Speakers

MOONSHOT 2025

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.

Begna Gebreyes

Head of Heavy Industries, Telecoms & Technology (HITT), Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)

FUTURE OF COMMERCE

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.

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Begna Gebreyes

Head of Heavy Industries, Telecoms & Technology (HITT), Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)
Odunayo Eweniyi

Co-founder and General Partner, FirstCheck Africa

STARTUP FESTIVAL

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.

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Odunayo Eweniyi

Co-founder and General Partner, FirstCheck Africa
Abubakar Suleiman

CEO, Sterling Bank

FUTURE OF COMMERCE

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.

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Abubakar Suleiman

CEO, Sterling Bank
Tomike Adeoye

Brand Influencer, Actor, and Media Personality

CREATIVE ECONOMY

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Tomike Adeoye

Brand Influencer, Actor, and Media Personality
Shoday

Artiste

CREATIVE ECONOMY

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.

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Shoday

Artiste
Maryam Apaokagi (Taaooma)

Content Creator

CREATIVE ECONOMY

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Maryam Apaokagi (Taaooma)

Content Creator
Tokini-Peterside- Schwebig

Founder, ArTX

CREATIVE ECONOMY

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.

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Tokini-Peterside- Schwebig

Founder, ArTX
Alex Tsado

Co-founder, Alliance4ai

EMERGING TECH

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.

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Alex Tsado

Co-founder, Alliance4ai
Akeem Lawal

MD, Payment Processing & Switching, Interswitch Purepay

BIG TECH/ENTERPRISE

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.

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Akeem Lawal

MD, Payment Processing & Switching, Interswitch Purepay
Jade Abbott

Co-founder, Masakhane

EMERGING TECH

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.

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Jade Abbott

Co-founder, Masakhane
Professor Odile Limpach

Co-founder, SpielFabrique 360°

CREATIVE ECONOMY

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.

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Professor Odile Limpach

Co-founder, SpielFabrique 360°
Mayokun Owolabi

Head, Global Expansion & Payment Partnerships- Africa, Flutterwave

FUTURE OF COMMERCE

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.

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Mayokun Owolabi

Head, Global Expansion & Payment Partnerships- Africa, Flutterwave
Uwem Uwemakpan

Head of Investments, Seed Fund II at Launch Africa

FUEL: THE INVESTOR CONFERENCE

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.

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Uwem Uwemakpan

Head of Investments, Seed Fund II at Launch Africa
Deepankar Rustagi

CEO, OmniRetail

FUTURE OF COMMERCE

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.

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Deepankar Rustagi

CEO, OmniRetail
Eloho Omame

Partner, TLcom & Co-Founder, FirstCheck Africa

STARTUP FESTIVAL

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.

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Eloho Omame

Partner, TLcom & Co-Founder, FirstCheck Africa
Wole Ayodele

CEO, Fincra

FUTURE OF COMMERCE

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.

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Wole Ayodele

CEO, Fincra
Ire Aderinokun

Limited Partner, Angel Investor

FUEL: THE INVESTOR CONFERENCE STARTUP FESTIVAL

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.

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Ire Aderinokun

Limited Partner, Angel Investor
Moe Odele

Managing Partner, Vazilegal

CREATIVE ECONOMY

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Moe Odele

Managing Partner, Vazilegal
Jean Luc-Sonhaye

Founder, Papricai Incubator

Jean-Luc Gbati Sonhaye, jurist and PhD in Culture & Development, is a strategist in West Africa’s cultural and creative industries. With over 15 years’ experience, he has led projects with governments, international organizations, and civil society to foster social cohesion, conflict prevention, and inclusive governance. Former Project Manager of ARTPRENA and Administrator of the African Culture Fund, he now coordinates Donko ni Maaya (GIZ Mali). Founder of PAPRICAI Incubator and former Chair of the Heinrich Klose Foundation, Jean-Luc—winner of the ACP-EU Culture Award—champions cultural innovation, youth and women’s inclusion, and sustainable CCI ecosystems.

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Jean Luc-Sonhaye

Founder, Papricai Incubator
Ebere Nkoro

Senior Partner Success Manager for Enterprise, East and
West Africa at Amazon Web Services (AWS)

BIG TECH/ENTERPRISE

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.

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Ebere Nkoro

Senior Partner Success Manager for Enterprise, East and
West Africa at Amazon Web Services (AWS)