As Africa’s technology ecosystem continues its remarkable trajectory of growth and innovation, certain individuals stand out not just for their achievements but for the lasting impact they’re creating across the continent. TechMoonshot is proud to present Impact Makers: Africa Tech 2025, a recognition of the founders, investors, storytellers, connectors, educators, and rising stars who are fundamentally shaping the future of African technology.
This isn’t just a list of successful people—it’s a map of the ecosystem’s beating heart, showcasing those whose work today is building the foundation for tomorrow’s innovations.
The Alchemists: Turning Vision into Value
Capital remains the lifeblood of any startup ecosystem, and The Alchemists are the investors who have mastered the art of identifying potential and transforming it into tangible value. These individuals don’t just write checks—they open doors, provide strategic guidance, and bet on Africa’s future with their resources and reputations.
Oluwadunni Fanibe is the Accelerator Portfolio Manager Africa at Google, where she drives the strategic identification, support, and scale-up of early-stage African startups. A Saïd Business School, University of Oxford graduate and former Program Manager at Techstars, she works at the forefront of venture capital, helping to shape the trajectory of innovation across the continent through strategic support and ecosystem development.
Napa Onwusah is the Startup Business Segment Leader for AWS in Sub-Saharan Africa, with over 25 years of experience at world-leading tech companies including Google, Microsoft, Visa, Nokia, SAP, and Cisco. A Computer Science graduate with an MBA and leadership certificate from Harvard University, she’s a diversity champion, angel investor, and advocate for human welfare. As Executive Director of Built4Balance and the Jeremiah Foundation, which has awarded over 450 scholarships to at-risk teenagers, Napa empowers individuals and businesses while driving positive change across the continent.
Oo Nwoye is Founder and Executive Director at Techcircle and leads Business Development for AWS in West and Central Africa, managing relationships with startups, venture capital firms, and the broader startup ecosystem. A Warwick University graduate in Electronic Business Management, he’s an early-stage angel investor and early supporter of Paystack, playing a pivotal role in connecting African innovation with global infrastructure and investment.
Gbite Oduneye is Managing Partner at ODBA, an investor specializing in VC and Private Equity with a distinguished thesis-driven approach to investing. Based in London, he focuses particularly on fintech and infrastructure plays that address fundamental market gaps across Africa. His strategic investment philosophy and board-level expertise have positioned him as a key voice in shaping venture capital deployment across the continent.
These Alchemists understand that African tech isn’t just about importing Silicon Valley models—it’s about backing founders who deeply understand local contexts and are building solutions that can thrive in Africa’s unique market conditions. Their capital deployment decisions today are shaping which innovations will scale tomorrow.
The Trailblazers: Charting New Territories
Some individuals don’t wait for paths to be cleared—they forge them. The Trailblazers represent the bold entrepreneurs and innovators who are venturing into uncharted territories, building companies that didn’t exist before, and proving that African founders can compete on the global stage.
James Nelson is the founder of Storipod, a platform enabling writers to monetize their stories like musicians do on Spotify. After years of writing blogs at Interswitch and leading product at Shuttlers, he identified a critical gap in the market: while music and film had streaming revenue models, African writers had no viable monetization platform. Inspired by how people consume content in bite-sized formats like WhatsApp Status and Instagram Stories, Nelson launched Storipod in 2022 to give storytellers the influencer-level earning potential they deserve—building a home where incredible African stories can thrive financially.
Kehinde Agbaje is a User Experience Designer with over 7 years of experience, currently at Turnitin in the UK. From Ijebu Ode, Nigeria, to global tech firms, his journey exemplifies the power of design thinking. Rising from intern to lead UX designer at BudgIT, his work increased engagement by over 60% and expanded budget transparency across five African countries. Through Fitila, he designed for clients including Nestlé Nigeria, Access Bank, the African Union, and British Council. At eHealth Africa, his inclusive design for health apps helped field workers track diseases in remote areas. A multiple award winner who believes design is a tool for justice, access, and empathy.
Cynthia E. Chisom is a startup advisor and mentor with over 9 years of experience helping early-stage founders navigate the startup journey. Named among Leading Ladies Africa’s 100 Most Inspiring Women in Nigeria, she serves across global incubators and accelerators including CCHub, VC4A, and Ventures Platform. As host of “Startup Stories with Cynthia” podcast, Principal Partner at SDC Startup School, and Strategy Director for The Aboki Group, she’s shaping Africa’s startup ecosystem through mentorship, storytelling, and strategic leadership.
Salma Phillips is a writer, talk show host, presenter, and TV producer from Northeastern Nigeria. As co-founder of Arewa Tech Fest, she’s championing innovation and technology entrepreneurship in Northern Nigeria through this groundbreaking initiative. Her work is helping to spotlight and grow tech ecosystems in underserved regions, bringing opportunity and visibility to emerging innovation hubs that have traditionally been overlooked.
Abubakar Nur Khalil is a Nigerian programmer, Bitcoin core contributor, and CEO of Recursive Capital, a Bitcoin VC fund, as well as Btrust, a non-profit organization. At the heart of Bitcoin development and adoption in Africa, his work has been significant to the surge in cryptocurrency usage across the continent in 2025, helping to shape Africa’s digital currency landscape and financial inclusion initiatives.
Eliezer Ajah is Head of Job Creation & Placement for Nigeria’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Programme, leading national efforts to connect skilled Nigerians with opportunities. A Board member of The Luminary Project and former head of talent development at Genesys Tech Hub, he’s been a key driver of the tech sector in Enugu State and beyond. His work includes leading Programs and Speaker Management for the Africa Technology Expo, helping to shape the continent’s tech talent landscape and ensuring that skills development translates into tangible employment opportunities.
The Trailblazers remind us that innovation isn’t just about incremental improvements—it’s about having the courage to imagine entirely new possibilities and the determination to bring them to life.
The Weavers: Threading Connections
No ecosystem thrives in isolation. The Weavers are the individuals who understand that Africa’s tech future depends on strong connections—between countries, between sectors, between local innovation and global opportunities. They’re the relationship builders, the bridge creators, the connectors who make the ecosystem more than just a collection of individual actors.
Ifeoluwa Ogunbufunmi, a lawyer turned tech consultant based in the UK, has built an impressive portfolio of work spanning Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Her unique ability to navigate different markets and regulatory landscapes makes her an invaluable connector across continents.
Ibrahim Salami has carved out crucial space in the ecosystem as the convener of Nigeria’s largest Muslim tech gathering. Recognizing that faith is deeply important across Africa, he’s built a platform and community where Muslim professionals in tech can connect, collaborate, and thrive—addressing an often-overlooked dimension of diversity in the ecosystem.
Aniedi Udo-Obong, a Program Manager at Google, has been instrumental in the growth of Google’s DevFest across Africa for nearly a decade. His sustained commitment to developer education and community building has touched thousands of developers across the continent, making technical knowledge more accessible and fostering local innovation ecosystems.
Tosin Faniro-Dada, an investor at Breega, has demonstrated exceptional commitment to African tech founders. Her work has been particularly groundbreaking—Breega’s first venture capital investment in Angola this year represents the kind of frontier market bet that opens up entirely new possibilities for the continent’s startup ecosystem. Her support goes beyond capital, providing strategic guidance that helps founders navigate complex growth challenges.
The Weavers understand that in an increasingly connected world, Africa’s tech ecosystem will succeed not through isolated pockets of excellence, but through dense networks of collaboration and mutual support. They’re building the connective tissue that holds the ecosystem together.
The Kindlers: Igniting Potential
Behind every successful founder is often an educator, mentor, or community builder who helped light the spark. The Kindlers are those rare individuals who dedicate themselves to developing talent, nurturing potential, and creating the enabling environments where innovation can flourish.
David Abu is a product leader working at the intersection of AI platforms, developer experience, and ecosystem adoption. As Senior Technical Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft and Co-Founder and Lead Strategist of Data Community Africa, he’s a star in Africa’s data community. Co-convener of DataFest Africa, David has been at the forefront of technical education, helping to develop the next generation of African software engineers and product builders through both formal and informal training programs.
Femi Taiwo is Co-Founder and CTO of INITS, a Lagos-based technology provider creating innovative solutions across Sub-Saharan Africa. As a Google Developer Expert (GDE) for Cloud, he architects mission-critical systems spanning Digital Public Infrastructure, Revenue, and Identity. Femi has been at the heart of developer community growth in Africa, playing a pivotal role in expanding Google DevFest across the continent and building programs that teach not just technical skills but also the business acumen necessary for entrepreneurial success.
Samson Goddy is a GitHub Star and seasoned open source leader with over a decade of experience in developer relations, community strategy, and ecosystem growth. As founder and convener of OSCA Fest, he’s committed to bridging the knowledge gap and driving social change through open source software. His work spans multi-cultural teams and has shaped how developers across Africa engage with open source technology, lowering barriers to entry for thousands of aspiring technologists.
Aji Fama Jobe works at the intersection of tech, policy, and community in The Gambia, with expertise spanning cloud computing, AI ethics, digital rights, and tech policy. Currently with the World Bank in Gambia, she champions bridging the digital divide and has been instrumental in growing tech communities, including DevFest and PyCon Africa, making emerging technologies more accessible across the continent and creating pathways for underrepresented groups.
Jecinta Fabiyi is a Senior Product Designer who has designed experiences across Africa and Europe with years of experience across Regtech, Mobility, Health-tech, and SaaS. A Certified Global Tech Hero and founder of a design community – Design Hub Network, she transforms data and user insights into impactful products. Recognized as “Woman in Tech of the Week” by The Stack Journal and featured in Daily Times Nigeria, her work demonstrates measurable impact in Africa’s tech ecosystem, bringing innovative approaches to skills development that align with market needs.
Ada Nduka Oyom is the Founder and Executive Director of She Code Africa, a pan-African nonprofit closing the gender gap in tech by equipping African women and girls with digital skills. As a global speaker, DEI advocate, and ecosystem builder, she’s scaling opportunities for women in tech across the continent and helping organizations build more inclusive innovation communities. Her focus on inclusive education is ensuring that Africa’s tech future isn’t limited to those with traditional advantages—she’s actively expanding access to opportunities.
The Kindlers recognize that Africa’s greatest resource is its young, growing population. By investing in education and talent development today, they’re ensuring that the ecosystem will have the human capital it needs to sustain growth for decades to come.
The Bridge Builders: Spanning Divides
Perhaps no category is more critical to Africa’s tech maturity than The Bridge Builders—individuals who are connecting the traditional economy with the digital future, bringing established institutions into the innovation fold, and creating pathways between African tech and global markets.
Nnaemeka Clinton is a highly accomplished entrepreneur and business leader with diverse experience spanning multiple industries. As CEO and founder of Spark Africa, he’s deeply committed to unlocking the potential of the African market and beyond, focusing on capitalizing on significant opportunities while navigating the challenges of operating in diverse sectors. With a strong passion for entrepreneurship and extensive experience in financial services, procurement, and business support, Nnaemeka believes firmly in the potential of African brands and companies to go global, particularly in the age of new technologies that facilitate international market access.
Gerald Black is a multiple award-winning Africa tech ecosystem builder and storyteller. He creates content for Backend Series, fosters connections through XConnect Africa, and builds community with Black Ops Africa. His work centers on amplifying Africa’s tech narrative and bringing together the continent’s innovators, helping to ensure that traditional businesses understand and adopt technology while creating models for how established companies can partner with and learn from the startup ecosystem.
Surayyah Ahmad is a General Partner at Sabou Capital (formerly Aduna Capital), an investment firm dedicated to empowering underserved founders in secondary cities across Africa. With a focus on backing entrepreneurs beyond traditional tech hubs, she’s helping to unlock innovation and opportunity in emerging ecosystems across the continent, bridging the gap between frontier markets and institutional capital.
Temi Kolawole is the Managing Director of Ilorin Innovation Hub and founder of Studio Duo, an agile team specializing in NoCode design and development. He helps startups and hypergrowth teams build scalable solutions through real-world applications and hands-on learning, championing innovation beyond Nigeria’s traditional tech hubs. His work brings a global perspective to African tech, helping local companies access international markets and resources while ensuring that African innovation gets the global recognition it deserves.
The Bridge Builders understand that for African tech to reach its full potential, it can’t exist in isolation from the broader economy or from global tech trends. They’re creating the interfaces that allow for productive exchange in both directions.
The Griots: Chronicles of Innovation
In every thriving ecosystem, there are those who document the journey, amplify the voices, and shape the narrative. The Griots—modern-day storytellers—play this critical role in African tech, ensuring that the continent’s innovations reach global audiences while holding the industry accountable through rigorous journalism and thoughtful analysis.
Keniye Koroye has established herself as a distinctive voice in African tech media through her vlogging and commentary. She focuses on the stories that don’t make it to mainstream media—the nuanced realities, the underreported developments, and the critical analysis that helps the ecosystem see beyond the headlines.
David Adeleke is a top media journalist and storyteller from Nigeria with vast experience chronicling the African tech journey. As the founder of The Communiqué, he has built a platform for deep, thoughtful tech journalism. His work has taken him to international stages where he shares the gospel of African tech, ensuring the continent’s innovations get the global recognition they deserve.
Muhammed Abiodun Mustapha is the Founder and Publisher of TechMoonshot, a tech media platform amplifying innovations across Africa’s tech ecosystem. Former founder of Syra Finance, a cross-border fintech startup, he brings over a decade of tech industry experience to his role as a thought leader and ecosystem builder. TechMoonshot has partnered with major events including DataFest Africa, Africa Tech Expo, and API Conference Lagos. A global mentor on ADPList and published author of “Switching Lanes — Actionable Techniques for Switching Into Tech,” Muhammed has been recognized with leadership awards from ADPList and Bells University of Technology for his dedication to supporting tech newbies and advancing Africa’s digital economy.
Nosakhare Tunde-Oni is a Pan-African Strategist & Advisor helping Africa’s builders grow wiser and scale smarter. He brings a unique perspective to coverage of emerging technologies and their impact on African societies, consistently asking the hard questions about investment strategies and startup growth, ensuring that the ecosystem develops with both speed and wisdom.
Susan Gatura is a Senior Analytics Specialist and one of Kenya’s Top 40 Under 40 Women in 2024. Recognized as Young Data Professional of the Year 2023 and named among 30 Outstanding Women in Data, she’s at the forefront of Africa’s data revolution, leveraging analytics to drive insights and innovation. Her work on East African tech has provided invaluable insights into one of the continent’s most dynamic innovation hubs, tracking everything from mobile money evolution to the rise of agritech solutions.
Ogeh Ezeonu, a vlogger currently based in Canada, creates content that resonates deeply with both tech professionals and newcomers. Her multi-perspective insights on gadgets, tech trends, and the broader tech landscape offer valuable viewpoints that bridge African and global tech conversations.
Together, these storytellers ensure that African tech innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum—they contextualize, critique, celebrate, and ultimately help shape the narrative of Africa’s digital transformation.
A Celebration of Many
The individuals recognized in Impact Makers: Africa Tech 2025 represent just the tip of the iceberg. The truth is, there are so many incredible people making tremendous strides toward the development and growth of Africa’s tech ecosystem—far more than any single list could ever capture.
These individuals cut across different sectors in the African tech landscape. There are product managers quietly perfecting user experiences, software engineers solving complex technical challenges, sales leaders opening new markets, operations professionals keeping companies running, legal experts navigating regulatory complexities, HR leaders building strong teams, marketing strategists telling compelling stories, customer success managers ensuring user satisfaction, and countless others whose work forms the backbone of every successful venture.
Furthermore, beyond the startups, there are government officials crafting enabling policies, telecommunications executives expanding digital infrastructure, banking leaders driving financial innovation, academic researchers advancing knowledge, accelerator and incubator teams supporting early-stage founders, corporate venture arms backing innovation, diaspora professionals contributing remotely, and civil society organizations advocating for inclusive digital transformation.
In innovation hubs from Lagos to Nairobi, Accra to Johannesburg, Kigali to Cairo, Casablanca to Kampala, and dozens of other cities and towns across the continent, people are showing up every day to move the ecosystem forward. They’re building, investing, connecting, teaching, writing, advocating, and believing in Africa’s technological future.
We cannot recognize everyone who is making tremendous contributions to this ecosystem. The reality is that Africa’s tech revolution is not the work of a few celebrated individuals—it is the collective effort of thousands of dedicated people, many of whom will never make a list or receive public recognition, yet whose impact is no less significant.
We have selected these particular individuals because we believe their work in 2025 has been particularly visible and impactful, creating ripple effects that extend far beyond their immediate circles. They represent different facets of the ecosystem—storytelling, capital deployment, entrepreneurship, ecosystem building, talent development, and institutional bridge-building. Their recognition is also a recognition of the teams around them, the communities they serve, and the broader movement they represent.
Ultimately, to everyone else building, supporting, and believing in African tech—whether you’re a first-time founder working from a small office, an angel investor writing your first check, a developer contributing to open source projects, a community organizer hosting local meetups, a content creator sharing knowledge, or simply someone using your skills to push the ecosystem forward—we see you, we appreciate you, and we celebrate your contributions.
This list honors specific individuals, but it celebrates an entire movement. Every contribution matters. Every effort counts. The future of African tech is being built by all of us, together.
Looking Ahead
What unites all these Impact Makers—and the thousands more working alongside them—is a commitment to building not just successful companies or careers, but a thriving, sustainable ecosystem that can compete globally while solving distinctly African challenges.
Thus, as we look to 2026 and beyond, these Impact Makers will continue to shape the trajectory of African tech—through the companies they build, the capital they deploy, the stories they tell, the connections they forge, the talent they develop, and the bridges they construct.
They remind us that Africa’s tech revolution isn’t happening despite the continent’s challenges, but often because of the unique perspectives those challenges provide. The next chapter of global technology innovation will be written, in significant part, by African founders, investors, storytellers, and ecosystem builders.
Indeed, the future of African tech has never been brighter—and these are the people illuminating the path forward.
Impact Makers: Africa Tech 2025 is presented by TechMoonshot. Follow our coverage throughout the year as we continue to spotlight the individuals and innovations shaping Africa’s technological future.
