D.C. hosts Africa Fintech Summit
The Africa Fintech Summit will be held Wednesday in Washington D.C., with speakers from top African startups like Flutterwave and a keynote address from Ethiopian investor and summit co-founder Zekarias Amsalu.
The event, the latest of the Africa Fintech Summit series launched in 2018, will place partnership with U.S. officials and investors at the forefront. It follows on the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit held in December 2022, with the launch of the Digital Transformation with Africa (DTA) initiative as a priority for Africa’s digital evolution. The Prosper Africa Tech for Trade Alliance will be on hand to announce new developments in its support for Africa’s tech economy.
The U.S. previously committed $350 million in investment funds and an additional $450 million in financing to support Africa’s technology transition, in keeping with the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy. The goals include expanded digital access and literacy across the continent, improved infrastructure and technology-based economic development.
Funding through the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is already earmarked for mobile networks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia and Sierra Leone, while data center improvements or builds are planned for South Africa, Kenya, and other countries in Africa.
Speakers at the Africa Fintech Summit include Chuba Ezenwa, the Bank of America’s managing director for sub-Saharan Africa; Lanre Ogungbe, the founder and CEO of Identity Pass, based in Nigeria; and Jackie Ugokwe of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Organizers say it is the largest bi-annual gathering of financial technology stakeholders on the African continent, with over 4,000 participants from 100 countries since it first began. Cape Town and Cairo have previously hosted the summit.
Image: Africa Fintech Summit file
Laureen Fagan
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Laureen is a freelance journalist creating high-quality, informed content on international affairs, politics and technology. She has worked both in and out of newsrooms since 2000. She is a former paramedic with significant experience in community resilience and nonprofit community development initiatives, and maintains "a passion for action" on sustainability and climate change. She also is trained in conflict resolution and diversity, and has special interests in science and medical reporting, and culture and religion issues. Laureen received her MSJ from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in the United States, and completed additional graduate study in theology at University of Notre Dame. Follow Laureen on Mastodon at @laureen@m.ai6yr.org
