Proud, Inspired and Optimistic: My Reflections from African Tech Summit 2026

On May 29th, I had the privilege of attending the 10th edition of African Tech Summit at the London Stock Exchange, and I left feeling inspired, energised and, most importantly, immensely proud.

As someone who is part of the African diaspora and proudly Pan African, events like this always mean something more than simply networking or listening to industry leaders. They are a reminder of the extraordinary talent, resilience and ambition that exists across the continent, and the incredible people working every day to solve some of Africa's biggest challenges through technology, infrastructure, finance and entrepreneurship.

What struck me throughout the day was that the conversation was not about chasing hype. It was about solving real problems.

One of the most thought provoking keynotes came from Sir Kenneth Olisa, who spoke about the need to shift the African diaspora from being simply senders of remittances to becoming owners and investors. His vision of encouraging the diaspora to invest in African bonds, equities and businesses was compelling. The idea that we should move from remittance to returns resonated deeply with me. Africa has no shortage of opportunity, but capital still needs to flow more effectively across borders, and the diaspora has an important role to play in that future.

Benjamin Oladokun of Shekel Mobility delivered one of my favourite quotes of the day:

"The market does not reward ambition. It rewards usefulness."

His discussion around care as infrastructure was fascinating. The argument that founders do not stop caring as they scale, but instead fail to convert care into systems and infrastructure, felt incredibly relevant not only to startups but to business leadership more broadly.

A recurring theme throughout the summit was infrastructure.

Whether it was payments, lending, energy or AI, speaker after speaker highlighted that Africa's next generation of success stories will be built by companies creating the rails that allow entire industries to function.

The panel on financial infrastructure featuring Tayo Oviosu and Jay Alabraba from Paga was particularly insightful. What stood out was the recognition that financial infrastructure is largely invisible when it works. People simply expect to move money, transact and save without friction. Yet building those rails across multiple African markets remains incredibly complex.

Tayo's reflections on compliance were especially interesting. While competitors often looked for shortcuts, Paga invested heavily in working with regulators and building trust. In the long run, that trust became a competitive advantage. It was a powerful reminder that sustainable businesses are often built through patience rather than speed.

Stablecoins were another major topic of discussion throughout the day. What became clear is that many African fintech companies are increasingly using stablecoins as infrastructure rather than speculation. The goal is simple: reduce settlement times, lower costs and solve cross border payment challenges that continue to slow economic activity across the continent.

The conversation around credit infrastructure was equally eye opening.

Nadeem Juma of Credable Group highlighted something I had never quite considered in those terms before. Africa has largely solved the challenge of moving money, but it has not yet solved the challenge of moving credit.

His argument that payments were the infrastructure story of the last generation, while credit could become the infrastructure story of the next generation, was one of the most exciting ideas discussed during the summit.

Energy was another area where the scale of opportunity became impossible to ignore.

Jonathan Lule of bPOWERd described Africa's energy challenge as more than an energy problem. He called it a tax on human potential. His presentation highlighted the reality that population growth continues to outpace infrastructure development across many parts of the continent, creating opportunities for decentralised and innovative approaches to energy access.

The venture capital panel also provided plenty of food for thought.

Tokunboh Ishmael spoke about backing businesses that improve access to essential services such as finance and energy. Dotun Olowoporoku reminded everyone that optimism remains one of the most important qualities in venture capital, while several speakers stressed the importance of embracing failure and learning quickly.

Perhaps one of the most encouraging discussions was around artificial intelligence.

The AI panel, brilliantly moderated by Adia Sowho, avoided many of the simplistic narratives that often dominate conversations around AI.

The discussion was grounded in reality. African businesses are not interested in AI because it is fashionable. They are interested in whether it solves genuine problems.

Several speakers emphasised that Africa's constraints may actually become an advantage. While the continent may not have the same access to compute power as major Western economies, African builders have an opportunity to create AI solutions tailored to local realities, local languages, local customer behaviours and local business challenges.

The future may not belong to those with the biggest models. It may belong to those who understand their users best.

That idea stayed with me long after the summit ended.

What made the entire event so special was that every discussion ultimately came back to people. Financial inclusion. Access to credit. Energy access. Better data. Better infrastructure. Better opportunities.

Technology was never presented as the destination.

It was presented as the tool.

I left African Tech Summit feeling incredibly optimistic about Africa's future. The challenges remain significant, but so too does the ingenuity, determination and ambition of the founders, investors, operators and policymakers working to solve them.

A huge thank you to everyone involved in organising such a fantastic event.

I absolutely cannot wait for the next African Tech Summit to return to London. Although after yesterday, I may just have to travel to Africa for the next one.

And finally, if you're a technology company in the UK or Africa looking to improve your communications strategy, strengthen your reputation, increase your visibility or tell your story more effectively, I'd love to have a conversation.

📩 lekeapena@thenextmachinecomms.com

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