Africa’s foremost policymakers, investors, and innovators have just gathered in Lagos for a two-day summit, shaping a coordinated pathway for the continent’s next phase of growth. Convened at Moonshot by TechCabal 2025, headline sponsored by Sabi, Africa’s leading provider of digital commerce infrastructure, these leaders drove deliberate, high-level conversations across technology, AI, climate innovation, fintech, trade, and digital infrastructure, each contributing to the broader ambition of Africa’s transformation agenda.
Anchored on the theme “Building Momentum: Africa’s Tech Ecosystem Positions Itself for Its Next Big Leap,” experts across diverse sectors explored how policy, capital, and innovation can align to accelerate integration and scalable impact across markets.
In his opening remarks, Tomiwa Aladekomo, CEO of BigCabal Media, set the tone for the conversations ahead, saying: “Africa’s tech ecosystem is entering a new phase where scale and collaboration will define success. Our challenge now is to turn shared intent into collective execution that transforms the continent’s economic future. Moonshot 2025 is a call for alignment – of ambition, infrastructure, and action. I’m excited for the conversations that will unfold here, the partnerships that will be forged, and the consensus that will shape how Africa takes its next big leap.”
Across sessions, conversations quickly moved beyond optimism to focus on the mechanics of scale; how to harmonise regulation, drive trade across the continent, protect data sovereignty while enabling interoperability, and unlock financing structures fit for large-scale, cross-border execution.
In a fireside chat moderated by Anu Adedoyin Adasolum, CEO of Sabi, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Trade, Industry, and Investment, spoke to Nigeria’s intent to set practical precedents for regional alignment through technology and trade corridors.
“Nigeria is engaging with key African partners to facilitate market access for our tech startups and digital service providers; the government is building pathways” Oduwole said, noting that her ministry is preparing to launch a program for high-impact startups seeking to scale across Africa and globally.
Experts further unpacked the building blocks of a unified African digital economy, emphasising that closing the continent’s next tech leap will be shaped by scalable infrastructure and trust-building partnerships more than just technological breakthroughs or capital inflows.
Delivering a keynote on the first day of Moonshot 2025, Akeem Lawal, Director Payments Infrastructure and Processing at Interswitch Purepay, said, “When you build the infrastructure, you create a community of partnerships.” He further emphasised that achieving this involves building physical and digital solutions, including products, services, and support that keep the ecosystem running, from vehicles to communications networks to support systems such as service stations.
Momentum from the discussions carried into the investment corridors, where deal rooms and venture showcases reflected a growing appetite for startups built for cross-border scale. About 75 investors met with founders in targeted sessions to discuss potential partnerships and investments, signalling strong investor conviction for continent-level solutions.
This alignment between capital and innovation was exemplified by the TC Battlefield 2025 competition, which will award $25,000 in equity-free funding to one startup for their pioneering work in Africa’s early-stage ecosystem. Ten promising startups made it to the final round of the pitch competition out of over 200 applications and they include: Ule Homes, Expense AI, Braudit, E-moti Limited, Chao, Trippa Africa, Alaafia Innovation, ResQ-X, BuyScrap Nigeria, and Sporos Energy.
Proudly supported by platinum sponsors Flutterwave, Luno, Fincra, Raenest, Cardtonic, Roqqu, Opay, and Busha, the summit reaffirmed its role as a leading forum where ideas, capital, and policy directions converge to inform the continent’s next phase of growth.
Powered by TechCabal, Africa’s leading technology publication, Moonshot continues to surface the reporting, context, and data that help investors, policymakers and practitioners understand where African tech is, and where it’s headed.
