Arrivals start now, attendees get registered and familiarize themselves with the different sections of the Festival.

To officially welcome attendees and open the event, the convener of the event, Clinton, comes up to give the opening remarks.

Africa’s startup story has entered a new chapter. The noise is fading, and the hard questions are rising. Who is truly delivering results? What models are working? And where is the proof that African ventures can build real, lasting value? Kola Aina, Managing Partner at Ventures Platform Fund, brings first-hand insight into what it takes to turn belief in African founders into data-backed performance. His firm recently raised a new fund that, for the first time, includes backing from the Nigerian government, marking a turning point for local participation in venture capital. The AMA Session is moderated by Preston from Stears, whose platform has become a trusted source of economic intelligence across the continent. He guides a conversation that moves beyond optimism into evidence, exploring how credible data, measurable outcomes, and institutional trust can shape the next decade of African investing.

African venture is full of ambition and energy, but it is also full of unspoken realities. For every celebrated deal, there are founders fighting uphill battles against systems that were not built for them. The challenges go far beyond pitch decks. They live in the quiet tensions between global expectations and local realities. Haile Amegashie-Tevoedjre (Breega) brings the view from international capital, where investors want scale, speed, and structure. Olu Oyinsan (Oui Capital) represents the view from the ground, where local funds are balancing risk, relationships, and long-term conviction. Together, they confront the eight uncomfortable truths that define African venture today, from mismatched valuations to limited exits, from investor bias to policy gaps, and from founder pressure to the politics of funding access. Moderated by Dr. Emmanuel Ekwedike, this Fireside Chat goes beyond the usual success stories. It looks at what is really working, what is breaking, and what must change if African ventures are to grow with both integrity and impact.

In Africa’s fast-growing startup scene, perception often moves faster than proof. Some companies attract capital before they have traction, while others build quietly for years before being noticed. But in a market that rewards visibility as much as value, how do investors and founders separate what is real from what only looks it? Chidi Iwuchukwu (RMB) brings the institutional view of what legitimacy looks like from a bank and investment lens, where structure, governance, and long-term value matter more than hype. Bunmi Akinyemiju, a founder and operator, brings the lived reality of building credibility from scratch, navigating the skepticism that comes with being an African entrepreneur. Moderated by Tage Kene-Okafor, this AMA Session examines the fine line between storytelling and substance, reputation and results, and what it really takes to build something that lasts. Because in a market chasing validation, legitimacy might just be the most valuable currency.

Inclusion has become a label, and labels often do more harm than good. Across Africa, more women are building companies, leading funds, and shaping ecosystems than ever before. Yet the label “female founder” often carries expectations that reduce their work to gender rather than merit. The question now is not about representation, but recognition. When does inclusion stop being a headline and start being normal? Ifedayo Durosinmi-Etti (Herconomy) is building one of Africa’s most dynamic communities for financially active women, connecting savings, investment, and opportunity through technology and collective wealth creation. Nneka Eze (VestedWorld) brings the investor’s perspective, backing African companies through a lens that blends inclusion, performance, and long-term value. Together, they represent both sides of the table, those building and those funding, united by the same goal: to prove that competence, not category, drives success. Oluwakemi Olajide is driving fundraising strategy and amplifying portfolio value as well as deploying catalytic capital into ventures that deliver scalable climate impact across Africa. Moderated by Kelechi Nwaozuzu, this fireside chat unpacks what it means to be seen first as a founder, not a “female founder,” and why the next phase of inclusion will be measured not by visibility, but by ownership, influence, and lasting impact.

Fixing the Relationship Between Capital and the Continent. In African investing, the biggest gap is not opportunity, it is trust. For decades, the flow of capital has been shaped by perception rather than partnership, with foreign investors looking for guarantees and local players fighting for credibility. But to build real impact, that relationship must evolve. Nobuhiko Ichimiya (AAIC Nigeria) brings the perspective of international capital, leading Japanese investments into Africa’s healthcare and sustainable growth sectors with a focus on measurable outcomes and long-term value. Yewande Adewusi (Alitheia Capital) represents one of the continent’s strongest voices for inclusive private equity, showing how African-led capital can be both strategic and deeply rooted in community. Moderated by Janice Dibia, CFA, this AMA Session explores what rebuilding trust between global investors and African operators truly looks like, the transparency, patience, and collaboration required to shift from transactional investing to a transformative partnership.

Building in Africa has never been easy, but for founders working in agriculture and retail, it takes something more than grit. It takes structure, trust, and patience to build markets that did not exist before. Uka Eje (Thrive Agric) has navigated the complex world of agritech, connecting farmers to finance and markets while managing risk in one of the continent’s toughest sectors. Deepankar Rustagi (Omniretail) is rebuilding how small retailers restock and grow through digital supply chains that touch thousands of businesses. Moderated by Babatunde Akin-Moses, this Fireside Chat dives into what scaling really looks like in sectors that are essential but often overlooked, the trade-offs, the mistakes, and the breakthroughs that define what it means to build hard things in hard places.

This conversation brings together two powerful perspectives on building and funding businesses that touch everyday African lives. Temilola Adepetun has created one of Nigeria’s first “one-stop” school shops, simplifying access to essential educational materials while navigating supply, logistics, and market constraints. Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes leverages her experience in investment banking and private equity to back underserved businesses, with a special focus on women-led ventures that generate both social and financial returns. Moderated by Olalekan Onabanjo, the Ama Session explores what it takes to scale everyday solutions, the challenges of untapped markets, and how strategic investments can unlock growth for women, small businesses, and the broader economy. The conversation bridges operational realities and investment strategy, providing lessons for entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers alike.

Everyone believes in Africa’s potential, but belief alone does not build markets. Ashim Egunjobi (Octerra Capital) and Satoshi Shinada (Verod-Kepple) sit on opposite ends of the same spectrum, one shaping African-led capital with patience and proximity, the other driving cross-border conviction from Japan into Africa’s venture ecosystem. Moderated by Napa Onwusah, this Fireside Chat unpacks the gap between foreign optimism and local reality, who defines risk, who carries it, and what real partnership looks like when the money finally meets the market. Because in African ventures, belief is cheap — proof is not.

Fintech is evolving faster than the systems meant to secure it. As digital payments, virtual cards, crypto rails, and alternative credit explode across Africa, the continent is experiencing unprecedented innovation and unprecedented risk. Fraud is no longer an occasional threat; it’s a structural challenge shaping how products are built, how users behave, and how investors evaluate trust.This session brings together builders operating at the frontlines of this tension, founders scaling virtual card ecosystems, AI-driven fraud detection, and next-gen credit infrastructure. Together, Benjamin Onyemolan (Platnova), Zach Bijesse (Archer), and Philips Akinyele (Payaza/Payfi), in this conversation moderated by Nubi Kay (Paystack), explore the hidden fault lines of African fintech: the identity gaps no one is fixing, the fraud patterns that keep evolving, the infrastructure still missing, and what it really takes to build trust when the tools used to deceive are just as powerful as those used to protect. This isn’t a conversation about payments; it’s a conversation about survival, architecture, and the future of digital finance in Africa.