Africa Fintech Summit's 10th Edition to be Hosted in Lusaka, Zambia
The Africa Fintech Summit (AFTS) has announced that its 10th edition will take place in Lusaka, Zambia, on November 2-3, 2023, writes Winston Mwale.
LUSAKA, Zambia— The Africa Fintech Summit (AFTS) has announced that its 10th edition will take place in Lusaka, Zambia, on November 2-3, 2023, writes Winston Mwale.
The summit aims to gather entrepreneurs, investors, regulators, and other stakeholders to shape the future of the financial technology industry in Africa and globally.
Following the successful 9th AFTS held in Washington, DC this past April, where the 'Tech for Trade Alliance' was launched, the upcoming summit in November will focus on supporting cross-border trade and e-commerce innovation on the African continent.
The initiative was launched by the US government's Prosper Africa initiative, along with various US-Africa partners.
Established in 2017, the Africa Fintech Summit has emerged as the leading bi-annual gathering for Africa's fintech sector.
The summit has been held in several cities across the continent, including Lagos, Addis Ababa, Cairo, and Cape Town, attracting thousands of participants from over a hundred countries worldwide.
The 10th edition of the summit will feature Africa's largest annual financial technology exhibition, keynote speeches, panel discussions, and networking opportunities.
It will delve into various industry topics such as digital payments innovation, blockchain use cases, lending for individuals and MSMEs, commodity supply chain, and fintech regulation.
Zambia has been selected as the ideal location for the summit, given its rapidly growing fintech ecosystem and its strategic position at the intersection of key industries and economic communities like COMESA.
With mobile money penetration in Zambia reaching 69.4% in 2020, as the Ministry of Technology & Science and the UNCDF reported, there is still immense potential for further growth and innovation in financial services, connectivity, commerce, and digital infrastructure within the country.
Felix C. Mutati, Minister of Technology and Science for Zambia expressed excitement about hosting the event, stating that the summit aligns with Zambia's national digital transformation strategy and will contribute to driving digital transformation not only within the country but across the African continent.
Zekarias Amsalu, Co-Founder of the Africa Fintech Summit, shared his enthusiasm for bringing the 10th edition to Lusaka, emphasising Zambia's significant potential in the fintech industry and its increasing role in various sectors of the global economy.
AFTSLusaka aims to go beyond discussions on fintech-powered financial inclusion and explore how fintech-adjacent industries are driving structural changes and digitization throughout Africa.
The Africa Fintech Summit has garnered support from key industry stakeholders such as Flutterwave, Pan-African Payments Settlement System (PAPSS), FonBnk, Payments Association of Zambia, Founders Factory Africa, Startupbootcamp AfriTech, and more, with additional announcements expected in the coming months.