Lagos recently hosted Africa’s leading policymakers, investors, and innovators for a two-day summit, Moonshot by TechCabal 2025, to shape a coordinated pathway for the continent’s next phase of growth.
The event, headline sponsored by Sabi, a major provider of digital commerce infrastructure, fostered high-level discussions across crucial sectors including technology, AI, climate innovation, fintech, trade, and digital infrastructure. The goal was to align these areas to accelerate Africa’s ambitious transformation agenda.
Under the theme “Building Momentum: Africa’s Tech Ecosystem Positions Itself for Its Next Big Leap,” attendees focused on how to align policy, capital, and innovation to drive integration and scalable impact across markets.
Tomiwa Aladekomo, CEO of BigCabal Media, set the tone, emphasizing that the ecosystem is entering a phase where scale and collaboration will be critical. “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,” he stated.
Conversations quickly shifted from optimism to the mechanics of scale, zeroing in on practical issues like:
- Harmonizing regulation across borders.
- Driving intra-African trade.
- Protecting data sovereignty while enabling interoperability.
- Unlocking financing structures for large-scale, cross-border execution.
Highlighting the importance of policy, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Trade, Industry, and Investment, spoke about Nigeria’s commitment to setting precedents for regional alignment through technology and trade corridors.
In a fireside chat moderated by Anu Adedoyin Adasolum, CEO of Sabi, Dr. Oduwole confirmed, “Nigeria is engaging with key African partners to facilitate market access for our tech startups and digital service providers; the government is building pathways.” She announced that her ministry is preparing to launch a program specifically for high-impact startups aiming to scale across Africa and globally.
Experts reiterated that the future of a unified African digital economy hinges more on scalable infrastructure and trust-building partnerships than on just new technology or capital inflows. Akeem Lawal, Director of Payments Infrastructure and Processing at Interswitch Purepay, encapsulated this, saying, “When you build the infrastructure, you create a community of partnerships.”
The momentum from the policy and technology discussions carried into the investment corridors, where deal rooms and venture showcases reflected a strong appetite for startups built for continent-wide scale. Approximately 75 investors met with founders, signaling conviction for solutions that can address pan-African challenges.
This focus on future-ready innovation culminated in the TC Battlefield 2025 competition, which will award $25,000 in equity-free funding to one pioneering early-stage startup. Ten finalists were chosen from over 200 applications: Ule Homes, Expense AI, Braudit, E-moti Limited, Chao, Trippa Africa, Alaafia Innovation, ResQ-X, BuyScrap Nigeria, and Sporos Energy.
It was supported by platinum sponsors including Flutterwave, Luno, Fincra, Raenest, Cardtonic, Roqqu, Opay, and Busha.