Nearpays, Nigerian fintech, has won the AI for Good Innovation Factory grand finale — the first African startup ever to take the global title in the competition, which runs as part of the United Nations’ AI for Good Global Summit.

The competition drew more than 500 startups worldwide, each pitching AI solutions aimed at social and economic challenges.

The summit itself is organised by the UN through the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in partnership with several UN agencies, convening governments, researchers, startups, and technology companies around AI’s role in development.

Nearpays’ route to the title ran through Johannesburg, where it won the African regional competition, before advancing to the global finals in Geneva.

There, the company progressed through the semi-finals and claimed the grand finale — a first for the continent.

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The company describes the win as bigger than a corporate milestone, calling it a victory for African innovation and proof that technology built to solve local problems can compete, and win, on the world stage.

Nearpays was founded to close a stubborn gap in African payments: small and medium-sized businesses that can’t afford or access traditional point-of-sale terminals.

Cost, availability, and deployment hurdles have kept many merchants — particularly in rural and underserved communities — locked out of digital payments.

Its answer is SoftPOS: an AI-powered platform that turns compatible Android smartphones into payment acceptance devices, letting merchants take contactless card payments with nothing more than their phones. AI is embedded across the platform, supporting payment processing, compliance, fraud detection, and business operations.

Crucially, the platform was built for African infrastructure realities — it works both online and offline, so merchants can keep accepting payments even without internet connectivity.

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The company credited its team’s years of product development and customer engagement for the result, and thanked the UN, the ITU, and the AI for Good initiative for building a platform where innovators can apply AI to real-world problems.

It also said it hopes the win encourages more African founders to build technology that answers local needs while competing internationally.

For Nearpays, the title closes one chapter and opens another, as the company pushes on with expanding digital financial infrastructure across Afric

The Lagos State Government has signed four major concession agreements across healthcare, transportation, digital governance and outdoor advertising sectors, paving the way for private sector participation into areas central to the State’s infrastructure and service delivery agenda.

The agreements were signed at a ceremony coordinated by the Office of Public-Private Partnerships, in collaboration with the Ministries of Health, Transportation, Justice, Environment and Water Resources, as well as the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency (MVAA), Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee (LSBTC) and the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), in Lagos.

One of the key projects is the development of MyLagosApp, a unified digital platform designed to make government services more accessible to residents and visitors.

Under a 10-year concession agreement, LA Crème Nigeria Limited, with technical support from MTN Nigeria, will design, finance, build, operate, maintain and transfer the platform. Once operational, it will provide users with seamless access to a wide range of government services, including payments, traffic updates, emergency support, business information and tourism resources through a mobile application.

The State also signed a 20-year concession agreement with Anchor Advisory Partners for the full automation of the Lagos State Motor Vehicle Administration Agency (MVAA).

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Reflecting on the significance of the agreements, the Special Adviser on Public-Private Partnerships, Mrs. Bukola Odoe, said the projects demonstrate how strategic partnerships can translate government policy into tangible improvements in the lives of Lagosians.

She added, “Government is at its best when it is practical – when policy leaves the boardroom and shows up in the hospital ward, at the licensing office, on the commuter’s phone and along the streets of our city. That is what today is about.”

In his response, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, Commissioner for Transportation, commended all stakeholders who contributed to the successful execution of the agreements.

He also noted that the signing reflects the State’s determination to continually improve public service delivery, adding that residents would begin to experience the benefits as implementation progresses across the various sectors.

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By John Kokome

In today’s business environment, success is no longer determined solely by the quality of a product or the sophistication of technology. Increasingly, it is shaped by how effectively an organisation communicates, especially in periods of uncertainty. For fintech companies operating in Nigeria and across Africa, communication has become as critical as innovation itself.

The world has become what strategists describe as a VUCA environment, volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. Economic shocks, fluctuating exchange rates, changing regulations, cybersecurity threats, misinformation, and evolving customer expectations have made the financial services landscape more unpredictable than ever. In such an environment, silence creates suspicion, while poor communication erodes trust. For fintech brands whose business model depends almost entirely on trust, getting communication right is no longer optional; it is existential.

Unlike traditional banks that have spent decades building institutional credibility, many fintech companies are relatively young. They rely on digital interactions rather than physical branches. Customers often never meet anyone representing the company. Every notification, social media post, customer service response, email, and public statement, therefore, becomes an opportunity either to strengthen or weaken confidence.

The collapse of several global crypto platforms, periodic payment service disruptions, and increasing incidents of digital fraud have made consumers more cautious than ever. Users now ask difficult questions before trusting any financial technology platform. Is my money safe? Is my data protected? Can I rely on this platform during periods of market uncertainty? The answers are communicated not only through actions but through consistent, transparent and timely messaging.

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Communication during crises often separates resilient brands from those that struggle to recover. Too many organisations still believe that crisis communication begins when a system fails or when negative stories trend online. In reality, crisis communication starts long before a crisis emerges. It begins with building credibility over time.

When service interruptions occur, as they inevitably will in any technology-driven business, customers rarely expect perfection. What they expect is honesty. They want prompt acknowledgement, clear explanations, regular updates, and realistic timelines for resolution. Delayed responses or corporate jargon often inflict more reputational damage than the technical failure itself.

The same principle applies to regulatory communication. Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem continues to evolve under the guidance of regulators seeking to balance innovation with consumer protection. Policy adjustments, licensing requirements, compliance directives, and foreign exchange reforms frequently affect operations. Fintech companies must resist the temptation to hide behind legal language. Instead, they should translate regulatory developments into simple, customer-friendly information that explains what is changing, why it matters, and what customers need to do.

Equally important is internal communication. Employees are often the first ambassadors of any organisation. During uncertain economic conditions, staff members also seek reassurance about business direction, leadership decisions, and organisational stability. When employees receive little information, rumours fill the vacuum. Companies that communicate openly with their teams are more likely to maintain morale, improve customer experience, and protect their reputation.

Another defining feature of the VUCA economy is the speed at which misinformation spreads. A single misleading social media post can trigger panic withdrawals, damage investor confidence, or create unnecessary anxiety among customers. Fintech brands therefore require active reputation management, digital listening, and rapid response mechanisms. Waiting for mainstream media to pick up a story before responding is increasingly a costly mistake.

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Beyond crisis management, communication should also educate. Financial literacy remains relatively low across many parts of Africa. Many customers still struggle to understand digital payments, cross-border transactions, digital assets, savings products, or cybersecurity risks. Fintech brands that invest in continuous customer education position themselves not merely as service providers but as trusted financial partners. Educational communication creates confidence, drives adoption, and builds long-term loyalty.

Leadership visibility also matters. In uncertain times, people trust people more than logos. Founders, chief executives, and senior executives should communicate regularly, not merely during product launches or fundraising announcements. Thought leadership, media engagements, stakeholder dialogues, and community participation help humanise brands and reinforce credibility.

Perhaps the greatest communication challenge for fintech companies is balancing optimism with realism. Marketing campaigns naturally celebrate innovation and growth. Yet credibility demands acknowledging challenges while demonstrating preparedness. Customers are increasingly sophisticated; they recognise exaggerated promises and quickly lose confidence when expectations are not met.

As competition intensifies across Africa’s digital financial services industry, product differentiation alone will become increasingly difficult. Features can be copied. Pricing can be matched. Technology can be replicated. Trust, however, remains a durable competitive advantage, and trust is built through consistent communication.

The fintech brands that will thrive in this VUCA economy will not necessarily be those with the most sophisticated applications or the largest funding rounds. They will be those who communicate with clarity, consistency, empathy, and transparency. In an era where confidence is currency, effective communication is no longer a support function; it is a strategic asset that can determine whether a fintech brand merely survives uncertainty or leads through it.

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John Kokome is the Corporate Communications Manager at FlashChange, a fintech platform redefining secure digital asset exchange. With experience across fintech, cryptocurrency, telecoms, and development communications in Africa. He currently leads strategic storytelling, reputation management, and stakeholder engagement initiatives at the company, focusing on building trust, transparency, and financial literacy in the digital assets space.