Nigeria’s tech experts say solving practical problems, securing sustainable funding, and reaching global markets are key to staying competitive.
These priorities emerged throughout the 2026 Moonshot by TechCabal conference in Lagos, Nigeria, which brought together founders, investors, and industry leaders shaping Africa’s technology sector.
Moonshot by TechCabal is Elevating African Tech Ecosystem
Under the theme “Courage & Conviction — Building for a New World,” the conference explored shifting capital flows, growing pressure for exits, the need for disciplined execution, and AI’s impact on industries. Held at the National Theatre in Lagos on October 28 and 29, the event featured discussions on startup growth, fintech and banking, financial discipline, digital safety, privacy, and technology users’ rights.
Related Post: Lagos Hosts Africa’s Brightest Innovators at Moonshot 2025
In his welcome address, TechCabal CEO Tomiwa Aladekomo said African startups raised $2.2 billion across 275 deals between January and August, a 1.4% increase from the same period last year.
While major deals continued to draw attention, Aladekomo said early-stage funding had contracted sharply, with the number of small checks at its lowest level since 2021. He added that capital had become increasingly expensive and selective, putting greater emphasis on clear paths to profitability and corporate acquisitions.
Participants listening at the 4th edition of Moonshot by TechCabal. Image Credit: Paystack
“Our markets have proven a bit more complex than a lot of people expected or hoped,” the TechCabal CEO noted, pointing to high-profile exits and the departure of some global players from the region. “No one is coming to solve our problems on the continent. We are going to solve it.”
Moonshot by TechCabal has become one of Africa’s fastest-growing technology conferences. The 2025 edition drew 6,000 attendees from 39 countries, bringing total attendance since its launch in 2023 to more than 12,650 participants from 44 countries.
Investors attending the conference have collectively deployed more than $5 billion through their funds, while exhibiting startups have a combined estimated valuation exceeding $15 billion. The conference’s TC Battlefield pitch competition has awarded $105,000 to 14 early-stage winners selected from 960 applicants
Important Announcement at Moonshot by TechCabal
A major highlight of the conference was the official launch of Google Pay in Nigeria. The service lets eligible Mastercard and Visa holders add their cards to Google Wallet and make contactless payments using Android smartphones at compatible point-of-sale terminals.
Related Post: Moonshot 2025 and UrbanGeekz Partner to Elevate Africa’s Tech Conversation
The launch brought together Mastercard, Interswitch, and Google. Mastercard provided tokenization technology, Interswitch connected Nigerian issuers to payment infrastructure, and Google supplied the digital wallet platform.
Visa subsequently confirmed that eligible cardholders from participating financial institutions could also use Google Pay for secure payments at contactless terminals and with online merchants.
Kari Tukur, Mastercard’s country manager for West Africa, said the collaboration with Google would give eligible customers another way to pay while protecting their card details.
Unlike bank transfers, which require customers to enter account details or initiate payments in a banking app, Google Pay lets users pay by holding their Android smartphone near a compatible point-of-sale terminal. The service uses near-field communication, or NFC, to exchange payment information wirelessly over short distances
Related Post: Nigeria’s Lagos Tech Fest Celebrates 5th Edition
Highlights From Panel Conversations
PiggyVest co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Odunayo Eweniyi discussed the opportunities and challenges Nigerian businesses face when expanding internationally, particularly into the United Kingdom, during the Future of Commerce panel at Moonshot by TechCabal.
UrbanGeekz Tech Reporter Stephen Oluwadara at Moonshot by TechCabal 2026, held at the National Theatre, Lagos, Nigeria, on 28 and 29 October 2026.
She noted that the growing Nigerian community in the UK has helped founders build professional relationships, access advice, and establish networks as they explore new markets. Eweniyi said PiggyVest benefited from those connections, making introductions and early expansion conversations easier. She stressed, however, that while familiarity and community ties can ease entry into a new market, they should not replace sound business judgment when choosing where to expand.
Tom Duff Gordon, OpenAI’s Vice President and Head of EMEA Policy, emphasized that effective AI policy must reflect local context and African market realities rather than simply follow frameworks developed elsewhere. He advocated building infrastructure and regulation tailored to the continent’s artificial intelligence ambitions. African nations, he argued, should set the terms for how AI is built, regulated, and used in their own markets.
Uche Amaonwu, Director of the Nigeria Country Office at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, warned that without a deliberate focus on equity, AI could deepen existing inequalities.
Related Post: Africa Tech Festival Returns Bigger and Better
Referring to the newly launched Nigeria AI Scaling Hub hosted by Lagos Business School, he said the real measure of technology adoption is whether it delivers tangible improvements in maternal health, classroom learning, and smallholder farmers’ yields—not simply how many AI products are introduced.
