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The 26th edition of Africa Tech Festival 2023, delivered in partnership with the South African Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 13th to 16th November 2023, has concluded, leaving behind a trail of excitement and transformative discussions. This jam-packed festival included their anchor events AfricaCom, AfricaTech and AfricaIgnite and is part of the Informa Tech Connecting Africa event series. This revolutionary tech initiative aimed at reshaping the future of the African tech industry brought together industry experts, fostering connections, knowledge-sharing, and discussions on the importance of building cross-continental and local relationships, policy and infrastructure to continue the momentum of Africa’s digital revolution.
The speaker list featured prominent names, including government leaders H.E. Minister Ousmane Gaoual Diallo, H.E. Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, H.E. Minister Dr Peya Mushelenga, and business leaders Brelotte Ba, Deputy CEO of Orange, Funke Opeke, CEO of MainOne, Jannie van Zyl, Executive Head of Innovation at Vodacom, Christian Bombrun, CEO of Digital Platforms at MTN, and David Alema-Mensah, founder of AasaanPay, Dejan Kastelic, Group CTO of Vodacom, Alex Okosi, Managing Director, Africa of Google. For a full list of speakers, view here.
Many African countries have become attractive destinations for fintech investment, especially in the mobile money, digital payments, and financial inclusion areas. Innovative technology solutions have seen underserved and remote populations, at last, get a foot in. Enabling the smooth rollout to these areas was the establishment of new regulatory bodies that adapted to the evolving fintech landscape, thereby introducing a conducive environment for innovation and consumer protection, and financial stability. Most notably, mobile money gained widespread popularity and expanded financial access to unbanked populations. Additionally, businesses also got a leg up through digital payment platforms.
Arguably, the biggest achievement has been the financial inclusion of women, who for decades were hamstrung by a lack of opportunity and prejudice. These new innovations have enabled them to access much-needed financial services to improve their lives.
But, despite the encouraging picture, challenges remain. The sector still faces limited infrastructure, cybersecurity risks, and widespread digital illiteracy. It is at Africa Tech Festival where 13,000+ attendees comprising of leaders, and businesses got the opportunity to explore, innovate, and champion ways to remove these obstacles, through a series of panel discussions, fireside chats, and networking sessions. The energy-filled event provided a platform for industry experts to connect and network with like-minded individuals, paving the way for a collaborative and innovative future.
Prepay Nation, a B2B marketplace platform, actively participated in Africa Tech 2023 with a team dedicated to advancing the conversation of cross-border transfers and attracting industries and businesses. The ongoing conversations, shared insights, and boundless connections forged at the event are sculpting an incredible journey ahead for the cross-border transfers industry.
To engage with industry experts, Prepay Nation fostered in-depth discussions with sectors poised to benefit significantly from our cutting-edge B2B marketplace. These include, but are not limited to, payments, remittance, fintech, super apps, neobanks, charity, crypto, gaming, and many more. Africa Tech Festival is putting a sharp focus on the continent’s ability to expand its fintech footprint, building on last year’s robust uptick in the fintech sector that showed a healthy report card for the potential for further growth and development.
Prepay Nation’s primary focus at the event was to make accessing prepaid products for airtime, data, bundles, e-gift card, and utility payments more convenient, hassle-free, and fast. Clients who have chosen to work with Prepay Nation have selected them as their preferred partner because of the scalability, reliability, flexibility, and profitability that the B2B platform offers. With a global presence across 150+ countries, the company aims to accelerate cross-border transfers and help support financial inclusion.
The team educated attendees about the use cases of Prepay Nation’s cross-border transfers in different industries, emphasizing the exciting benefits of driving incremental growth and revenue, building loyalty and engagement, and a cost-effective means of customer acquisition.
Other notable sessions at the festival included the dedicated AfricaTech arena, which included a host of tech leaders across a broad range of industries focussing on AI, IoT, blockchain, fintech, cloud, data centre, and security. AfricaCom will focus on cyber security, service provider tech, digital infrastructure investment, and 5G. AfricaIgnite will look at the support for start-ups, diversity and inclusion, tools to remove obstacles, and the interconnectivity of the continent’s digital start-up ecosystem.
As the curtains close on Africa Tech Festival 2023, Prepay Nation looks to the future with excitement and anticipation. The company’s 10,000+ prepaid products aim to bring innovation and disruption on how businesses approach engagement and acquisition. The objective is to assist companies in the African region in integrating into Prepay Nation’s B2B marketplace, making cross-border transfers of airtime, data, bundles, e-gift cards, and utility payments with heightened efficiency, simplicity, and fluidity. The team is enthusiastic about partnering with industries, fueling the dialogue, and keeping the innovation alive.
For those eager to delve deeper into the insights gained at Africa Tech Festival 2023, connect with the Prepay Nation team today to explore the opportunities and advancements shaping the future of the telecom industry. Let’s keep the dialogue alive and ensure the continued growth and innovation in this dynamic sector of cross-border transfers.
Author
Janis D’souza, Global Head of Marketing