Africa’s next tech leap will be shaped by scalable infrastructure and trust-building partnerships more than just technological breakthroughs or capital inflows.
During his keynote on the first day of Moonshot 2025, Akeem Lawal, who heads payment processing and switching at Interswitch Purepay, said, “When you build the infrastructure, you create a community of partnerships.”
Achieving this involves building physical and digital solutions, including products, services, and support that keep the ecosystem running, from vehicles to communications networks to support systems such as service stations.
To achieve this, the ecosystem must utilise blended investment models including public-private partnerships, domestic resource mobilisation, and regional integration to move from concept to implementation.
According to the State of Africa’s Infrastructure 2025 report, Africa already holds over $1.1 trillion in domestic capital, from pension funds to sovereign wealth funds. The challenge is unlocking these resources and putting them to work for infrastructure and innovation. The focus on using homegrown assets reframes progress, making African-led solutions a cornerstone of future growth.
Lawal said in his address that building essential infrastructure, particularly blockchain infrastructure, will unlock key elements of innovation.
“Last year, I was interviewed here and I was asked which of the three technologies is likely to drive the evolution of the internet system in the next year,” Lawal said. “I think the interviewer was expecting me to say data, but I said blockchain.”
But innovative building alone will not yield transformative results. Collaboration and capital must work hand in hand with innovative solutions.
Key takeaways from the session center on the urgent need for Nigeria and Africa to modernise and build resilient digital infrastructure that can support both current and future needs, especially in the payments and financial technology sectors.
“We need to modernise, embed AI, and build resilient digital infrastructure that can support both current and future needs, especially in the payments and financial technology sectors.”
Mark your calendars! Moonshot by is back in Lagos on October 15–16! Meet and learn from Africa’s top founders, creatives & tech leaders for 2 days of keynotes, mixers & future-forward ideas. Get your tickets now: moonshot..com
