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Africa’s technology leaders and global investors converged in London this week for the Africa Tech Summit 2025, unveiling bold plans to drive digital growth across the continent through innovation, infrastructure investment, and cross‑border collaboration.
The summit, held at the Westminster Park Plaza, attracted more than 1,000 delegates from over 40 countries, including founders, venture capitalists, fintech executives, and policymakers. Organisers confirmed that over US$2 billion in fresh venture funding opportunities were discussed during closed‑door investment meetings.
“Africa is no longer a peripheral market; it is at the heart of the world’s next growth frontier,” said Andrew Fassnidge, Founder of Africa Tech Summit.
By Ruvarashe Gora
Speakers presented striking data underscoring Africa’s momentum: Fintech funding across Africa grew by 32% in 2024, reaching US$3.2 billion, according to Partech Africa’s latest report unveiled at the summit.
Mobile money adoption now reaches 621 million registered accounts on the continent, powering not just payments but micro‑lending and savings products.
Africa’s data‑centre capacity is projected to triple by 2027, with new facilities being developed in Nigeria, Kenya, and Egypt, according to IDC analysts.
Cassava Technologies’ Fintech and Digital Platforms CEO, Darlington Mandivenga, highlighted the firm’s commitment to backbone infrastructure, citing its 110,000‑kilometre pan‑African fibre network and new investments in cloud services. “Without reliable connectivity, we cannot unlock the true potential of Africa’s digital economy”.
The summit spotlighted start‑ups using AI to tackle pressing challenges. A Rwandan agri‑tech firm demonstrated a machine‑learning tool that predicts crop diseases with 92% accuracy, while a Kenyan health‑tech platform showcased an AI‑driven triage system already serving 50,000 patients in rural clinics.
Delegations from Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Ghana showcased government‑backed incubators that helped over 3,000 start‑ups launch between 2020 and 2024, creating thousands of jobs. In contrast, observers noted the absence of smaller markets like Zimbabwe on the exhibition floor, no start‑ups from Harare or Bulawayo featured in pitching sessions, which some attributed to funding constraints and limited international exposure.
The summit also calls for harmonised regulatory frameworks, digital skills training, and cross‑border collaboration. Panelists urged African governments to accelerate policies that enable regional fintech growth, warning that fragmented regulation continues to slow expansion into new markets.
As the summit wrapped up, investors and founders echoed the same sentiment: Africa’s digital transformation is no longer a distant vision, it is unfolding now, backed by data, capital, and global attention.
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