Nigeria’s foremost payments and financial inclusion dialogue platform, Payments Forum Nigeria (PAFON 3.0), will hold this Friday, April 24, 2026, at the prestigious Lagos Oriental Hotel, Lekki Road, bringing together regulators, fintech leaders, banks, policymakers, agent networks, cybersecurity experts, innovators, and ecosystem stakeholders to shape the future of digital payments in Nigeria.

Payments Forum Nigeria (PAFON 3.0

With the theme: “Fair Digital Payments as a Catalyst for Deepening Financial Inclusion in Nigeria,” PAFON 3.0 comes at a defining moment for the country’s digital economy as stakeholders seek practical pathways to close the inclusion gap, strengthen trust in payment systems, and accelerate access for underserved populations.

Why PAFON 3.0 is Different

“Unlike routine conferences, PAFON is a solutions-driven forum designed to bridge policy conversations with market realities.

“The event uniquely convenes fintech operators, agent banking networks, cooperatives, payment innovators, cybersecurity professionals, and thought leaders under one roof to tackle real challenges affecting Nigerians at the grassroots”, said Peter Oluka, co-convener of Payments Forum Nigeria.

“From digital trust and cybersecurity to agency banking, embedded finance, stablecoins, eNaira, SME growth, and healthcare financing, PAFON 3.0 is positioned as one of the most strategic gatherings in Nigeria’s payments ecosystem this year”, Oluka added.

High-Profile Keynote Speakers Confirmed

This year’s edition will feature a distinguished lineup of keynote speakers and industry leaders, including Prof. Adewale Peter Obadare, chief visionary officer, Digital Encode, and Dr. Jameelah Sherrief-Ayedu, vice president, FintechNGR & CEO, Credit Registry

Other confirmed speakers include, Dennis Ajalie, managing director, TeamApt Ltd.; Mr. Chika Nwosu, managing director, PalmPay Nigeria; Uche Uzoebo, MD/CEO, Shared Agent Network Expansion Facilities (SANEF Limited): Special Guest of Honour; Chike Onwuegbuchi, Chairman, Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association of Nigeria (NITRA); Mojeed Abayomi Agboola, national president, Financial Inclusion Agents Multipurpose Cooperative Society (FIAMCS); Ibirogba Oluwagunwa, chairman Lagos Chapter, Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents in Nigeria (AMMBAN); Sarafadeen Atanda Fasasi, and president, Association of Financial Inclusion Agents of Nigeria (AFIAN).

Fireside Chat on Africa’s Next Innovators

Another standout session will explore the future of digital currencies and regional interoperability: Stablecoins vs. eNaira: Orchestrating a Unified Digital Payment Rail for West Africa

This special fireside chat, hosted in collaboration with Lagos Blockchain Week, promises fresh perspectives on the next phase of Africa’s payment innovation journey.

Chuwuemeka Enoch Mbaebie, Lead convener of LBW will host the session alongside Senator Ihenyen, Lead Partner of Infusion Lawyers and Founding Trustee of the Virtual Asset Service Providers Association (VASPA); Victoria Oluebube Igboanugo, marketing lead, Lagos Blockchain Week; Chidubem Emelumadu, ecosystem lead (Africa), Lisk, and Harrison Obiefule, Nigerian lead for Superteam.

More Activities Lined Up

Attendees will also experience product demo of Myitura Healthcare Financing Solution;
Townhall Meeting on The State of Agency Banking in Nigeria led by AMMBAN; Goodwill messages from leading institutions and industry associations, and strategic networking with decision-makers across banking, fintech, regulation, media, and innovation ecosystems

PAFON 3.0 is expected to attract C-suite executives, startup founders, regulators, investors, digital payment operators, development institutions, policymakers, and professionals seeking to understand where Nigeria’s payment future is heading.
Participation

Participation is free.

The application deadline for the fifth edition of the MTN Media Innovation Programme (MIP) has been extended to April 25, 2026, organisers have announced.

MTN Nigeria Media Innovation Programme

The extension offers additional time for qualified media professionals and digital content creators across Nigeria to apply for the fully funded programme aimed at advancing storytelling and media innovation.

The initiative is sponsored by MTN Nigeria in partnership with the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University (PAU).

Organisers said the 2026 cohort would admit 25 fellows, an increase from the previous 20, in line with MTN Nigeria’s 25th anniversary and its continued commitment to strengthening the country’s media ecosystem.

Launched in 2022, the six-month certificate programme provides participants with training in media innovation, leadership and digital transformation.

It features academic sessions at PAU, industry engagements and an international study visit, including sessions at the University of Johannesburg.

According to the organisers, the programme has produced a growing network of alumni contributing to Nigeria’s media landscape through leadership roles, new media ventures and impactful storytelling.

The programme is open to practitioners across print, broadcast, digital and social media, with applicants expected to demonstrate a strong commitment to innovation and professional development.

Interested applicants can submit their entries through the School of Media and Communication website.

Shortlisted candidates will undergo a rigorous selection process, with successful applicants expected to commence the programme in May 2026.

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek reports that the initiative is part of broader efforts to equip media professionals with the skills needed to adapt to the evolving digital economy.

UniCloud Africa (UCA), the premier pan-African sovereign cloud platform, and Open Access Data Centres (OADC), one of the leading data centre companies in Africa, and Africa’s fastest-growing data centre company, are pleased to announce a strategic partnership to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation and independence.

Under this partnership, UniCloud Africa will host its enterprise-grade sovereign cloud and Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure within OADC’s world-class, carrier-neutral facilities in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa. This collaboration establishes a robust, localised foundation for governments and enterprises to modernise their operations while ensuring absolute data residency and regulatory compliance.

Advancing the “One Cloud, One Africa” Vision

The partnership aligns with UniCloud Africa’s “One Cloud, One Africa” strategy, which seeks to eliminate the high-latency and compliance risks associated with offshore cloud providers. By utilizing OADC’s Tier-III certified infrastructure, UniCloud Africa provides a high-performance environment for mission-critical workloads, supported by a contractual Tier-III certified uptime SLA.

“Our mission is to provide the definitive foundation for Africa’s digital and economic independence,” said Dr. Krish Ranganath, CEO of UniCloud Africa. “By hosting our sovereign infrastructure within OADC’s world-class facilities, we are ensuring that African data remains on African soil. This partnership empowers our clients with low-latency access, local currency billing, and the security of ISO-certified, in-country data management that is tailor-made for the continent’s unique requirements.”

A Multi-Market Digital Backbone

OADC’s extensive footprint provides UniCloud Africa with the scale needed to serve key economic hubs:

• Nigeria: Leveraging OADC Lagos’s campus to support the country’s booming fintech and enterprise sectors
• DRC: Providing much-needed local cloud capacity in Kinshasa to drive the nation’s digital acceleration
• South Africa: Utilising OADC’s expanded national footprint and distributed scale to deliver resilient, geographically separated primary and disaster recovery solutions

“We firmly believe that fully localised cloud infrastructure is critical for economic growth and Africa’s digital future,” added Dr Ayotunde Coker, CEO of OADC. “OADC is committed to providing the essential building blocks for a truly unified African digital ecosystem. Partnering with UniCloud Africa allows us to support a platform that is driving the next wave of innovation, from AI acceleration to cost-predictability.”

Empowering the Next Wave of Innovation

Beyond standard infrastructure, the partnership will support the deployment of UniCloud’s GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS), enabling local organisations to harness the power of AI, Machine Learning, and Big Data at scale. With zero data egress fees and billing in local currencies, the collaboration removes the financial barriers often posed by global cloud giants.