MINT AFRICA
By Stellamaris Ashinze
Lagos, Sept. 4, 2026 (NAN) Lagos will host MINT AFRICA by GITEX in 2027, a platform designed to connect technology, finance, investment and regulation across Africa.
GITEX Nigeria announced the initiative on Friday during a media briefing in Lagos, saying it would convene governments, regulators, banks, investors, fintechs and technology firms.
It will also bring together digital-asset innovators to explore emerging technologies shaping Africa’s financial economy.
Ms Trixie LohMirmand, GITEX Chief Executive Officer, said discussions would focus on artificial intelligence, tokenisation, stablecoins and digital identity.
“Other areas include cybersecurity, next-generation payments and cross-border financial systems”, she said.
LohMirmand said Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem, talent pool and market size made Lagos a suitable location for MINT AFRICA.
She said the platform would examine how AI, tokenisation, programmable money and borderless financial markets could shape Africa’s financial future.
According to her, Africa’s digital payments economy is projected to reach 1.5 trillion dollars by 2030.
She added that reforms could unlock up to 1.43 trillion dollars in financing annually, despite persistent financial inclusion gaps.
“In Nigeria, adult account ownership increased from 45.3 per cent in 2021 to 63.3 per cent in 2024.
“However, only 9.1 per cent of adults borrowed through formal financial channels,” she said.
MINT AFRICA will debut during GITEX NIGERIA week, in partnership with the Lagos State Government.
Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, described Lagos as a key destination for Africa’s digital transformation.
“When GITEX came to Nigeria, Lagos became a commercial anchor. That was not a courtesy extended to us; it was a commercial judgement,” Hamzat said.
He said Africa’s next chapter in finance would be built through collaboration and innovation.
Mr Tunbosun Alake, Lagos Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, said Africa possessed financial innovation but needed investment-focused conversations.
He said MINT AFRICA was designed to help convert innovation into investments and commercial deals.
Dr Nurudeen Abubakar Zauro, Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion, said deeper inclusion was critical to Nigeria’s one-trillion-dollar economy target.
Zauro said Nigeria needed greater investment, financial-sector deepening, informal-sector formalisation and improved access to finance for MSMEs.
Mr Ganiyu Oseni, Special Adviser on Technology, Broadband and Innovation to the Lagos Governor, said infrastructure, regulation and investor confidence would shape Africa’s digital economy.
“Technology alone will not determine the winners of the next financial era. Infrastructure, regulation and investor confidence will,” Oseni said.
He identified connectivity, electricity, digital identity and talent as critical infrastructure needed to support the digital economy.
Dr Armstrong Ume Takang, CEO of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated, urged Nigerians to actively participate in the emerging digital-asset economy.
He questioned whether Nigerians would continue watching others invest in tokenised assets and benefit from their growing value.
Mr Tahiru Al Hassan, Head of Oversight and Compliance, Virtual Assets Department, Bank of Ghana, called for stronger regulatory coordination across Africa.
He said coordinated regulation would help address digital assets’ cross-border nature while preventing fragmentation.
Al Hassan said stronger coordination would also support trusted and interoperable digital-asset ecosystems. (NAN)
SKA/KTO
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