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Interswitch Headlines Africa Fintech Summit Nairobi 2024 With Gold Sponsorship
The Africa Fintech Summit has announced Interswitch Group as Gold Sponsor for the Africa Fintech Summit (AFTS) 2024, to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from September 4-6, 2024.
The partnership comes at a time of significant expansion of Interswitch’s operational footprints across the continent on the back of notable milestones such as the recent consolidation of its strategic partnership with ACI Worldwide to drive the modernisation of real-time payments across 32 Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as its foray into other industry verticals including Healthcare, Energy & Transportation, among others.
Since commencing operations in 2002 out of Nigeria, Interswitch has remained at the forefront of driving innovation in the financial technology and digital payments industry, facilitating payments and leveraging innovative technology solutions to shape the future of trade and digital commerce in Africa.
As one of the pioneers of digital payment innovation in Africa, Interswitch, at its inception, disrupted the traditional cash-based payments value chain in Nigeria by supporting the introduction of electronic payments processing and switching services. It also launched Verve, Africa’s premier and leading domestic EMV-standard chip and pin payments card scheme.
Since 2021, Verve has controlled more than 50% of the Nigerian card market, courting deepened relationships with banking partners and fintech startups operating in Nigeria.
Additionally, a recent change in consumer behaviour and macroeconomic conditions has led more Nigerian banks and fintech startups to issue Verve cards to customers as a locally relevant and reliable alternative.
For instance, OPay, one of Nigeria’s largest digital banks, has issued 13 million Verve cards, while Moniepoint has issued about 4 million, further solidifying Verve’s position as a leading card and payment chip provider.
Today, Interswitch is a leading player with critical mass across Africa’s developing financial ecosystem and is active across the payments value chain, providing a full suite of omnichannel payment solutions.
Interswitch’s vision is to make payments a seamless part of everyday life in Africa, overarching the company’s drive to facilitate intuitive transaction solutions that enable individuals and communities to prosper across the continent.
Interswitch’s broad network and robust payments platform have been instrumental in the development of the payments ecosystem across the continent and provide Interswitch with the infrastructure to expand across Africa.
Commenting on the partnership with the Africa Fintech Summit for this year’s edition, Interswitch Founder & Group CEO, Mitchell Elegbe remarks, “As an Africa-focused integrated digital payments and commerce leader, and an important gateway to Africa’s Fintech Ecosystem, we are extremely delighted to support ecosystem engagement and valuable thought-leadership through the platform of the Africa Fintech Summit. 22 years ago, we set out, with a clear vision to solve social problems, starting by digitizing the use of cash.
“Today, on the realization of the tremendous transformative potential of technology to create value and unlock prosperity for Africa, we’ve set our sights on leveraging technology and innovation to digitize transactions and unlock value in other key social service sectors, just as we continue to do in the sphere of financial services, and we are excited to see that our roadmap and perspective aptly align with the theme of this year’s AFTS, which is ‘Fintech In Every Industry’.
“It is with immense gratitude and great delight that we welcome Interswitch as Gold Sponsor for the Africa Fintech Summit in Nairobi this year. It’s warming to have Interswitch grace the big stage this year and share detailed insights, trends and expert perspectives as a revered player in the African Payments Space.
“After 2 decades of building innovative African payment solutions for most payment touchpoints across the continent, we are deeply humbled to have Interswitch’s wealth of experience at this year’s summit.
This is particularly important because it fits into our 2024 AFTS in Nairobi Theme: ‘Fintech in Every Industry,’ underscoring our expectation that in the mobile-first continent of Africa, we will see fintech penetrating through all industries.
All sectors stand to benefit from being powered and served by fintechs – including insurance, saving & investments, cross-border trade, e-commerce, mobile money & digital banking, utilities, mining, trade, healthcare, and education.
“We will also see non-fintech companies leapfrogging digitally and providing these services embedded in their own product offerings as many service providers have done across the continent,” said Zekarias Amsalu, Co-Founder of AFTS and MD of Ibex Frontier.
Since its first summit in 2018, the Africa Fintech Summit has become the largest annual financial technology gathering on the African continent. In addition to its partnership with Interswitch, AFTS will be supported by a diverse cohort of partners and sponsors.
#AFTSNAIROBI2024 will bring Keynote Speeches from Kenyan policymakers & AfCFTA as well as a VIP dinner for Speakers and invited guests on the night of 04 April; panels, workshops and fireside chats on 05 & 06 September; a delegation from Prosper’s Tech for Trade Alliance along with AfCFTA’s Digital Protocol, Alpha Expo Pitch Competition & Ecosystem tours on the 06th September. The event will conclude with a happy hour for delegates and attendees on both the 5th & 6th of September.
Join Africa’s largest community of financial technology innovators, investors, and regulators at the 12th edition of AFTS coming for the first time to Nairobi, Kenya on September 4-6, 2024. Supported by an advisory board of thought leaders and fintech pioneers, the AFTS is a unique space where ideas are explored, investments are mobilized, and collaborations are formed across sectors and geographies.
More than just a conference, AFTS brings the issues, entrepreneurs, and opportunities revolutionizing finance in Africa to the world’s stage. AFTS has hosted ten previous summits having hosted 5 editions in Washington, DC and 5 more editions in Lagos, Addis Ababa, Cairo, Cape Town, and Lusaka.
Over the past 10 summits, AFTS has supported Over USD 125M in capital raise efforts for African fintech startups, Groundbreaking launch of US-government funded Prosper Africa Tech for Trade Alliance, Public discourse and debate surrounding industry trends, brand building and awareness opportunities across global fintech media, knowledge sharing between banking/fintech operators with regulators, active engagement and inclusion of regulatory authorities in continental fintech conversation, and bring the largest source of truth for announcements of financial technology innovation, and strategic partnerships across the continent and globally.
With an information-packed agenda, AFTSNAIROBI 2024 will feature regulatory roundtables, bilateral meetings, collaborative partnerships, workshops, demos, pitch competitions, ecosystem tours, whitepapers, awards, and plenty of opportunities to collaborate with the investors and entrepreneurs shaping the future of African fintech, and we are glad to have Interswitch at the forefront of these conversations with leading names within the business like Akeem Lawal (MD, Payment Processing & Switching), Jonah Adams (MD, Digital Infrastructure & Managed Services, Peter Kawumi (MD, East Africa) & Bernard Kinara (Country VP, Kenya)
As in the past years, the event will be hybrid, with live streaming provided for remote attendees via our website. Limited tickets to the 12th Edition summit are now available. Secure your passes now on our website: https://www.africafintechsummit.com/.
Lagos State has become the first sub-national government in Nigeria to establish a comprehensive Greenhouse Gas Registry, a move aimed at strengthening climate governance, improving emissions accountability and accelerating the state’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
The Lagos State Greenhouse Gas Registry (LGHGR) was unveiled at the Central Business District, Alausa, Ikeja, at a ceremony attended by Prof. Akin Abayomi, commissioner for Health, members of the State Executive Council, representatives of the Federal Ministry of Environment, development partners, TPHG Technologies, the diplomatic and business communities, academics, civil society organisations and the media.
Describing the initiative as a landmark achievement in the state’s environmental sustainability drive, Dr. Babatunde Ajayi, general manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), said the Registry marks a defining moment in Lagos’ climate action journey and reflects Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to building a resilient, climate-smart and environmentally sustainable economy.
According to Ajayi, the digital platform will enable the state to accurately measure, monitor, report and verify greenhouse gas emissions across key sectors, providing credible data to guide environmental policies and climate interventions.
He said the Registry would strengthen evidence-based decision-making, improve transparency and accountability, support national and international climate reporting obligations, unlock carbon market opportunities and boost investor confidence in Lagos’ environmental initiatives.
Ajayi also commended TPHG Technologies for providing the technical expertise that made the pioneering project possible.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Abayomi described the Registry as a major milestone that positions Lagos at the forefront of climate governance and emissions accountability in both Nigeria and Africa.
He noted that climate change has evolved into a significant public health and governance challenge, stressing that access to reliable emissions data would enable the state to formulate evidence-based policies, attract climate financing, strengthen resilience and accelerate its transition to a low-carbon economy.
Providing insights into the technical framework of the project, Dr. Mofoluso Fagbeja, lead consultant and chief executive officer, TPHG Technologies, explained that the Registry was developed from the greenhouse gas inventory jointly undertaken by LASEPA and TPHG Technologies in 2022, using 2019 as the baseline year for emissions assessment.
He said the platform is designed to close critical emissions data gaps, particularly within the industrial sector, while supporting effective climate policy implementation, emissions management and sustainable development.
Fagbeja also disclosed that the greenhouse gas inventory estimated that poor air quality contributes to about 35,000 premature deaths annually in Lagos, underscoring the urgent need for stronger emissions control measures and cleaner environmental practices.
In a goodwill message, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, minister of Environment, represented by Mrs. Adenaike Olunimpe Oludunni, federal controller of Environment in Lagos, commended Lagos State for pioneering the initiative, describing it as a significant contribution to Nigeria’s climate commitments.
He said the Registry aligns with the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement and supports the Federal Government’s Energy Transition Plan, while reaffirming the ministry’s commitment to deeper collaboration with Lagos State on climate governance and environmental sustainability.
A recently released Henley Passport Index 2026, showed that Nigerian citizens can travel to at least 20 destinations outside the African continent where entry is allowed either visa-free, with a visa on arrival (VOA) at no extra cost, or via an e-visa.
This expanded access opens doors for Nigerian travellers to experience countries in the Caribbean, Asia, and beyond with greater ease.
Below is a comprehensive guide to countries outside Africa which Nigerian passport holders can visit without a traditional visa.
Visa-Free Countries outside Africa for Nigerian Passport Holders:
Barbados
Cambodia – Visa on arrival
Comoros Islands – Visa on arrival
Cook Islands
Dominica
Fiji
Haiti
Iran – Visa on arrival
Kiribati
Lebanon
Maldives – Visa on arrival
Micronesia
Montserrat
Niue – Visa on arrival
Palau Islands – Visa on arrival
Samoa – Visa on arrival
St. Kitts and Nevis
Timor-Leste – Visa on arrival
Tuvalu
Vanuatuul
Nigeria and Israel yesterday reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation in research, technology and innovation as both countries pledged to expand partnerships that will drive entrepreneurship, commercialise research and accelerate economic development.
The commitment was made at the closing ceremony and innovation showcase of the I-FAIR Cohort of the Israel-Nigeria Innovation Fellowship for Aspiring Inventors and Researchers (I-FAIR) in Abuja, where the Ambassador of Israel to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, announced that funding had been secured for the fifth edition of the programme, scheduled to begin in October 2026.
Freeman described I-FAIR as a practical demonstration of the growing partnership between both countries, saying it had enabled Nigerian innovators to develop local solutions to national challenges through Israeli mentorship and expertise.
He said, “This programme has never been about bringing Israeli solutions to Nigeria. It’s been about helping brilliant Nigerian innovators develop Nigerian solutions to Nigerian challenges supported by Israeli experience, mentorship and innovation.”
The envoy noted that the initiative had brought together government, academia, investors, engineers and entrepreneurs to transform innovative ideas into businesses capable of creating jobs and stimulating economic growth.
Announcing the continuation of the programme, he said, “I am so proud to stand here today and announce that we have secured with our partners funding for I-FAIR 5 and I-FAIR 5 will be launching in October 2026.”
Freeman said the relationship between Nigeria and Israel had grown significantly over the past four and a half years through cooperation in innovation, agriculture, healthcare, education, water management and technology.
He expressed confidence that stronger collaboration between both countries would unlock greater opportunities for startups, research institutions and businesses.
According to him, “Israel brings experience and innovation, technology, agriculture, healthcare, cyber security, security and water management. Nigeria brings extraordinary talent, creativity, entrepreneurship and one of the most dynamic young populations anywhere in the world.”
He added, “I have no doubt that the best chapters of the relationship between Israel and Nigeria are still ahead of us.”
The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Architect Sonny Echono, also reaffirmed TETFund’s commitment to strengthening research and innovation through strategic partnerships with Israel and other stakeholders.
He said the I-FAIR programme aligned with Nigeria’s priorities in food security, agriculture, medicine, technology, clean energy and the circular economy, adding that TETFund would continue supporting initiatives that promote research commercialisation.
Echono stressed that collaboration between government, academia and industry remained critical to translating research findings into products and services.
He said, “It is this critical linkage, especially between science, engineering, technology and innovation, and the productive sector that is critical for translating R&D results and inventions into finished products for socio-economic benefits of our people.”
He disclosed that TETFund was working with partners to establish innovation facilities in about 60 tertiary institutions and had created a student innovation fund that would provide up to ₦50 million to students with commercially viable ideas.
The TETFund boss also announced plans for a National Research Fair later this year, where innovators would showcase products before policymakers, financial institutions and investors to attract funding and commercial partnerships.
Paying tribute to the outgoing Israeli ambassador, Echono described Freeman as a strong bridge between Nigeria and Israel.
He said, “Nigeria is grateful for your service. You have been a strong bridge between our two countries.”
Earlier, Head of Programmes at Innov8 Hub, Tolulope Aina, said sustainable economic development depended on building an innovation ecosystem that transforms ideas into successful businesses.
She noted that Innov8 Hub had supported more than 3,000 innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs, helping them convert research into products, startups and investment-ready ventures.
Aina said, “Nigeria does not suffer from a shortage of brilliant minds, what we need are stronger pathways that help those ideas become products, businesses, and opportunities that improve life.”
She thanked the Embassy of Israel and TETFund for their continued support in strengthening Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.
According to her, “Building an innovation-driven economy requires collaboration, long-term commitment and shared purpose.”
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