Moonshot 2026: African Tech Leaders Call for Greater Investment in Infrastructure, Capital

By Adedapo Adesanya

African technology leaders have called for increased investment in infrastructure, patient capital and leadership development to build technology companies capable of competing globally and sustaining innovation.

The call was made at Moonshot by TechCabal 2026, a two-day conference held at the National Theatre in Lagos under the theme, Courage and Conviction: Building for a New World”, with Grey as headline sponsor.

The conference, which attracted more than 7,000 delegates from Africa, Europe and the Americas, focused on the need for African technology companies to own more of their underlying infrastructure, secure long-term funding and develop leadership capacity to sustain growth.

Opening the conference, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Mr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, represented by the agency’s Assistant Director, Mr Aristotle Onumo, called for policies that would enable local technology businesses to scale and for stronger collaboration among government, industry and investors.

In his opening remarks, the chief executive of Big Cabal Media, Mr Tomiwa Aladekomo, said the continent needed to move beyond rapid growth towards building sustainable institutions, adding that leadership development, succession planning and board capacity should receive as much attention as product development, capital and business expansion.

“What we need now is the leadership depth to turn that growth into institutions that last. That means treating succession, development and board capability as seriously as product, capital and growth, long before the need becomes urgent.

“We are grateful to set the stage for these conversations, to bring together the people who can shape the ecosystem and, most importantly, to make this a convergence that turns conversation into action,” he stated.

Discussions also highlighted the need for African fintech companies to move beyond domestic payment solutions and invest in infrastructure that connects markets across the continent, particularly in settlement, liquidity and regulatory compliance.

At the conference, headline sponsor Grey unveiled Paycheck, a salary account for professionals earning in US dollars, British pounds and euros, while demonstrating how its Grey Business platform enables African businesses to pay suppliers directly in China.

Grey’s chief executive, Mr Idorenyin Obong, said the company was addressing the difficulties African businesses and professionals face when conducting cross-border financial transactions.

Climate technology also featured prominently, with discussions highlighting investment opportunities in regenerative agriculture, climate insurance, carbon removal, distributed energy and water innovation.

TechCabal’s State of Tech in Africa H1 2026 Report showed that climate technology attracted $688 million in total inflows, surpassing fintech’s $488 million to become the leading sector for funding for the first time.

The conference also examined artificial intelligence infrastructure, with OpenAI’s Vice-President and Head of EMEA Policy, Tom Duff Gordon, and other experts emphasising the importance of policies shaped by African market realities.

Meanwhile, 10 startups selected from an initial pool of 20 competed in TC Battlefield 2026, with the competition awarding $25,000 in equity-free funding.

Other attendees included executives from MTN Benin, Flutterwave, OPay and the Gates Foundation.