Africa Venture Innovation Brings Together Top Industry Voices to Chart Path for Global Scale

The Africa Venture Innovation (AVI) recently convened in Kigali, assembling a cross-sector network of founders, investors, innovation leaders, and policy influencers to address one critical question: How can African ventures prepare for their next leap into global markets?

Guided by the theme “The Next Leap: Positioning African Ventures for Global Scale,” the program focused on practical enablers for scalable innovation – capital access, digital infrastructure, founder discipline, policy harmonization, and inclusive investing. It delivered structured conversations across key verticals shaping the future of Africa’s tech-driven growth.

Speakers & Highlights

The event featured a curated roster of respected voices from across the innovation spectrum:

• Joseph Onalo, Partner, SkyVC
• Chimdiebere Ugah, Managing Partner, Asuke Capital
• Florence Daior, President, African Venture Network (AVN)
• Shefiu Yusuf, Data Scientist and Innovation Strategist
• Glory Emmanuel, VP, Frontier Tech
• Ikechukwu Kalu, CEO, mTAN
• Emmanuel Iwuoha, Senior Partner, Williams & Partners
• Chiagoziem Ofurum, CEO, Teda Inc.

Sessions tackled topics such as:

• Capital Readiness & Venture Funding
• Logistics Infrastructure for Scale
• Digital Public Infrastructure & Policy
• Gender-Lens Investing in Tech
• From Local to Global: Lessons from Scaling in Emerging Markets

Each speaker brought industry-grounded insights into how to build systems that support not just startup survival, but sustainable, cross-border success. Discussions reflected Africa’s current innovation landscape while pushing toward tangible models for global competitiveness.

A Pan-African Platform for Scale

With over 1500 participants, including ecosystem builders, public officials, institutional investors, and early-stage founders, the AVI reinforced its status as a recognized platform for aligning Africa’s venture ecosystem with international best practices.

By merging local context with global frameworks, the platform has positioned itself as a catalyst for the next phase of Africa’s innovation-led transformation.