Lagos is positioning itself at the centre of Africa’s rapidly evolving digital-finance economy as GITEX Nigeria announces the launch of MINT AFRICA, a new platform designed to connect capital, technology, regulation and innovation across the continent.
The platform is scheduled to debut during GITEX NIGERIA Week 2027 in partnership with the Lagos State Government. Its announcement comes as financial services increasingly converge with technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital identity, stablecoins, tokenised assets and interoperable payment systems.
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For Africa, the opportunity is substantial. The continent’s digital payments economy is projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, according to figures cited in the announcement. At the same time, millions of Africans and businesses remain outside formal financial systems, creating considerable room for digital financial services to expand access to payments, savings, credit and investment.
Nigeria illustrates both the progress and the remaining gap. Figures cited by GITEX indicate that adult account ownership in the country increased from 45.3 per cent in 2021 to 63.3 per cent in 2024. However, only 9.1 per cent of Nigerians borrowed through formal financial channels, highlighting the difference between having access to an account and having meaningful access to finance.
MINT AFRICA is being developed around this changing financial landscape. Its agenda is expected to cover next-generation payments, digital currencies, artificial intelligence, tokenisation, digital identity, cybersecurity, financial infrastructure, cross-border interoperability and capital markets.
The initiative is also intended to bring different parts of the financial ecosystem into closer contact. Governments, regulators, banks, institutional investors, fintech companies and technology firms will be able to engage around investment opportunities and emerging financial infrastructure.
For Lagos, the initiative strengthens its position as a major African centre for technology, entrepreneurship and financial services. The city already hosts a large concentration of Nigeria’s fintech companies and financial institutions, giving it an established ecosystem from which digital-finance businesses can develop and expand.
But the wider significance extends beyond Nigeria. Digital financial infrastructure can help make cross-border commerce easier, particularly as African countries work towards deeper integration under the AfCFTA.
Improved interoperability between payment systems could reduce friction for businesses trading across borders. Digital identity systems can support financial inclusion, while new technologies can help financial institutions serve customers traditionally excluded from conventional banking.
The challenge will be turning innovation into scalable businesses and accessible services. Africa’s digital-finance expansion will require investment in infrastructure, cybersecurity, regulation, digital skills and consumer protection.
It will also require stronger connections between African entrepreneurs and the capital needed to scale their ideas. This is one of the areas MINT AFRICA seeks to address by creating a platform where innovation can meet investors, policymakers and financial institutions.
The emergence of such platforms signals an important stage in Africa’s digital transformation. The continent is not simply becoming a consumer of new financial technologies; its large population, entrepreneurial ecosystem and unique financial needs are creating opportunities to develop solutions suited to African markets.
With Lagos seeking to play a central role, the next phase of Africa’s financial transformation could increasingly be shaped from within the continent itself.
