The AfricArena Lagos Fintech, Mobility, and Logistics Summit, held at the Eko HotelAnd Suites on Victoria Island in Lagos, Nigeria, was a compelling celebration of West Africa's thriving fintech, mobility, and logistics ecosystem, with five start-ups and one investor emerging victorious.
This summit, organised in conjunction with AWS Startups, GIZ, Redington, VonTech Group, and Methys, highlighted West Africa's ability to produce an outstanding number of world-class digital talent.
The event, held concurrently with the 21st AVCA Conference and VC Summit, brought together global venture capitalists, industry pioneers, and start-ups for a full-day event centred on pitching sessions, strategic networking, and partnership prospects.
Lady Kay, head of communication and social impact at Salad Africa, narrated Africa's technology success stories as the event's Master of Ceremonies.
Deepankar Rustagi, founder and CEO of OmniRetail Technology, presented an informative keynote address titled "Narrating the Fintech Journey: From Headlines to Hustle"
Jane Egerton-Idehen, CEO at Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited and founder at VonTech Group said: “Start-ups continue to help drive the digital economy in Africa using technology to empower and create impact. It (Summit) has shown the value in supporting start-ups to attract funds, meet investors and find access to strategic partnerships.”
Daniel von Ritter, head of component at GIZ/Digital Transformation Center Nigeria said, “For GIZ/Digital Transformation Center Nigeria, the partnership with the AfricArena Lagos Summit aimed to give the participating start-ups from the just concluded techmybiz acceleration program the opportunity to show their progress and to attract potential investors and partners."
He went to say the partnership fulfilled all expectations and he also thanked organisers, AfricArena, “for a very well prepared and successful debut in Lagos.”
Dan Mabbyalas, AfricArise director and AfricArena head of product and programs said: "We witnessed bold ideas, game-changing innovations, and the undeniable spirit of collaboration.
"Congratulations to all the startups who pitched and especially to our winners - your journey is just beginning. If this summit proved anything, it’s that the African tech ecosystem is not only rising — it’s unstoppable.”
Each of the 20 pitching startups, according to AfricArena, demonstrated their diverse and versatile skillsets that have empowered them to build and scale innovative, ground-breaking startups.
As the event culminated in the award ceremony, five startups and one investor were announced the winners of the following awards:
●Best Fintech Startup Award: PaySika
●Best Logistics Startup Award: Retail Loop
●Best E-Commerce Startup Award: Kamel
●Best Energy Startup Award: Koolboks
●Best Seed Startup Award: Vetsark
●Most Promising Entrepreneur Award: Adashi
●Most Attractive Investor Award: Al Mada Ventures
The winners each received up to $25,000 in AWS Activate credits and advanced to the finale at the AfricArena grand Summit, which will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, in December.
Mukami Wainaina, Investment Officer at Al Mada Ventures, who collected the AfricArena Most Attractive Investor Award on behalf of the firm, commended the organisers for providing VCs with exposure and the entrepreneurs for making "pitching appear effortless!"
Adashi's founder and CEO, Ahmed Idris, stated that earning the AfricArena Most Promising Entrepreneur Award is a tremendous confirmation of the company's vision and perseverance.
Adris went on to remark that the accomplishment was more than simply personal recognition; it demonstrated that African-built solutions, such as his, might transform the way communities access savings, credit, and financial dignity.
For Aminu Hashim, CEO of Kamel, who received the AfricArena Best E-Commerce start-up Award, said: "For our team, it’s more than just recognition, it’s a boost of confidence, momentum, and visibility as we continue to build a platform that makes e-commerce more inclusive and accessible for entrepreneurs across Nigeria and beyond."
Lolade Alonge, Koolboks' business communications project manager, noted that the honour recognises the company's team's hard work and dedication to innovation in the energy sector.
Alonge said: “The $25,000 AWS credit will be a game-changer for us at Koolboks, enabling us to scale our predictive maintenance IoT platform, ensuring our vision of continuous cooling for our clients, even in the absence of electricity.
“With AWS, we'll be able to optimize our infrastructure, enhance data analytics, and improve our platform's reliability, ultimately delivering more value to our customers.
"This award not only boosts our credibility, but also opens up new opportunities for collaboration and expansion."
Further, the AfricArena Europe Scale Tour 2025 is happening in May where the AfricArena will take the best African tech startups to the AfricArena London Summit and the AfricArena Berlin Summit
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