Lagos, Nigeria will for the first time play host to Africa’s premier fintech gathering, the Africa FinTech Summit slated for November 8-8, 2018.
The last host was Washington D.C., and the event saw many leading policymakers, c-suite business executives, investors, and startups grace the occasion with their presence. The Lagos run of the summit has been organized by Dedalus Global and will also see policy makers, investors, innovators, and other stakeholders within the fintech space come together under one roof. They will delve into tops like cutting-edge technologies that could transform finance in Africa, the regulatory framework that should be in place, compare the best practices, and chat out the future for fintech in Africa.
Africa FinTech Summit Lagos speakers
| Dr. Andrew S. Nevin – Chief Economist of PWC Nigeria |
|
Eghosa Omoigui – Managing General Partner of EchoVC |
|
Uzoma Dozie – CEO of Diamond Bank |
|
Iyinoluwa Aboyeji – Founder of Flutterwave |
|
Shola Akinlade – CEO of PayStack (it recently raised $8 million in Series A funding) |
Leland Rice, the Chairman of the Summit, said, “Lagos is an ideal host city; it’s an epicenter of Africa’s fintech revolution and the driving force behind the continent’s entrepreneurial spirit.”
A good number of best-performing fintech startups have their roots grounded in Nigeria. They include Flutterwave, Page, Paystack, and Mines.io among others. They are all strategically located in Lagos, which has been a top destination for international investors for a long time now. In attendance at the Africa FinTech Summit in Lagos, will be foreign envoys of investors from the UK, US, and UAE.
“The first edition of the Summit in D.C. was a launch pad for several milestone fintech deals struck among its delegates in the months after the event. We plan to build on these successes in Lagos, with a focus on bringing innovators and policymakers together to move the needle on fintech regulation and bringing founders and investors together to facilitate availability of capital,” added Leland Rice.
Nigeria’s Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technology, Lanre Osibona added: “This reflects the progress Nigeria is making in the areas of technology and financial services. The event is very important as it comes at the heels of the Vice President Osinbanjo’s trip to Silicon Valley to promote Nigeria’s tech sector. We look forward to collaborating with the organizing committee and to a successful event in Lagos.”
These statements were echoed by Tayo Oviosu, the founder of Paga, which recently raised $10 million in Series B2 funding. Oviosu said: “The Africa FinTech Summit in Washington D.C. provided valuable insights into the fintech space and connected me with key players in the industry. I look forward to the Lagos edition.”
