key driver of business success. Ayo holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Global Marketing from Next MBA, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Brand Management and Customer Behaviour from the University of London, and a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Marine Engineering from Rivers State University, Nigeria.
Ayo Shonibare
Chief Marketing Officer, Roqqu
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Obinna Iwuno
President, Stakeholders in Blockchain Technology Association of Nigeria (SIBAN)
Obinna Iwuno
President, Stakeholders in Blockchain Technology Association of Nigeria (SIBAN)
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Emmanuel Sohe (E.S) is the CEO of The Tonic Technologies, the parent company of Cardtonic, a leading digital platform helping users in Nigeria and Ghana with alternative ways to make international purchases and payments Before joining Tonic Technologies, he had extensive experience consulting for local and international brands on big data and analytics, business strategy, and growth methodologies and frameworks.E.S. is passionate about building great products that solve real-world problems. Notably, the confounding problems in the African payments space are addressed using a combination of alternative methods, particularly cryptocurrency, virtual cards, and other digital assets.
He is a first-class graduate of Demography & Statistics from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, and an MBA Essentials Alumnus of the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Emmanuel Sohe (E.S.)
CEO, Cardtonic
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Tomi Oduyemi is Part growth leader, part mentor, Tomi Oduyemi builds not just brands but the people and strategies behind them. A full-stack marketer, she has led growth across fintech, B2B SaaS, MediaTech, and HealthTech, driving multi-country campaigns in Africa that deliver real revenue and lasting loyalty.
Her philosophy is simple: combine data, creativity, and smart growth tactics to build strategies that don’t just attract users but keep them coming back. For her, real growth isn’t about vanity metrics, it’s about creating systems that work, scale, and last. Tomi is just as passionate about people as she is about brands, having mentored 15+ early-career marketers into confident growth professionals.
Tomi Oduyemi
Growth Lead, Cardtonic
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Ayotunde Alabi is the CEO of Luno Nigeria, where he focuses on providing secure access to digital assets and improving the financial system. With over ten years of experience in finance, technology, and capital markets, he has held leadership positions at Spektra, ARM HoldCo, FBNQuest, and Heritage Bank Limited. He also served as CFO and Chairman of Mercury Microfinance Bank, where he helped advance financial inclusion.
Ayotunde Alabi
CEO, Luno Nigeria
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Chinedu is the Business Development lead for Luno Nigeria. He is passionate about putting the power of Cryptocurrency in everybody’s hand by making cryptocurrency easily accessible to everyone, anywhere and whoever you are. He led Luno’s retail growth in Nigeria and is highly focused on increasing access to Cryptocurrency in the Nigerian market.
Chinedu Obidiegwu
Business Development Lead, Luno Nigeria
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Oji Udezue is an experienced product management leader with a career spanning marketing, sales, engineering, and design leadership. He has a proven track record of building customer-centric products, scaling them to market success, and mentoring high-performing teams. He was formerly Chief Product Officer at Calendly, where he helped guide the company to unicorn status, and also led the Content, Creation, and Conversation team at Twitter, overseeing Tweets, DMs, Spaces, and the Creators Initiative. Oji previously served as Head of Product for Atlassian’s Communication division, where he launched Atlassian’s first post-IPO product, and has also held leadership positions at Spiceworks, Bridgewater Associates, and Microsoft, where he spent over a decade in product management.
In his free time, Oji mentors startups through ProductMind, focusing on diverse founders and B2B SaaS ventures. He is also co-author of Building Rocketships: Product Management for High-Growth Companies, a blueprint for scaling in the age of AI.
Oji Udezue
Global Product Leader
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Barene Jankovich-Besan is an independent consultant and self-described consumer behavior scientist. She helps businesses uncover growth opportunities by digging into what really drives user behaviour—and turning those insights into strategies that deliver on the bottom line. Having lived and worked across multiple African countries and industries, from financial services to FMCG and consumer tech, she brings a continent-wide perspective to her work. Most recently, Barene has been exploring the peculiarities of the AI ecosystem in Africa.
Barene Jankovich-Besan
Independent Consultant
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Emmanuel Nwosu is a reporter at TechCabal covering crypto, blockchain, and the business of Web3 in Africa. He focuses on uncovering the stories behind how startups, regulation, and emerging technologies affect the experiences of everyday users, businesses, and governments.
Emmanuel Nwosu
Junior Reporter, TechCabal
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Roimot Yetunde Ajiboye is a seasoned Chief Compliance and Risk Officer with extensive expertise in regulatory compliance, risk management, AML/CTF frameworks, and financial crime prevention within the fintech and cryptocurrency industries. She specializes in developing and implementing compliance strategies, conducting enterprise-wide risk assessments (EWRA), and ensuring adherence to global financial regulations. With a proven track record of strengthening regulatory compliance frameworks, overseeing licensing processes, and mitigating operational, financial, and reputational risks, Roimot has played a pivotal role in aligning business operations with international financial standards. She has led compliance teams, collaborated with regulators, and implemented risk-based AML/CTF policies to safeguard businesses from financial crimes.
Roimot Ajiboye-Ibitoye
Compliance Lead, Roqqu
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Damilare Dosunmu
Reporter, Rest of World
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Justina Nnam Oha is the founder of Digital Equity Africa, a company focused on digital inclusion solutions tailored for the global south. The company supports governments, international organizations, corporate entities, and Africa’s tech ecosystem by providing access to markets and facilitating trade.
She is also the convener of Kids Tech Fest, the first global AI summit for children, which attracted over 5,000 attendees. Justina founded the Future Minds AI Learning Community, a platform that teaches children about artificial intelligence, partnering with UNESCO and Oracle Academy. Additionally, she supports SMEs with digitization products and services.
With 17 years of experience, Justina is a seasoned tech leader specializing in ecosystem building, innovation, digitization, connectivity, investment readiness, government and investor relations, finance, growth, sales, partnerships, and development assistance.
Previously, she served as the Country Director at the UK Nigeria Tech Hub under the British High Commission. There, she brokered a $3 million cloud credit partnership with Google for Startups Africa to support women in technology and led investment readiness programs for female founders to promote financial inclusion for women.Justina Oha
CEO Digital Equity Africa
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Iyinoluwa “E” Aboyeji, OON is the Founding Partner of Future Africa, the continent’s largest seed-stage investor, backing over 100 startups with millions of dollars in funding.
He is best known as the co-founder of two of Africa’s unicorns, Andela and Flutterwave, both of which have redefined talent development and digital payments across the continent.
Beyond entrepreneurship, Iyinoluwa has served Nigeria as the youngest member of the Presidential Council on Industrial Policy and Competitiveness. He was also one of the youngest ever recipients of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) national honor.
Internationally, he has been named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, among other awards and fellowships.
Iyinoluwa “E” Aboyeji
Founding Partner, Future Africa
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Victor is the CEO and co-founder of Raenest, a fintech platform bridging Africa to global banking. Raenest empowers users to open US, UK, and EUR bank accounts in their own names, enabling faster international payments and seamless global transactions.
Before founding Raenest, Victor was the Engineering Manager at Acumen Fund in the United States, where he led the development of Acumen Academy, a globally recognised online platform for social impact learning. He was also a Senior Engineer and Screener at Andela, where he helped shape its Salesforce recruitment process, and previously led technical integrations at Jumia across Nigeria, Ghana, and Egypt.
Under his leadership, Raenest has reached key milestones—being selected for the 2023 Google Black Founders Fund cohort and securing $14M+ in funding from top investors.Victor Alade
Co-founder, Raenest
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Ray Youssef is a cryptocurrency expert who is regularly contacted for comment by major international news organizations. He has appeared on TV, podcasts, cryptocurrency and blockchain finance events, and he writes regularly for major crypto news outlets. Ray is a polished media performer known for his powerful and controversial advocacy for the Global South.
Ray Youssef
CEO, Noones
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Joel Ogunsola is a technology entrepreneur, innovation strategist, and social impact leader with over a decade of experience driving digital transformation and sustainable development across Africa. He is the Founder and President of Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative (Tech4Dev), a non-profit empowering underserved communities with digital skills and access to decent work opportunities. He is also the Founder and CEO of Prunedge, an enterprise technology solutions company advancing innovation in software, data and AI, cybersecurity, and IoT for clients across Africa, the UK, and the US.
Joel’s impact spans the private, public, and non-profit sectors. He has spearheaded initiatives such as Emerging Communities Africa and GloEpid, a health-tech platform adopted by the NCDC during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching over 10 million Nigerians. He previously served as pioneer Head of the Ondo State Office of Innovation and Partnerships and Senior Special Assistant to the Ondo State Governor.
Joel Ogunsola
Founder and CEO, Prunedge
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Francis Sani
Programme Director, 3MTT Nigeria
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Olumide Akinsola
Country Director, Nigeria, DigiTax
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Goodness “Ada” Armstrong is a top voice in HR and Executive talent recruitment in Nigeria with nearly a decade of experience working across big tech multinationals like Microsoft.
She is the founder of Startuphr Africa, a HR services company supporting the African tech ecosystem (Founders, Operators, Innovators, HR professionals, Startups) with end-to-end HR support from executive recruitment to HR systems, policy and structure design for launch and growth across Africa.
Before Startuphr, she led HR/ People Operations for Microsoft in Nigeria, before joining Coven Works as Head of Talent for Africa.
As founder of Startuphr Africa, she leads executive talent recruitment and HR systems design across Africa and has consulted for government and VC-funded startups across Fintech, AI, Edtech, and Healthtech.Goodness “Ada” Armstrong
Founder, StartupHR Africa
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Emmanuel Peter is a dynamic growth strategist and an institutional sales consultant with a strong focus on scaling blockchain solutions and driving Web3 penetration across Africa. With a proven track record, he continues to champion the adoption of blockchain technology across diverse markets in Africa through education, driving growth, and meaningful impact.
Passionate about the transformative potential of decentralized systems, Emmanuel has worked at the intersection of technology, strategy, and sales. Emmanuel serves as the Head of Web3 markets at Roqqu, where he majors in identifying opportunities and building scalable models to achieve sustainable growth.Emmanuel Peter
Head of Roqqu Academy
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Sakhile Dube is TechCabal’s associate reporter, covering the Southern African region. Dube has covered the intersection of businesses and the environment. With a strong interest in girls and women’s empowerment, health, and social justice, Dube brings a nuanced lens to stories that spotlight African resilience, leadership, and inclusive growth.
Sakhile Dube
Associate Reporter, TechCabal
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Adaobi Orajiaku is the CEO and founder of Atsur, an ArtTech startup using blockchain to verify and protect African art. A software engineer and tech consultant with expertise in blockchain technology and quantitative engineering, Ada has contributed to high-impact multinational projects since 2012. She previously served as technical lead at Akara Africa, guiding Web3 developers in building open-source projects that promote African participation in blockchain technology.
Ada is passionate about empowering African artists and preserving their cultural heritage through technology.Adaobi Orajiaku
Founder and CEO, Atsur
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Ololade Israel is a seasoned engineer with over 7 years of experience leading software development teams and delivering high-performing software solutions. He has a proven track record of aligning engineering strategies with business objectives, fostering innovation, and ensuring the timely execution of projects. His expertise spans quality management systems, inventory tracking software, customer relationship management and system optimization. In his current role as Chief Product Officer, Ololade oversees a team of over 20 engineers and designers, driving productivity, ensuring compliance with industry standards, and mitigating project risks. He has also played a key role in API integration, application performance enhancement, and high-availability solutions. Ololade holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Economics from the University of Port Harcourt and is deeply committed to leveraging technology to enhance business growth and operational efficiency.
Ololade Israel
Chief Product Officer, Roqqu
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Lord Malcolm is an entrepreneur, speaker, technology enthusiast, and fractional chief of people for tech startups, specializing in global employer of record (EOR) and recruitment. He is best known as the Co-Founder and CEO of Betrworkr, a global HR Tech startup that supports startups, scaleups, and enterprises with global talent sourcing, payroll, EOR services, employee benefits, visas, remote work asset management, and productivity tracking.
He grew Betrworkr from a one-person recruitment agency into a multinational HR tech company. Raised in Miami, Florida, Lord Malcolm earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Valley City State University in 2006. Prior to founding Betrworkr in 2020, he held leadership roles in marketing, business strategy, and HR at Dakota Bank, Wells Fargo, Magenic, and Microsoft.
Lord Malcolm is passionate about global teams, people, culture, and supports cross-border entrepreneurship and the future of work, especially on the African continent.
Lord Malcolm
CEO, Betrworkr
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Adebayo Ajibade
Founder & CEO, Loubby AI
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Mr Wale Adeosun
CEO, Kuramo Capital
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Mr. Temi Popoola
Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Group
Temi Popoola is the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Exchange Group. (NGX Group). A Wall Street–trained investment banker, he has built a career spanning investment banking, asset management, and capital markets leadership across Africa, Europe, and the United States.
Temi began his career in London as an asset manager specializing in Africa’s energy sector, before moving to New York as an Equity Derivatives Trader at Bank of America Securities. On returning to Nigeria, he led structured products and investments at UBA and later drove sales and trading at CSL Stockbrokers, where he helped channel global capital into the Nigerian market.
Since assuming leadership at NGX Group, Temi has worked to strengthen the Nigerian capital market, expand its role in Africa’s financial system, and drive innovation that improves access for both local and international investors.
Mr. Temi Popoola
Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Group
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Iyinoluwa “E” Aboyeji, OON is the Founding Partner of Future Africa, the continent’s largest seed-stage investor, backing over 100 startups with millions of dollars in funding.
He is best known as the co-founder of two of Africa’s unicorns, Andela and Flutterwave, both of which have redefined talent development and digital payments across the continent.
Beyond entrepreneurship, Iyinoluwa has served Nigeria as the youngest member of the Presidential Council on Industrial Policy and Competitiveness. He was also one of the youngest ever recipients of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) national honor.
Internationally, he has been named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, among other awards and fellowships.
Iyinoluwa “E” Aboyeji
Founding Partner, Future Africa
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Biola Alabi is an investor, venture builder, and media executive with more than 20 years of experience driving innovation and entrepreneurship across Africa. She is an Investment Partner at Delta40, a venture studio building early-stage startups in climate innovation, energy, mobility, agriculture, and fintech, and a General Partner at Acasia Ventures, where she invests in transformative founders across emerging markets.
Through Delta40, Acasia, and her own angel investments, Biola has backed over 50 startups spanning climate-tech, fintech, health, and the creative economy. She also serves on the boards of Pulse Africa, Akili Network, and the Lagos Angel Network, where she is Deputy Chair. She is a Yale World Fellow and a WEF Young Global Leader, with a focus on capital formation, creative economy financing, and
inclusive innovation across Africa.Biola Alabi
Investment Partner, Delta40 Venture Studio
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As Head of Investment at Launch Africa VC, Uwem Uwemakpan leads strategic investments in early-stage African startups, leveraging his deep understanding of both local markets and global investment landscapes. Through The Grinders Table Podcast, he amplifies African founders’ stories while sharing practical insights on navigating the investment landscape. His track record includes managing $200M+ in funds and facilitating 100s of successful deals that have transformed startups into market leaders.
Uwem Uwemakpan
Head of Investments, Seed Fund II at Launch Africa
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Ire Aderinokun is an investor, entrepreneur, and software engineer with a decade of experience building and backing technology ventures in frontier markets.
As an invited Google Expert in Web Technologies specialising in the core user interface technologies of HTML, CSS, and Javascript, Ire has authored widely-read technical content and spoken at dozens of conferences around the world. She co-founded Helicarrier, a Y Combinator-backed blockchain company for Africa that built some of the continent’s earliest crypto-fintech products, and is passionate about how technology can support global financial inclusion.
Ire partners closely with founders as an advisor, investor, and operator who understands the full startup journey. She brings a founder’s empathy and an operator’s discipline to early-stage investing, with a particular focus on mission-driven companies across Africa and other emerging markets.
Ire Aderinokun
Limited Partner, Angel Investor
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Joe Kinvi (CA) is a systems-focused entrepreneur building the connective infrastructure for diaspora capital and innovation across Africa. He is the founder of Borderless, a digital platform powering investment remittances and collective investing for the African diaspora. Joe’s work sits at the intersection of entrepreneurship, investments, and community building, grounded in the belief that trust-based capital flows, borderless ecosystems, and market-driven innovation will drive sustainable prosperity in Africa. Before his entrepreneurial journey, Joe held leadership roles at high-growth technology companies, including Head of Finance at Touchtech Payments (acquired by Stripe), Growth Lead at Stripe, and Partnerships Lead at Paystack. Joe is an active investor in Africa and the diaspora and a community builder focusing on the African diaspora. Joe is a board member of the African Business Angel Network (ABAN).
Joe Kinvi
Founder, Borderless
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Tito Cookey-Gam
Principal, Partech Africa
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Freda Isingoma
Senior Fund Manager, Octopus Investments
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Lexi Novitske
General Partner, Norrskken 22
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Ariel White-Tsimikalis
Partner, Goodwin Procter
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Adebowale Asaya
Sr. Product Lead, Amazon
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Bernard Ghartey is a Principal at Norrsken22, where he leads West Africa investments for the African tech growth fund. With over a decade of experience in venture capital, investment banking, and telecommunications strategy, Bernard has been a key player in the African venture capital ecosystem since 2019. Prior to Norrsken22, he was Head of Investments at Acuity Venture Partners, an early-stage fund, and served as Senior Associate at I-DEV International in Kenya. His tenure at Vodafone as Senior Strategy Specialist saw him driving the company’s WIN-2020 strategy. Earlier in his career, he worked in investment banking at IC Securities, raising capital for blue-chip clients across multiple sectors. Bernard graduated Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from Ashesi University.
Bernard Ghartey
Principal, Norrsken22
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Ejike Egbuagu is a Pan-African financier with over 15 years of experience spanning commercial banking, international trade, and alternative finance. He is the Group CEO of Moneda Invest Africa, a leading alternative funds firm providing innovative, no-collateral financing to SMEs in the natural resources value chain across energy, agriculture, minerals, and renewables. He founded Moneda in 2015 during Nigeria’s FX crisis with a bold vision to transform Africa’s natural resources into real wealth for its people. Since then, Moneda has deployed over $200 million in capital and execution support, empowering local contractors to scale and compete globally.
Ejike is a Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration and an alumnus of Harvard Business School, Geneva Business School, the University of Kent Law School, and the Access Bank School of Banking Excellence. He is driven by a singular belief — that Africa’s future must be built from within, powered by capital, community, and creativity.
Ejike Egbuagu
Group CEO, Moneda
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Fola Fagbule
Deputy Director and Head of Financial Advisory, Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)
Fola Fagbule is a banker and investment professional focused on infrastructure in Africa. He currently serves as a Senior Vice President and Head of Financial Advisory with overall responsibility for mergers, acquisitions, capital raising and other technical advisory assignments at the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC). His work revolves around large infrastructure projects, companies and investments across sub-Saharan Africa. AFC is a US$4.0bn infrastructure financier working across nearly 30 countries in Africa. Fola has worked at AFC in various roles for nearly a decade and is currently focused mainly on leading the delivery of advice to various clients, including governments, private funds, large corporates, private developers, state-owned entities and central banks. Prior to AFC, Fola worked as an investment banker at Afrinvest, a London and Lagos-based securities firm. At Afrinvest, he focused originally on mergers, acquisitions and capital raising; then subsequently led the investment research department.
Fola Fagbule
Deputy Director and Head of Financial Advisory, Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)
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Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani is Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, and a pioneer in Africa’s startup ecosystem. He is the co-founder and former CEO of Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), the leading pan-African innovation centre with presence in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, and Namibia. Since its founding in 2010, CcHUB has nurtured hundreds of startups through mentorship, funding, and access to resources, becoming a vital catalyst for Africa’s technology ecosystem.
Muktar Oladunmade
Reporter, TechCabal
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Margaret Awojide is a Data Analyst at TechCabal Insights, the intelligence unit of Big Cabal Media, where she works at the intersection of data, technology, and storytelling with a strong focus on Africa’s digital economy and development. At TC Insights, she develops insights that shape industry conversations and strengthen storytelling with evidence-driven perspectives. Her expertise reflects her commitment to making data more accessible, actionable, and impactful.
Margaret Awojide
Data Analyst, TechCabal Insights
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Aanu Adeoye
West and Central Africa correspondent, Financial Times
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Marlon Nichols is the co-founder and managing general partner of MaC Venture Capital, a leading seed-stage firm renowned for backing visionary founders who redefine industries. Under his leadership, MaC has grown into one of North America’s largest seed-stage venture firms, surpassing $600 million in assets under management (AUM). In October 2024, the firm announced the closing of its third fund ($150 million), further solidifying its influence in the early-stage investment landscape.
Marlon’s portfolio includes industry-defining companies such as Airspace, Blavity, FINESSE, Gimlet Media, MongoDB, Pipe, Purestream, Thrive Market, and Shekel Mobility, among others. His keen eye for transformative opportunities has earned him widespread recognition, including consecutive placements on the Los Angeles Business Journal’s LA500 (2022–2025) and Business Insider’s Seed 100 (Top Early-Stage Investors) for four years. Additionally, he ranks 25th on the Kauffman Fellows Fund Returners Index and has been featured in PitchBook’s 25 Black Founders and VCs to Watch for six years.
Marlon Nichols
Managing Partner, MaC Venture Capital
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Anu Adedoyin Adasolum is the Founder and CEO of Sabi, a leading technology platform that helps underserved merchants grow by providing access to fulfillment, logistics, ERP tools, a B2B marketplace, data insights, and financial services. Since founding Sabi in 2021, she has scaled the platform into one of Africa’s fastest-growing business networks.
Her career began with roles at Dangote Industries and KPMG Nigeria, where she gained experience in operations planning, management consulting, and business analysis. She went on to become Chief Operating Officer at Rensource Energy, where she played a pivotal role in scaling operations and driving growth. She has held senior leadership roles at Jumia Group, including Head of JForce Transformation and VP of JForce (Sales), as well as roles in vendor acquisition and sourcing. Across her journey, Anu has consistently focused on leveraging technology and operational excellence to unlock growth opportunities for businesses and communities across Africa.
Anu Adedoyin Adasolum
CEO, Sabi
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Begna Gebreyes
Head of Heavy Industries, Telecoms & Technology (HITT), Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)
Begna Gebreyes is Head of Heavy Industries, Telecoms & Technology (HITT) at Africa Finance Corporation (AFC). As Head of HITT, he oversees a portfolio of US$1 billion in debt and equity investments. He has over 20 years’ experience of investment banking and private equity across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. For the last 10 years he has been financing greenfield and brownfield expansion projects across AFC’s member countries. Prior to AFC, he held various roles at Standard Chartered Plc, CapitalSource Inc. and Bank of America N. A. He received his BA from Stanford University, MBA from University of California: Berkeley Haas and is a CFA charter holder.
Begna Gebreyes
Head of Heavy Industries, Telecoms & Technology (HITT), Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)
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Abubakar Suleiman is the Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bank Plc, where he is driving a mission to optimize financial intermediation in critical sectors that catalyze growth and foster shared prosperity in Nigeria. He is an economist and banker with over two decades of experience in consulting and financial services. Under his leadership, the Bank launched the HEART initiative, focusing on Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, and Transportation, while also pioneering digital transformation and non-interest banking through The Alternative Bank.
Before becoming CEO, Abubakar served as Sterling Bank’s Executive Director and Chief Finance Officer, and previously worked with Arthur Andersen and Citibank Nigeria. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of Abuja and a Master’s in Major Program Management from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
A strong advocate for sustainability and inclusive growth, Abubakar serves on the governing councils of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) and Teach For Nigeria, as well as the advisory boards of Lagos Business School and the Enterprise Development Centre of Pan-Atlantic University.
Abubakar Suleiman
CEO, Sterling Bank
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Mayokun Owolabi
Head, Global Expansion & Payment Partnerships- Africa, Flutterwave
Mayokun Owolabi is a distinguished professional with over 14 years of experience in the digital payments industry. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology Management from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, and an MBA from Edinburgh Business School, Scotland. Mayokun has also honed her expertise through programs from renowned institutions such as Lagos Business School in Nigeria andHarvard Business School (HBX).
Currently serving as Head, Global Expansion & Payment Partnerships- Africa at Flutterwave, Mayokun spearheads the enablement of payment channels across Flutterwave’s largest market through strategic partnerships. Her impactful contributions extend to her previous role at NIBSS, where she played a pivotal role in industry initiatives that have revolutionized the payments landscape in Nigeria.
With a wealth of knowledge and experience, Mayokun brings a deep understanding of digital payments, partnerships, and industry transformation.Mayokun Owolabi
Head, Global Expansion & Payment Partnerships- Africa, Flutterwave
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Deepankar Rustagi is the Founder and CEO of OmniRetail, a B2B enablement company working on digitizing the entire commerce value chain in Africa. With over 23 years of experience in Africa, he has built a career around small business solutions, business planning, and innovation.
He began his career in sales and marketing, serving in leadership roles at Dufil and Lucky Fibres Plc, before founding VConnect in 2010. VConnect became one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s pioneering SME tech platforms, helping businesses acquire and engage customers. Building on this success, he launched Omnibiz Africa to digitize distribution for retailers and Mplify, a sales force automation tool that empowers businesses with data-driven insights.
Deepankar is a Stanford SEED alumnus with strong expertise in sales, customer relations, and team building.Deepankar Rustagi
CEO, OmniRetail
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Wole leads a world-class team at Fincra in building cross-border payment solutions for fintechs, platforms, corporates & global businesses operating across the globe. Passionate about developing a better global payment system for today’s digital world, Wole is convinced that Africa has enormous potential to become the new frontier of this financial opportunity.
He has a background in Finance from Stanbic IBTC Bank Nigeria, where he was a key member of the Credit Risk Management Team, and has a growing career spanning 7+ years. Prior to Fincra, he co-founded Quidax, one of Africa’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, where he led the Product, Business, Treasury & Customer Success teams. Over the years, Wole has recognised the difficulties that businesses face in making and receiving payments across Africa and he has remained committed to lowering the barriers and solving the challenges.
Wole Ayodele
CEO, Fincra
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Dotun Adekunle is the COO and CTO at OPay. Prior to this, he spent about two years at Flutterwave as Senior Vice President, where he grew the organization’s POS business by over 400% in just about a year and helped onboard marquee merchants such as Spar, Adidas, and Burger King.
Before this, he was the VP of Agency Banking and Chief Technology Officer at OPay Nigeria, leading the engineering team based in Lagos in partnership with their Beijing counterparts to build the “old OPay.” He is an information technology professional with over 19 years of experience developing, implementing, and managing core electronic and mobile payment services in the Nigerian market. He contributed significantly to the conception and development of several product initiatives, including OPay POS, OPay Instant Card, Pay with OPay, and more.
Dotun was the first indigenous technical staff member at OPay Nigeria and the founding technical lead of Paycom, which was acquired by Opera in 2017 to become OPay. He has built an excellent reputation across the Nigerian payment ecosystem and brings his wealth of knowledge, relationships, and expertise to help the organization scale to even greater heights.
Dotun Adekunle
COO & CTO, OPay
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Oremeyi joined Interswitch in 2002 as a pioneer employee and has since performed several roles within the organization, including Payment processing, Cards business and product operations.
With over 22 years of work experience, all at Interswitch, Oremeyi became Chief Core Operations Officer in April 2016, following her stint as Country Manager for Verve International in Nigeria. An alumnus of the University of Cambridge UK and MBA holder from the Judge Business School, Oremeyi is an Electrical and Electronics Engineering graduate from the University of Benin.
A member of the Winning Team at the 2011 Hult Global Case Challenge (largest international crowdsourcing competition), Oremeyi currently leads customer success and operational excellence as Chief Customer Officer at Interswitch Group with a focus on embedding customer-centric strategies across six business lines spanning Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Germany, while aligning these initiatives with our corporate values and business goals. She also has the distinction of serving as the first certified e-payment Postilion (now S1) trainer in Africa (outside South Africa).Oremeyi Akah
Chief Customer Experience Officer, Interswitch
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Roosevelt Elias is a visionary product technologist, entrepreneur, and the Founder & CEO of Payble, a pioneering fintech company dedicated to transforming financial access for micro and small businesses in emerging markets globally. With extensive expertise in AI, blockchain, and inclusive finance, Roosevelt has devoted his career to developing technology that uplifts underserved communities and fosters economic growth. While Payble is currently focused on the African market, the company’s vision is resolutely global, aiming to empower micro-entrepreneurs around the world with the tools they need to thrive in the digital economy. Roosevelt’s mission is to create a more equitable economic landscape by harnessing the power of technology to unlock the potential of the smallest businesses, driving sustainable development and reducing poverty on a global scale. By focusing on financial inclusion and economic empowerment, he envisions a future where micro-businesses become catalysts for broader societal transformation. Roosevelt’s extensive experience in building tech solutions that are both innovative and inclusive makes him a leading voice in the push towards a more equitable global economy.
Roosevelt Elias
Founder & CEO, Payble
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Charles Edosomwan is a certified computer engineer and digital marketer. He has a budding desire to improve PR practice and its reputation in Nigeria. To fulfill this desire, he founded TEKSIGHT Edge in 2014. Teksight is an Integrated PR and Digital Communications agency based in Lagos, Nigeria. Teksight has a special interest in tech and public relations.
Charles Idem
Co-founder & Chief Commercial officer, Startbutton
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Eric Wainaina is the General Manager, Africa for Conduit. He leads Conduit’s business development and expansion on the continent, helping businesses in Africa move money across borders more easily, quickly, and with lower fees. Before joining Conduit, Eric worked in a similar capacity at Caliza Technologies and previously had a stint working in a sovereign fund championing technology investments and projects in Eastern Africa.
Eric Wainaina
General Manager, Africa, Conduit
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Hilda Moraa is the Founder and CEO of Pezesha, a digital financial marketplace bridging access to affordable credit for underserved individuals and SMEs across Africa. An award-winning entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in fintech and innovation, she previously founded WezaTele, a pioneering mobility and supply chain solutions company that was successfully acquired in 2015. Before her entrepreneurial journey, Hilda was part of the founding team at iHub Research, one of Nairobi’s first innovation hubs, driving tech research and ecosystem growth. She is also the author of A Kenyan Startup Journey, sharing lessons from building and scaling ventures on the continent. Recognized among Quartz Africa’s Top 30 Innovators in 2018, Hilda has spoken on global stages, including delivering a keynote at the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi alongside President Barack Obama.
Hilda Moraa
CEO, Pezesha
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Bankole Cardoso is the Managing Director of Delta40 Venture Studio, where he partners with early-stage founders to build and scale transformative ventures across Africa in the fields of clean energy, mobility, and climate technology. With a career spanning venture building, investment, and entrepreneurship, Bankole brings a Pan-African perspective on what it takes to grow innovative companies and unlock
meaningful exits. He previously served as Investment Director at Factor[e] Ventures, leading climate-tech investments across Sub-Saharan Africa, and as the
founding Managing Director of Fenix International / ENGIE Energy Access Nigeria, where he helped deliver clean energy to over one million people.
Earlier in his career, Bankole co-founded Easy Taxi Nigeria, the country’s first tech enabled ride hailing platform.Bankole Cardoso
Managing Director, Delta40
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Dayo leads global sales, business development and partnerships at Cedar Money, a fast-growing fintech revolutionizing global payments for businesses across Africa and beyond. With a career spanning nearly 20 years, Dayo has held senior leadership roles at Temenos, Diebold Nixdorf, Oracle, SAP, and Finastra, where he drove regional business expansion, strategic partnerships, and digital transformation initiatives, delivering multi-million-dollar revenue growth annually. His deep expertise in banking technology, payments, and enterprise solutions has made him a trusted advisor to financial institutions navigating complex transformation journeys. With passionate advocacy for innovation and operational excellence, Dayo brings a wealth of insights on scaling fintech solutions in emerging markets.
Dayo Fagade
Director, Global Sales, BD and Partnerships, Cedar Money
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Bolakale combines a background in law, compliance, technology, and operations. With over seven years of experience advising and working with fintechs across Africa—including Paystack, Pagatech, Interswitch, Chipper Cash, and MFS Africa (now Onafriq)—he brings regulatory fluency and strategic clarity. His experience in structuring cross-border payment operations has been central to building Startbutton’s Merchant of Record (MoR) capabilities.
Bolakale Mallick
CEO, Startbutton
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Samuel Oladapo is a seasoned investment professional with over nine years of experience executing high-impact transactions across Sub-Saharan Africa. He has developed deep expertise in financial advisory, mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, project finance, and valuation—supporting institutions across diverse sectors including finance, energy, infrastructure, and manufacturing.
He currently serves as an Investment Officer at Proparco’s Nigerian regional office, where he is responsible for sourcing, structuring, and managing high-impact investments across manufacturing, agribusiness, services, clean energy, natural resources, infrastructure, venture capital, and private equity.
Before joining Proparco, Samuel gained extensive investment banking and advisory experience with leading institutions, including Renaissance Capital, Vetiva Capital Management, and Cordros Capital. Across these roles, he provided strategic financial advisory and structuring support to clients pursuing growth and development opportunities across multiple African markets. His professional journey reflects a strong commitment to sustainable investment and private sector development on the continent.
Samuel Oladapo
Investment Officer, Proparco
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Joanna Mustapha is an award-winning media personality and seasoned broadcast journalist with over seven years of experience.
Her specialty has been in tracking and analysing economic and financial markets. Joanna has covered closely events of listed companies, held one-on-one interviews with local and international C-suite executives, founders, government officials, scholars and interrogated analysts from Nigeria’s top investment firms and financial services companies and other key stakeholders across sectors.
At present, she is the Senior Business Correspondent with News Central Television & host of the flagship business programme: Business Edge, 11 am weekdays.Joanna Mustapha
Senior Business Correspondent, NewsCentral TV
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Samora Kariuki leads Frontier Fintech, Africa’s premier fintech insights and advisory platform. He works with banks, fintechs, and investors to align strategy with real market dynamics. Through deep research, a widely read weekly newsletter, and the F Squared podcast, Samora equips executive teams with clear guidance on payments, core banking, digital identity, stablecoins, and the wider fintech stack. His advisory work supports product strategy, market entry, and partnerships for leading names in the industry across multiple markets. A former finance and banking operator turned researcher and advisor, he focuses on market insights, growth, risk, and execution that leaders can act on.
Samora Kariuki
Founder and CEO, Frontier Fintech
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Tolulope Adeyinka
Director, Business Development, Enablers & Crypto, North & West Africa, Mastercard
Tolulope Adeyinka
Director, Business Development, Enablers & Crypto, North & West Africa, Mastercard
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Oluwadara Openiyi is a Product Manager with over 2 years of experience driving customer-centric innovation, particularly in the fintech industry. Naomi is passionate about building seamless, user-friendly products that not only solve real problems but also enhance customer experiences. Her legal background gives her an edge in ensuring products are innovative, compliant, and secure, while her work in fintech reflects her belief in technology’s power to transform financial services.
Oluwadara Openiyi
Product Manager, Busha
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Boluwatife Aiki-Raji
Founder, Carrot Credit
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Sanmi Olukanmi
CEO and Co-Founder, Shekel Mobility
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Dr. Jumoke Oduwole
Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Nigeria
Dr. Jumoke Oduwole MFR currently serves as the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, spearheading initiatives to drive economic growth and innovation in Nigeria. A distinguished reformer, she has held pivotal roles in both the Buhari and Tinubu administrations, delivering impactful reforms that have improved Nigeria’s ease of doing business and boosted investor confidence.
Her career spans academia, corporate governance, and public service. As a Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Centre and Governance Advisor at MIT’s Governance Lab, she has brought a global perspective to governance innovation. Her academic achievements include degrees from the University of Lagos, Cambridge University, and Stanford Law School.
Dr. Jumoke Oduwole
Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Nigeria
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HM. Salima Bah
Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation, Sierra Leone
Minister Haja Salima Monorma Bah is the Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation in Sierra Leone. As a cabinet minister, her mandate includes leading the government’s digital transformation agenda as well as the country’s digital economy and innovation entrepreneurship strategic development, while also supervising the telecommunications sector.
Minister Salima Bah is most passionate about the potential of technology and innovation to accelerate the national development of developing countries and prior to her appointment, she led the design, development, and implementation of such programs as the Head of Project Coordination at the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation in Sierra Leone. Minister Salimah Bah holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of Wales and a Master of Laws from Columbia Law School.
HM. Salima Bah
Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation, Sierra Leone
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Dr. Aminu Maida
Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)
Dr. Aminu Maida is the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), appointed in October 2023 by President Bola Tinubu. A seasoned technology executive, he brings over 15 years of international experience spanning fintech, telecommunications, and enterprise technology
Before joining the NCC, Dr. Maida served as Executive Director of Technology and Operations at the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS), where he led the standardization of devices across Nigeria’s financial system to drive interoperability in the e-payment ecosystem. His earlier career includes senior leadership roles as Chief Technical Officer at Arca Payments Network, Senior Manager at Cisco Systems in the UK, and network and systems engineering roles at EE (BT Group) and Ubiquisys, now part of Cisco.
Dr. Maida holds a PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Bath, an MEng in Information Systems Engineering from Imperial College London, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship (FinTech Pathway) from Cambridge Judge Business School.
Dr. Aminu Maida
Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)
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Carlos Rojas-Arbulú has over 20 years of international experience and has worked in 9 countries across
4 continents: Africa, Asia, South America and North America. As a Canadian diplomat abroad, he is currently serving as Deputy High Commissioner at Canada’s Deputy High Commission in Lagos, Nigeria. Previously, he has held Executive roles as Counsellor (Commercial) and Senior Trade Commissioner at the Embassy of Canada to Chile (2021-2024); Consul and Senior Trade Commissioner at the Consulate General of Canada in Mumbai, India (2019-2020), and Counsellor (Development) and Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Canada to Haiti (2017-2019), amongst other assignments in West Africa and Central America.
At Global Affairs Canada (GAC) in Ottawa, and in Executive roles, he served as Senior Departmental Advisor to two Ministers of International Cooperation & La Francophonie (2015-2017), and as Director of the Environment Division (2014-2015). In other leadership roles, he served as Deputy Director, Corporate Social Responsibility & National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (2007-2010), and advisor across Asia, North America and Central America portfolios.
He is recognized as an effective communicator in French, English, Spanish (and working on Portuguese) and has served in various community and business-related Boards of Directors. He holds degrees from Concordia University and McGill University in Montreal, Canada.Mr. Carlos Rojas-Arbulu
Deputy High Commissioner of Canada
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Dr. Vincent Olatunji, CPPPS,CDPO,FIIM
National Commissioner/CEO,NDPC
Dr. Vincent Olatunji holds a PhD in Geography and Planning from the University of Lagos, an Advanced Diploma in Computer Studies, and is a Certified Public-Private Partnership Specialist (IP3) as well as a PECBC Certified Data Protection Officer.
He has over 34 years of public sector experience, joining NITDA in 2002 and rising to Director in 2014 and Acting DG in 2016. As Director of e-Government Development and Regulations, he led the creation of major national policies and frameworks, including the Nigeria Inter-Operability Framework, e-Government Enterprise Architecture, Cloud First Policy, Government Digital Service Policy, Nigeria Data Protection Regulation, and the Smart Initiatives Framework.
Dr. Vincent Olatunji, CPPPS,CDPO,FIIM
National Commissioner/CEO,NDPC
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Elisabeth «Liz» Gomis is a journalist, filmmaker, producer, and cultural strategist. After a career in media (Radio Nova, Arte, Canal+), she directed documentary series such as Africa Riding and Africa Demain, and founded OFF TO Magazine, a revue dedicated to African urban spaces. She is now Executive Director of MansA, Maison des Mondes Africains, a newly created French public institution dedicated to African and Afro-diasporic cultures. She also contributed to major cultural programs such as Africa2020 Season and serves on the board of Palais de Tokyo.
Elizabeth Liz Gomiz
Director, MansA Maison des Mondes Africains
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Mrs Victoria Fabunmi
National Coordinator, Nigerian Digital Innovation, NITDA
Victoria Fabunmi is a seasoned Investment Professional with a proven track record over the past 15 years in buy and sell-side advisory, principal investments, private equity, and venture capital. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to leveraging her expertise to mobilize resources and provide vital support to institutions, organizations, and founders, ultimately catalyzing substantial impact and contributing significantly to the broader economy.
She is currently the National Coordinator of the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation, an SPV of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). Through the mandates of her office, she is responsible for championing the mainstreaming and adoption of Digital Innovation in the private and public sectors, with a focus on developing the startup ecosystem within the broader technology and innovation ecosystem. She ensures that all stakeholders work together to accelerate the development of the Nigerian technology and innovation ecosystem.Mrs Victoria Fabunmi
National Coordinator, Nigerian Digital Innovation, NITDA
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Bashira is a Senior Consultant at Africa Practice, where she advises clients on policy, legislation, and political economy within the digital, creative, and innovation ecosystems. She helps ICT sector clients navigate complex regulatory environments, build impactful partnerships, and align with stakeholder priorities.
She has played a key role in shaping Nigeria’s technology and digital economy, contributing to the drafting of significant policies and regulations.
Prior to joining Africa Practice, Bashira was part of the Director-General’s Policy Team at NITDA, where she designed and implemented policies in line with global best practices. She also led initiatives within the Office for Nigeria Digital Innovation, leveraging regulatory tools and fostering collaboration to drive digital innovation across the country.
Bashira Hassan
Senior Consultant, Africa Practice
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Odunayo Eweniyi is co-founder and General Partner at FirstCheck Africa, a pre-seed and seed fund that invests in high-growth tech startups with at least one female founder. She is also the co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of PiggyVest, Nigeria’s largest digital savings and micro-investment platform.
Odunayo Eweniyi
Co-founder and General Partner, FirstCheck Africa
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Eloho Omame is a venture capital investor and ecosystem builder focused on Africa’s technology and innovation economy. She is a Partner at TLcom Capital, a seed-to-early growth stage VC firm with approximately $250 million under management and a portfolio that includes Andela, Autocheck, Pula, SeamlessHR, Shara, Twiga Foods, uLesson, and Vendease. She represents the firm on the boards of several portfolio companies.
In 2021, Eloho co-founded FirstCheck Africa, one of the continent’s first female-led, female-focused venture capital firms, backing early-stage startups with category-defining potential. Through FirstCheck, she is committed to bridging capital gaps for Africa’s women founders and unlocking their potential to build transformative companies. Her perspectives on innovation, technology, and venture investing have been featured in the Financial Times, TechCrunch, Quartz Africa, The Economist, and TechCabal.
Eloho Omame
Partner, TLcom & Co-Founder, FirstCheck Africa
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Ire Aderinokun is an investor, entrepreneur, and software engineer with a decade of experience building and backing technology ventures in frontier markets.
As an invited Google Expert in Web Technologies specialising in the core user interface technologies of HTML, CSS, and Javascript, Ire has authored widely-read technical content and spoken at dozens of conferences around the world. She co-founded Helicarrier, a Y Combinator-backed blockchain company for Africa that built some of the continent’s earliest crypto-fintech products, and is passionate about how technology can support global financial inclusion.
Ire partners closely with founders as an advisor, investor, and operator who understands the full startup journey. She brings a founder’s empathy and an operator’s discipline to early-stage investing, with a particular focus on mission-driven companies across Africa and other emerging markets.
Ire Aderinokun
Limited Partner, Angel Investor
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Dan Herman is a Toronto-based innovation policy expert, lecturer, and independent filmmaker. His film projects include directing and producing Magnetic Cities, an 18-part documentary series on the most innovative and dynamic cities around the world for startups.
Dan is a lecturer at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, where he teaches a class on the evolution of the global innovation economy and how startups from everywhere are competing and winning on the global stage.
Previously, Dan served as a senior policy advisor in the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation, and was the co-founder of the Centre for Digital Entrepreneurship and Economic Performance (DEEP Centre), a non-partisan think tank focused on the Canadian economy.
Dan Herman
Innovation policy expert and filmmaker
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Olumide is an AI Research Scientist and Product Builder with over ten years of experience in machine-learning models and building AI systems and products. He holds a PhD in AI Image Processing from Université Grenoble Alpes, a Master’s Degree in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Southampton, and another in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from HEC Paris.
Olumide has a strong background in product development, image processing, data science, computer vision, and machine learning. He is passionate about applying his expertise to create innovative and engaging solutions while teaching and sharing his knowledge.
He is a guest professor at ESIEE Paris, where he teaches data science, business intelligence, and artificial intelligence to master’s students. Additionally, he is a certified LinkedIn instructor, having completed multiple courses on design thinking, leadership, and communication.Olumide Okubadejo
Head of Product, Sabi
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Awazi Angbalaga-Joshua
Co-Founder, Shaaré
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With over a decade of experience, Tobi has shaped the future of financial and EduTech products across Africa, the US, Europe, and emerging markets. She’s worked at three unicorns – Flutterwave, Andela, and Interswitch, where she learned firsthand what it takes to build and scale products that truly make an impact. Now, as VP of Product at Raenest, she’s helping businesses and freelancers navigate the complexities of cross-border payments.
Beyond her role, she is the founder of ProductDive, Africa’s largest product management community. She has trained and mentored hundreds of product managers, many of whom now lead top tech companies. A SheWinsAfrica Awardee, World Bank Group (2024), Future Female Leader Awardee, IESE Business School (2024), and TechWomen Emerging Leader, U.S. Department of State (2022), Oluwatobi has built a legacy of impact, inspiring the next generation of product leaders.
Tobi Otokiti
VP. Product, Raenest
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Dan Herman is a Toronto-based innovation policy expert, lecturer, and independent filmmaker. His film projects include directing and producing Magnetic Cities, an 18-part documentary series on the most innovative and dynamic cities around the world for startups. Dan is a lecturer at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, where he teaches a class on the evolution of the global innovation economy and how startups from everywhere are competing and winning on the global stage.
Previously, Dan served as a senior policy advisor in the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation, and was the co-founder of the Centre for Digital Entrepreneurship and Economic Performance (DEEP Centre), a non-partisan think tank focused on the Canadian economy.
Dan Herman
Innovation Policy Expert and Filmmaker
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Victor Fatanmi
Director, Strategy, FourthCanvas
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Gennate Hassad
Global Head of Financing, Gozem
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Damian Okafor
Marketing Lead, Chowdeck
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Ashim Egunjobi
Managing Partner, Octerra Capital
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Olu Oyinsan is a leading seed-stage investor and Managing Partner at Oui Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm backing high-growth technology startups in frontier markets. Olu began his career in commercial banking with Guaranty Trust Bank in Nigeria, later working as a consultant at Forrester, advising some of the world’s leading technology companies on products and processes, and as a relationship manager at Silicon Valley Bank, where he supported technology startups across all verticals in accessing debt, equity and mezzanine products.
Olu holds an MBA from Hult International Business School in Boston, with a concentration in finance and strategy. His experience is spread across credit risk, technology valuation, and venture capital. He is very passionate about financial technology, two-sided networks, and connectivity, having made and managed investments in several high-growth startups in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Paystack, MVX, and Tizeti.
Olu Oyinsan
Managing Director, Oui Capital
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Dumebi Iwuchukwu
Head of Design, Stears
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Chioma Ude, known as “The First Lady of African Media,” is the founder and executive director of AFRIFF (Africa International Film Festival), now Africa’s largest film festival with 30,000 participants annually. She has trained over 10,000 young people in film and television, offering free classes with global mentors to empower Africa’s next generation of creators. Cofounder of Envivo and Lavida Studios, Chioma launched the AFRIFF Film and Content Market in 2025, the first platform in West Africa connecting filmmakers, investors, buyers, and policymakers.
Through her ventures, she advances Africa’s cultural industries as engines of trade, innovation, and diplomacy.Chioma Ude
Founder, AFRIFF
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Chimene Chinah is the CEO of Dantown, a fast-growing fintech company committed to connecting the globe, financially. With over eight years of experience building products and scaling businesses from the ground up, Chimene blends strategic insight with hands-on executionto drive growth and innovation. He holds an MSc and an MBA, alongside globally recognized certifications including the Certified Product Manager (CPM, AIPMM) and Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA, CFI), reflecting his pursuit of excellence and adherence to international business standards. Chimene’s leadership philosophy is rooted in the belief that everything rises and falls on leadership. He leads with clarity and intention, developing people as much as he drives results. For him, true impact comes from empowering others and cultivating leadership at every level of an organisation.
Chimene Chinah
CEO, Dantown
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Ikemesit Effiong is a lawyer and Partner at SBM Intelligence, where he manages the firm’s African research network and works with clients across Nigeria’s political, economic, and social sectors. His experience spans judicial administration, geopolitics, corporate communications, and political consulting, including serving as a consultant to four Nigerian governorship races and advising leading multinationals on compliance and CSR.
Since 2021, he has led projects on countering COVID-19 misinformation, shaping post-lockdown education policy, strengthening press freedoms, and improving democratic participation for vulnerable groups. Outside his professional role, he manages a 1,300-member finance professionals mentoring network, chairs the Technology Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association’s Section on Business Law, and contributes to West Africa’s first civil society self-regulatory framework.
Ikemesit Effiong
Partner, SBM Intelligence
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Wilfred Alfred
Senior Strategist, FourthCanvas
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Babajide Duroshola is a seasoned business management executive with over a decade of expertise in startups, technology, banking, and consulting. He is currently the General Manager of M-KOPA Nigeria where he leads strategic growth and operations. With a rich background in business operations, strategy, marketing, and community engagement, Babajide brings transnational experience across African and emerging markets. Before joining M-KOPA, Babajide was the Country Director at SafeBoda Nigeria, where he played a pivotal role in driving the overall growth of the business. His diverse experience also includes serving as the Community Manager for Technical Talent at Andela.
Babajide is a Limited Partner at Rallycap Global, an investment fund focused on high-potential startups in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, where he has championed investments in transformative companies like Risevest.
Babajide Duroshola
General Manager, M-KOPA
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Dr. Olubayo Adekanmbi is the CEO of Data Scientists Network (formerly Data Science Nigeria), a non-profit building a world-class AI knowledge, research, and innovation ecosystem delivering high-impact research, business applications, AI-first startups, employability, and social good use cases. He is also the Co-Founder of EqualyzAI, focused on advancing inclusive and context-driven AI for emerging markets. With over 24 years of executive and technical experience, Dr. Adekanmbi is widely recognized as one of Africa’s foremost leaders in AI for development. His pioneering work on inclusive innovation earned the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Grand Challenge Award for developing large language models that expand financial inclusion. A published scholar and highly ranked data scientist, he is dedicated to building Africa’s AI talent pipeline, advancing innovation, and shaping the continent’s digital future.
Dr Olubayo Adekanmbi
Founder and CEO, DSN
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Lukman Bello is a payments infrastructure expert and Technical Solutions Lead at Paystack, where he has spent more than six years guiding businesses through the intricate world of African fintech. He has overseen integrations for hundreds of notable local and global brands, turning regulatory complexity into clear product strategies and robust code.
Lukman Bello
Technical Solutions Lead, Paystack
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Chukwuemeka Oti is Head of Product at Renmoney, where he is leading the company’s evolution from a lending-focused microfinance bank into a full digital bank and ecosystem. With over 18 years of experience across fintech, telecommunications, and banking, he has consistently driven innovation at the intersection of product, data, and partnerships.
At Renmoney, he has introduced inclusive savings and lending products, strengthened digital customer experiences, and built ecosystem partnerships with leading payment and technology platforms.
Chukwuemeka is passionate about building scalable financial solutions that empower individuals, expand access, and accelerate Africa’s digital financial future.Chukwuemeka Oti
Head of Product, Renmoney
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Ayodeji Alaran is the Founder and CEO of PBR Life Sciences, a TechStars-backed startup transforming healthcare in emerging markets through big data and AI. With a career spanning GSK, Pfizer, IQVIA, and AstraZeneca across Africa, Asia, and Europe, he brings deep expertise at the intersection of technology and life sciences. Ayodeji holds a pharmacy degree from the University of Lagos and an MBA from London Business School. At PBR Life Sciences, he is building inclusive, impact-driven data-as-a-service platforms that help life sciences companies mitigate losses and improve patient outcomes, with operations in both the UK and Nigeria.
Ayodeji Alaran
Founder and CEO, PBR Life Sciences
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Toni Akinmolayan is a Senior software engineer with a focus on backend systems and financial infrastructure across emerging markets. At Busha and Yousend, he builds and maintains high-performance remittance and crypto-fiat platforms, ensuring reliability and scalability for large user bases and complex financial operations. His expertise spans cloud-native architecture, real-time transaction processing, and building resilient systems that support global money movement. Toni began his engineering career in 2019, developing backend solutions for telecom and enterprise clients across Nigeria and Canada. He is passionate about designing systems that are not just functional but built to scale, combining clean architecture with practical problem-solving.
Toni Akinmolayan
Senior Software Engineer, Busha
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Mr. Osa Odiase
CEO, 9 Payment Service Bank (9PSB)
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Tochy Emereole
Marketing Lead, API Business, Quidax
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Obi Asika
Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, NCAC
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Ambassador Gautier Mignot has served as the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS since September 2024. A career diplomat with 26 years in the French Foreign Service, he has held senior roles in Europe, Africa, and Latin America, including French Ambassador to Colombia and EU Ambassador to Mexico. An ESSEC and ENA graduate, he coordinated the French EU Council Presidency in 2008 and later served as Deputy Head of Mission in Senegal and Deputy Director General for Global Affairs in Paris. Ambassador Mignot is committed to fostering dialogue, cooperation, and cultural exchange across regions to strengthen CCI ecosystems.
Gautier Mignot
European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS
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Hon. Yussif Issaka Jajah is the Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts (MoTCCA), and is currently serving as a third term Member of Parliament for Ayawaso North Constituency in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. He is also a distinguished energy and development finance expert. He holds three (3) master’s Degrees from the University of Dundee, Scotland, and Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), where he obtained his MBA in International Oil and Gas Management, MPhil Development Finance and MSc Energy Economics respectively, he obtained a BSc in Finance (Accounting option) from the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA). He is happily married with four (4) children.
Hon. Yussif I. Jajah
Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Ghana
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Massimo De Luca is Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, a role he assumed in 2024. He previously served as Head of Trade and Economics in Costa Rica, South Africa, and Nigeria, following earlier work at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition. His expertise spans value chain development, public procurement, PPPs, and business environment analysis. With a strong commitment to inclusive growth and regional cooperation, Massimo works to strengthen ecosystems that foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development, supporting initiatives that align with CCI’s mission to drive transformative social impact.
Massimo De Luca
Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Nigeria
and ECOWAS -
Feyikemi Abudu is the founder of Unpacked, a recycling plant and luggage manufacturing company based in Lagos, Nigeria. A graduate of Chemical Engineering from University College London and a TIME 100 Next Leader, FK worked in business development before pivoting into the green economy. Known for her wit, sharp takes, and unmatched ability to survive on coffee and wine, she’s as passionate about making the planet better as she is about planning her next fabulous getaway.
FK Abudu
Co-host, I Said What I Said
Founder, Unpacked -
Tomike Adeoye
Brand Influencer, Actor, and Media Personality
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Shoday, born Shodade Solomon Segun in 2000, is a Nigerian Afrobeat artist and singer-songwriter celebrated for his distinctive sound and engaging melodies. With over 80 million total Spotify streams, more than 1.5 million monthly listeners, and a growing catalog that includes fan favorites like “Queen N More,” “Something Something,” and “Finee,” Shoday continues to captivate audiences worldwide. Drawing inspiration from his environment and life experiences, he stands as one of Nigeria’s most promising new voices, bridging local roots with global ambition.
Shoday
Artiste
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Maryam Apaokagi (Taaooma)
Content Creator
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Tokini Peterside-Schwebig is the Founder of ART X Lagos – the leading international art fair in West Africa. Under her leadership, the fair has played a pivotal role in positioning Lagos globally as a dynamic cultural capital, and is a cornerstone of the African art industry.
As an entrepreneur, producer and artistic director, her work is dedicated to shaping Africa’s narrative through the arts and culture. Through ART X, she leads an ecosystem of initiatives that empower Africa’s creative voices. These include ART X Live! – a platform accelerating the careers of rising musicians and artists; the ART X Prize – an annual award supporting emerging artists across Africa and its Diaspora; and ART X Cinema – a showcase championing independent African cinema with a bold artistic vision.
A passionate art collector and patron, Tokini serves on the boards of Yinka Shonibare’s GAS Foundation, Prune Nourry’s Catharsis Arts Foundation, Wigwe University and Anap Jets. In recognition of her impact, she was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2023, and listed as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans in 2022.Tokini-Peterside- Schwebig
Founder, ArTX
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Professor Odile Limpach teaches Economics and entrepreneurship at the Cologne Game Lab, TH Köln University of Applied Sciences, and manages the Incubator of the CGL. She is also co-founder of the accelerator SpielFabrique 360° and works as a Strategic Consultant for serious games and cross-media projects. Between 2007 and 2014, she was the managing director at the German entertainment software studio Blue Byte. Before she was the managing director of Ubisoft GmbH, she graduated from business school in France and completed her MBA in the USA. Odile Limpach is also involved as a volunteer in the areas of vocational training and creative industries development. Furthermore, for twenty years, she acted as an advisor (CCEF) for the French Ministry for International Business Development.
Professor Odile Limpach
Co-founder, SpielFabrique 360°
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Moe Odele
Managing Partner, Vazilegal
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Malik Afegbua is a Nigerian-born contemporary artist, filmmaker, and creative technologist known for fusing human creativity with machine intelligence. As CEO of Slickcity Media, he creates immersive experiences across film, virtual reality, and AI-powered art.
His viral project, “The Elder Series,” reimagined seniors in bold fashion shows using AI, sparking global conversations on inclusivity and age diversity. The work earned him a Game Changer Award (2023) and recognition from the World Health Organization for challenging ageism and reshaping perceptions of beauty in the fashion industry.
Malik Afegbua
Creator of the Elder Series, Film Director, CEO of Slickcity Media
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Salem King is a content creator, coach, and social media influencer known for empowering young creatives to drive change. Passionate about personal growth and community building, he has trained over 1,000 creators, spoken at two TEDx events, and built a thriving network of young changemakers. His authenticity has earned him recognition, including a TFAA nomination, and collaborations with leading brands such as Spotify, YouTube, MTN, Jumia, Sterling Bank, and the Tony Elumelu Foundation.
Salem King
Creator, Co-founder, Crea8torium
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Adaora Mbelu is a Bright Light & Creative Mastermind who architects ideas, platforms, and ecosystems that shape culture. She is the founder of Crea8torium, a platform powering the hottest creator community out of Africa – a space for visionaries, storytellers, and builders driving meaningful impact. An accomplished Brand Strategist and Chief Storyteller, she has worked with global brands such as Google, Adidas, Guinness, Fenty, Johnnie Walker, Microsoft, Hennessy, Zipline, among
others.Her career spans diverse industries, blending creativity with strategic excellence. She has worked on major projects such as Nigerian Idol, X Factor, Nigeria’s Got Talent, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup broadcast rights. Her accolades include being named one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s “11 Africans Changing the Business Landscape in Africa” and one of the 100 Most
Influential People of African Descent.
A multi-potentialite, Adaora is also a visual artist, author of This Thing Called Purpose, and co-producer of the AMVCA-winning TV series Truth. She’s committed to Philanthropy through Socially Africa, a foundation dedicated to community development, through impactful initiatives.Adaora Mbelu
Founder, Crea8torium
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Joy Mawela is a distinguished professional leading the charge as the Head of the Digital Content Hub at Tshimologong, affiliated with Wits University. With a postgraduate diploma in management, Joy drives the strategy and business development efforts for South Africa’s digital creative industries, spanning animation, gaming, XR (AR and VR), digital music and visual arts.
Joy Mawela
Head of Digital Content Hub, Tshimologong Precinct
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Caleb is a young executive with a sharp eye for talent and strategy. He is the founder of Inner Circle, one of the fastest-growing music-related companies in Nigeria. He blends music marketing strategy with street OT, which has helped him lead several breakthrough campaigns for a several artists, including the discovery of Fido and Dxtiny, as well as handling the licensing and marketing of Mavo’s Escaladizzy and Shakabulizzy. His tenacity in studying the market and identifying gaps makes him a standout voice among the next generation of music executives and marketers.
Caleb Oyolola
Founder, Inner Circle Entertainment
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Jordan Belonwu
Creative Director, Belonwus
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Claude Grunitzky is the CEO of Equity Alliance, a fund dedicated to investing in underrepresented VCs and early-stage founders. He is also the founder of TRACE and TRUE Africa, influential media platforms amplifying Black culture globally.
As a Visiting Social Innovator at Harvard’s Social Innovation and Change Initiative (SICI), Claude advocates for transcultural approaches to social change—an outlook shaped by his upbringing across Togo, the US, France, and the UK.
A graduate of London University and MIT Sloan, Claude also serves as a trustee at MoMA PS1 and MASS MoCA, and chairs the Catharsis Arts Foundation, underscoring his belief in the power of art to heal and connect divided societies.
Claude Grunitzky
CEO, Equity Alliance
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Bilia Bah is an artist, producer, cultural manager, trainer, and Director General of Cultural and Creative Industries at Guinea’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Handicrafts. He founded La Muse, a cultural hub in Conakry promoting social transformation, professionalizing the cultural sector, and showcasing Guinean and African heritage through its incubator, Les Studios Kirah. Founder of the International Theater Festival Univers des Mots, which he directed for 13 years, he also presides over RESAE, Guinea’s support network for cultural enterprises. His work focuses on cultural entrepreneurship and leveraging art and culture to build a more equitable society.
Bilia Bah
Director General of the ICC, Ministry of Culture of Guinea
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Ifeanyi Omife is an Associate at Detail Commercial Solicitors, where she advises clients across finance, fintech, technology, and creative industries on a range of business and legal matters. She has experience helping companies structure and finance large projects, raise capital, protect intellectual property, and navigate complex regulatory requirements across different markets.
An active member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Capital Market Solicitors Association (CMSA), Ifeanyi has a broad, practical view of how strong legal and policy systems build trust, attract investment, and support business growth. With experience across finance, technology, and intellectual property, she helps clients design solutions that are compliant, commercially sound, and aligned with global best practices.
She is passionate about leveraging law as an enabler of innovation and value creation, using her understanding of IP, finance, and regulatory frameworks to translate complex legal environments into clear, actionable strategies that empower businesses and creators to scale responsibly.Ifeanyi Omife
Associate, Detail Commercial Solicitors
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Laju Iren is a best-selling author, award-winning filmmaker, pastor, and master storyteller, fondly called A–Z L for her many graces. She is building an empire for the Lord’s stories through books, films, and transformative storytelling. Author of seven impactful books, including her bestseller Dating Intelligently and the children’s classic Little Laika. She is a pioneer of virtual cinema, with Laju Iren Films amassing millions of YouTube views.
Through Laju Iren Publishing, she has guided over 50 authors to publish their works and founded the Christian Storyteller Prize to honor Christ-centered stories. A devoted wife, pastor, mother of four, and lifestyle influencer, Laju Iren continues to inspire globally, changing lives one powerful story at a time.
Laju Iren
Filmmaker and Author
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As the Lead for Middle East and Africa at Orange Ventures, Adama Gaye plays a pivotal role in managing the corporate venture capital arm of Orange Group, which oversees €350 million in assets, including €50 million dedicated to the MEA region. By leveraging Orange Group’s expertise, networks, and capital on the continent, Orange Ventures accelerates the growth and expansion of businesses, propelling them towards global success. Adama has also worked within the United Nations organization in New York for the Mauritanian Ambassador and for Hubert Vedrine, the former Foreign Minister of France.
Adama Gaye
Investment Manager, MEA, Orange Ventures
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Funmbi Ogunbanwo
Film Producer, Fatherland Productions
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Audu Maikori is a Nigerian lawyer, entrepreneur, and creative industry leader with over two decades of experience transforming Africa’s entertainment landscape. He is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Chocolate City Group, a 360-degree media and entertainment powerhouse comprising Chocolate City Music, Chocolate City Media, Chocolate City Kenya, and Bean Creative IMC. Under his leadership, Chocolate City has been instrumental in driving the global rise of Afrobeats and strengthening Africa’s creative economy. Beyond music, he leads innovations such as Pixel Ray Studios, advancing African storytelling in film. His expertise spans media strategy, cultural storytelling, market expansion, and creative infrastructure development.
Audu Maikori
Founder, Chocolate City Group
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Seyi Lasisi
Senior Staff Writer, The Culture Custodian
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Ify Obi is an internationally recognized journalist, writer, editor, producer and strategist. Over the years, she has documented the essence and histories of creative expression in Africa. She brings to the fore stories at the intersection of music, art, culture, and community on the continent.
People-focused storytelling is an encompassing theme at the heart of the many hats that Ify has worn in the span of her career. As a writer and editor, this has manifested in the form of a long on the role of tech in amplifying the Nigerian music industry for Billboard, documenting the rise of youth culture movements in West Africa through streetwear for CNN, contributing to Apple Music’s written editorial, creating space for the pan- African stories of women on the continent and diaspora at AMAKA Studio. She was previously the Western African Editor at Rolling Stone Africa.Ify Obi
Journalist
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Omonigho Aito-Imonah, Nigeria’s first documented professional fashion illustrator, has over 20 years of experience shaping the country’s fashion industry. Founder of Naijafashionista Illustrations and The Fashion Collective Naija, she has collaborated with top designers and leading magazines. Recently, she partnered with Microsoft Nigeria and the British High Commission to train 200 creatives in AI-powered design. She also launched Afrofashion AI, an Afrocentric fashion design app trained on African datasets, blending heritage with cutting-edge technology.
Omonigho Aito-Imonah
Founder, AfroFashion AI
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Issa Sissoko is a Creative Director and AI filmmaker based in Montreal.
At Wonder Studios, he leads end-to-end, AI-assisted production, combining story, design, and generative tools to deliver campaigns and narrative prototypes at speed. A former performance marketer with 10+ years of experience, Issa now runs Amissa Studios, a creative lab developing Africa-forward IP, including the historical fantasy series Mansa: Whispers of the Wind and Waves. He advises startups and brands on practical use of AI across writing, storyboarding, animation, and VFX, and teaches workshops to creators and companies.Issa Sissoko
Creative Director, Wonder Studios
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Ann-Mareme Atayi is International Institutions Manager at EuroQuity – the French Public Investment Bank – where she specializes in partnerships between African/French Tech-enabled companies, institutional relations, and cultural and creative industries projects.
Specialized in International Relations from Sciences Po Paris, she has served both public and private institutions, including the United Nations diplomatic body, the French Development Bank, the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, MEDEF’s Washington Office, and the United Bank for Africa.Ann Marème Atayi
Senior International Institutions Manager, BPI/EuroQuity
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Anita Eboigbe is a media and operations leader working at the intersection of media, storytelling, technology, and organisational strategy design. She currently serves as Chief Operating Officer at Big Cabal Media (BCM) the parent company of TechCabal, Zikoko and TC Insights, where she drives operational excellence, general development, and long-term strategy.
At BCM, Anita has led transformative organisational changes that strengthened frameworks, scaled productisation efforts, and positioned the company for ambitious new ventures in content, data, and film. She also recently created and executive-produced Zikoko Life, an acclaimed anthology film series.
Her career spans organisation operations and strategy, editorial leadership, media product development, and African ecosystem-building. Anita is passionate about building resilient, creative organisations and expanding positive African narratives globally.Anita Eboigbe
Anita Eboigbe, COO, Big Cabal Media
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Dennis Da-ala Mirilla is the Senior Pop Editor at Zikoko. His expertise spans across tech, media, style, digital culture, and pop culture. When he’s not working at Zikoko, he writes Afro Adulting, a Substack newsletter where he documents the lives and experiences of Nigerian men.
Dennis Da-ala Mirilla
Senior Editor, Zikoko
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Jide Martin is the Founder and CEO of Comic Republic, Africa’s first digital comic book company, and CEO of CR Motion+, its animation studio. Driven by a passion for African art, he built the continent’s largest comic publisher, reaching millions worldwide and pioneering innovations such as the world’s first crypto comic. Comic Republic became the first African comic brand to secure investor funding and recently signed a $4M licensing deal with Universal Studios Group. A lawyer, illustrator, and UNICEF changemaker, Jide empowers young creators to tell authentic African stories, advancing Africa’s cultural and creative industries globally.
Jide Martin
CEO, Comic Republic
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Boubacar is a visionary entrepreneur bridging creative industries, AI, and communications. He has led major educational, entrepreneurial, and cultural projects across Africa with the British Council and UK Embassy in Senegal. Founder of Vazy Music, he discovered new talent and produced hits like Skyfall by Sprinoir & Black M. Recognized by Forbes, he also launched Africa’s first online academy for music producers during COVID-19. He is also Country Partner Manager at the Music Business Academy for Africa. He is also at the head of Africa’s first AI mastering and audio enhancement platform Senmixmaster championing sustainable growth in the continent’s creative economy.
Boubacar Djiba
CEO, Senmixmaster
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Pierrick Chabi is a cultural and creative industries innovator and the founder of Wakatoon, a revolutionary platform that turns children’s drawings into animated cartoons via mobile devices. With a background blending design, education, and digital media, he has championed new storytelling methods that engage young creators. Under his leadership, Wakatoon bridges art, tech, and learning—empowering children to bring their imagination to life while strengthening Africa’s creative ecosystem and showcasing the continent’s digital innovation on the world stage.
Pierrick Chabi
CEO, Wakatoon
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Addy Awofisayo is a Music, Content and Tech Executive with expertise in Africa’s Creative Economy. She has gained over 10 years of global experience working in various strategy, finance, content and partnership roles across Africa, Europe and North America. Addy began her career at Microsoft, working in Finance & Strategy. Kicking off her career in media, she worked at Discovery Communications on the content team for international markets, and also served as the Director for content and business strategy for a Pan-African media organization. At YouTube, Addy previously led content partnerships for Sub-Saharan Africa, negotiating partnership deals with large media companies and implementing initiatives for Creators to grow the creative economy on the continent.
Addy Awofisayo
Music, Content and Tech Executive
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Eyram Tawia is a pioneering figure in the African game development ecosystem, co-founder and CEO of Leti Arts, and a doctoral researcher at Loughborough University. His work blends academic rigor with high-impact entrepreneurial ventures in digital storytelling, gamification, and technological innovation. His PhD focuses on gamification, civic participation, and political engagement in Ghana and the wider Global South. This nomination outlines Eyram’s outstanding achievements and future-facing contributions across academic research, societal impact, training, public engagement, and thought leadership.
Eyram Tawia
CEO, LetiArts
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OluwaMayowa Idowu is an experienced editorial leader and legal professional with a robust background in media and law. As Editor-in-Chief at The Culture Custodian since March 2014, OluwaMayowa has been instrumental in developing a leading publication aimed at the Nigerian youth through diverse content formats. Prior experience includes working as an Associate at Probitas Partners LLP, where responsibilities involved drafting and reviewing complex agreements across multiple industries and overseeing the firm’s journal publication. Additionally, OluwaMayowa served as a Student Volunteer at Kent Law Clinic, contributing to community legal services while enhancing the education of law students. OluwaMayowa’s educational credentials include an LL.B. in Law from the University of Kent, completion of the Nigerian Law School, and a focused study on International Journalism at The London School of Economics.
OluwaMayowa Idowu
Co-founder and Editor in Chief, Culture Custodian
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Lanre Masha describes himself as a “cultural architect,” dedicated to building an ecosystem that elevates creativity in Africa and beyond. With over a decade of cross-industry experience, he has become a leading figure in the continent’s creative and music industries.
Masha began his career in the United States with Fortune 500 companies PepsiCo and Enterprise before returning to Nigeria in 2014 to join the country’s growing creative economy. He rose to prominence as Head of Marketing and later General Manager of Music at TRACE Urban, where he built strong relationships with artists and shaped West Africa’s music landscape. Today, he serves as Director for West Africa at The Orchard, where he also co-founded MARS (Mother Africa Reigns Supreme), a sub-label dedicated to signing and developing emerging African talent.
Beyond music, his marketing expertise has informed projects with ART X, Nike, Heineken, Hennessy, and Microsoft, cementing his role as a connector between global brands and African creativity. For Masha, his work is about legacy, service, and amplifying African stories on the world stage.
Lanre Masha
Director, West Africa, The Orchard
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Alexandre Rideau is the Operational Director for Mediawan Africa. He has produced a dozen iconic African shows such as C’est la vie, Sakho & Mangane, or Black Santiago Club. Alexandre also founded RAES in 2005, where he has experimented with new approaches to digital media and communication across Africa.
Alexandre Rideau
Operational Director, Mediawan Africa
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Deborah Oguike leads Growth & Audience Engagement at Communiqué, a creator-led media and intelligence firm building the knowledge bank for Africa’s creative economy. Through research, storytelling, and convenings, Communiqué connects 140,000+ entrepreneurs, creators, investors, and policymakers across 105 countries. Previously at Oui Capital, she strengthened ecosystem visibility and engagement for early-stage ventures. A lawyer by training, Deborah is also a seasoned MC and panel moderator, partnering with global brands like Meta, Glovo, and Interswitch. Passionate about storytelling and community, she advances Africa’s cultural and creative industries by bridging talent, knowledge, and investment gaps.
Deborah Oguike
Growth & Audience Engagement Lead, Communiqué
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Peter is the co-founder and CEO of Twiva, a tech-enabled creator platform empowering creators with skills, tools, networks, and financial services to build sustainable online businesses while offering brands data-driven access to authentic markets. A second-time founder, he previously launched and exited a Toronto-based influencer marketing platform. With experience in software engineering, product and business development across cybersecurity, banking, and startups in Kenya, Canada, and the US, Peter bridges technology and the creative economy. He holds a Computer Engineering degree and is both an Equity African Leaders Program and Mastercard Foundation Scholar.
Peter N. Kironji
CEO, Twiva
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Jean A. Fall is a French-Senegalese entrepreneur, producer, and Fulbright NGO leader. He founded Cinewax to promote African, Caribbean, and diaspora stories through cinema, reaching 55,000 viewers with 300 films over 10 years. In 2022, he launched Cinewax Films, co-producing Black Caesar’s Revenge with Louverture Films, co-founded by Danny Glover. Selected for Forbes Africa 30 Under 30, Jean has collaborated with Canal+, TV5Monde, and the French Institute. As Vice-President of the ICC commission at Senegal’s National Council for Entrepreneurship, he advances cultural innovation aligned with CCI’s mission to amplify diverse voices and drive inclusive social change.
Jean Fall
CEO, Cinemax Films
VP of the CCI commission, CNE Senegal
