Stakeholders, including C-suite executives, innovators, and tech entrepreneurs, gathered for the 2025 Africa Technology Expo (ATE) with the future of Africa’s tech industry at the centre of conversations. Held at the Landmark Event Centre in Lagos on Saturday, June 21, over 2,000 attendees and 50 — exhibiting companies spotlighted bold hardware, telecoms, and software innovation with real-world business outcomes.
“We’re here to share the future together, and through this platform, we’re saying conversations are already on the way to export—to Kigali, Nairobi, and even Barbados,” said Clinton Nnaemeka, CEO of ATE, at the opening ceremony.“Africa’s story must be told everywhere. It’s not just what we do, but who does it with us.”
Nnaemeka firmly positioned ATE not as a generic tech event, but as a high-stakes business platform built for enterprises ready to scale and solve big challenges on the continent.
Africa’s next billion-dollar tech: Olumide Balogun’s roadmap to 2030
The keynote address was delivered by Olumide Balogun, Director at Google West Africa, who laid out a compelling framework for how Africa can build its next billion-dollar tech companies.
His talk revolved around questions, predictions, and stakeholder groups that’ll move the continent toward efficiency, inclusion, and scalability.
According to Balogun, key 2024 happenings in the ecosystem include:
- Unicorn Surge: In 2024, two new African unicorns—Moniepoint joined a growing list that includes Chipper Cash and Interswitch, signaling a maturing tech ecosystem.
- Venture Capital Shifts: While overall VC funding declined from 2023 to 2024, equity funding remained steady, with an increasing focus on profitability over growth at all costs.
- Talent Boom: Africa’s digital skills market is projected to grow significantly, thanks to 1,000+ firms ramping up upskilling programs across five key countries.
- Policy Push: Regional digital trade protocols and national startup acts in countries like Senegal and Nigeria are aligning legal frameworks to stimulate tech entrepreneurship.
To build Africa’s next unicorns, Balogun advices:
- Solving fundamental, large-scale problems (healthcare, education, energy).
- Building mobile-first products that reach users via smartphones and feature phones.
- Prioritising accessibility and value for price-sensitive markets.
- Digitising the informal economy, especially retail and logistics sectors.
- Understanding policy & funding shifts in Africa’s evolving ecosystem.
Predictions for 2030: What’s next?
In his address, Balogun gave the following predictions for the next 6 years:
- Fintech 2.0: The next generation of fintech will go beyond payments to tackle comprehensive financial inclusion, especially for Africa’s underserved informal sector. AI-driven credit scoring, alternative data use, and mobile-based financial tools are the future.
- The rise of green tech: Solar infrastructure, investment in renewables, and the energy demands of data centers and AI will drive growth and policy.
- E-commerce + logistics: E-commerce is booming, but logistics is the enabler. AI-powered solutions in supply chain management, inventory prediction, and last-mile delivery are unlocking potential in informal retail and urban logistics.
Stakeholder call to action:
Balogun addressed three categories of people, giving directives of what needs to be done.
- Investors: Look beyond fintech, and explore climate tech, agritech, and AI-led solutions that solve core African problems.
- Entrepreneurs: Solve real problems. Prioritise accessibility, affordability, and impact, especially for the growing urban youth population.
- Governments: Accelerate infrastructure, harmonise regulations, and invest in human capital to reduce brain drain and build local capacity.
Balogun closed with a quote by Peter Drucker: “The only way to predict the future is to create it.”
Buy African or Bye Africa?
Another highlight of the day was a fireside chat titled “Buy African or Bye Africa?”, hosted by Daniel Adeyemi, Editor-in-Chief at Condia. He was joined by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Co-Founder of Andela and Managing Partner at Accelerate Africa, and Bayo Adedeji, Group CEO, Wakanow.
The session explored how protectionist trade policies and shifting global alliances are compelling Africa to redefine its production power and global competitiveness.
The session emphasised that Africa has talent, and resources to build capital environment for African businesses to thrive
The future starts now
ATE 2025 made one thing clear: Africa is no longer just a market; it’s a builder of markets. From unicorn births to green energy pivots, AI-driven platforms to trade recalibration, the continent is writing its own tech story—with scale, ambition, and grit.
