Moonshot 2025 Memos: Follow how Africa is building momentum
Across two days in Lagos, October 15-16, the brightest builders, investors, and policymakers gather to debate, demo, and imagine Africa's future. These memos capture the ideas, arguments, and moments that matter.
“Now, Let’s Be Clear, Momentum Isn’t Automatic. It Doesn’t Just Happen: It Has To Be Built, Protected, And Multiplied. That’s Why We’re Here.”– Tomiwa Aladekomo, CEO of Big Cabal Media
Nigeria’s open banking is still in the works; CBN says “it will happen soon”
At Moonshot by TechCabal 2025, CBN's Chai Gang said despite the delays, Nigeria's open banking will go live once governance and other structures are fully in place.
Read StoryNigeria has made progress since ‘Crypto Black Friday,’ but regulation remains insufficient
After years of stop-start regulation, Nigeria has made its intention clear that it is ready to bring its crypto sector, which has notoriously operated in a Wild West market, under its watchful eye.
Read StoryHow Nigeria is taking the lead in Africa's commodities trade
In spite of regulatory challenges and bottlenecks, Nigeria's Minister of Trade, Industry, and Investment says the country is leading in digital trade across the continent.
Read StoryWhy broken payment systems are the hidden taxes slowing Africa’s growth
Africa’s fragmented payment systems have long slowed trade and fintech growth, with businesses and consumers still struggling to move money across borders.
Read StoryOui Capital’s Olu Oyinsan bets on profitable exits for early-stage investors
For much of the past decade, early-stage exits in Africa were rare. Investors poured millions into startups, but few delivered liquidity events for their early backers. That’s starting to change—and early-stage investors are no longer leaving it to chance. They are deliberately engineering exits from the ground up.
Read StoryScalable infrastructure is crucial to Africa’s next tech leap – Interswitch Purepay’s Akeem Lawal
Africa’s next tech leap will be shaped by scalable infrastructure and trust-building partnerships not just technology, says Interswitch Purepay's Akeem Lawal, on day 1 of Moonshot 2025.
Read StoryEmeka Ajene on the one thing African startups keep getting wrong
Speaking on a panel titled “The Reality of Building and Scaling Startups in Africa” at Moonshot by TechCabal 2025, Ajene argued that poor positioning is often what drains startups of time, money, energy, and morale.
Read StoryWhat African founders must prove post-Series A
For African startups, Series A funding no longer signals safety. It marks the beginning of the toughest test.
Read StoryStablecoins will transform payments in the Global South
Ray Youssef, CEO of Panama-based Noones, says stablecoins will widen access to cross-border trade in the Global South.
Read Story‘You can’t hustle forever’: Sabi’s Okubadejo calls for systemic thinking among African founders
At Moonshot by TechCabal, Sabi's Olumide Okubadejo said African startups must shift from hustle-driven operations to building resilient infrastructure.
Read StoryWhy de-risking is key to unlocking Africa’s investment potential
Institutional capital remains cautious in Africa but public and private partnerships can de-risk investments to spur infrastructure development.
Read StoryThe future of creativity in Africa will involve ethical AI adoption
AI is becoming an inevitable collaborator, and the future belongs to creators who approach it ethically.
Read StoryHow can founders in Africa build startups that actually scale?
Eloho Omame, partner at TLcom Capital and co-founder, FirstCheck Africa, and Odunayo Eweniyi, COO & co-founder, Piggyvest and co-founder, FirstCheck Africa, took the stage to unpack one of the hardest truths about building in Africa’s startup ecosystem: sustainability is key when scaling.
Read StoryAfrican startups are unprepared for exits
From weak governance and fragmented ownership to poor documentation, too many companies scale quickly but build little that a buyer can actually acquire.
Read StoryLiz Gomiz wants Africans to own the digital tools shaping their stories
The Director of MansA Maison des Mondes Africains, Elizabeth Liz Gomiz, believes Africa’s future depends on owning the tools that power its storytelling.
Read StoryToo many fundraises, not enough returns: A story of African tech
African startups are raising more money than ever, but few are seeing real returns.
Read StoryThe missing billion-dollar bet: Rethinking research for Africa’s tech to grow
There’s a massive gap in African research, both in studies about Africa and in those led by Africans themselves.
Read StoryWhat will drive crypto's next wave in Africa?
Nations like Nigeria and Kenya consistently rank among African leaders in crypto usage, necessitating a shift from market survival to regulatory maturity.
Read StoryHow APIs are building the backbone of Africa’s financial ecosystem
Infrastructure still poses a fundamental challenge where most startups and businesses cannot build or access digital financial services without significant cost or complex licensing hurdles.
Read StoryHiring in Africa in the age of GenAI: Trust, visibility, and the power of self-branding
AI is improving hiring speed and expanding access to jobs for Africans but people need to build skills and relationships.
Read StorySolving cross-border payments to scale Africa’s digital future
Sending money in Africa is expensive because African currencies are converted multiple times before reaching another African country.
Read StoryWhat will it take for Africa to take centre stage in global trade?
Africa’s path to taking centre stage in global trade isn’t about having more, it’s about doing more with what we already have.
Read StoryThe new business model for African filmmakers
African filmmakers must move past traditional, dependency-laden distribution channels and embrace digital direct-to-consumer strategies
Read StoryBuilding resilient fintech products for Africa's dynamic economy
At the 2025 Moonshot by TechCabal conference, Emmanuel Sohe, CEO of Cardtonic, shared a story that perfectly captured the session’s theme of resilience in Africa’s fintech ecosystem.
Read StoryWhat Africa's consumers are demanding and who's delivering
African customers tend to want three things out of their digital products: convenience, affordability, and speed.
Read StoryGozem is scaling across Francophone Africa, and they’re sharing how they did it
To scale across many markets like Gozem has, you need to centralise your operations and automate all processes, according to Gennate Hassad, the global head of financing at Gozem.
Read StoryCovering Moonshot
Reporting
Abubakar Abdulrasheed
Reporting
Sakhile Dube
Reporting
Eme Agbor
Reporting
Fancy Goodman
Reporting
Opeyemi Kareem
Reporting
Emmanuel Nwosu
Editing
Kenn Abuya
Editing
Temitayo Jaiyeola
Editing
Adonijah Ndege
Editorial Direction
Muktar Oladunmade
Editing
Frank Eleanya
Editing
Kosisochukwu Ugwuede
