On 17 September 2025, Telecom Review Africa hosted a webinar titled “The Role of Fintech in Advancing Africa” to examine the continent’s fast-growing but uneven fintech landscape. The panel featured Edgard Tawk (Eurisko Mobility), Sylvain Morlière (Sofrecom), Lynda Bouzid (Ooredoo Algeria), and Munya Chiura (Strategic Advisor), moderated by Jessica Bayley of Telecom Review Group.
Opening the session, Issam Eid, CMO of Telecom Review Group, said fintech is about empowerment, growth, and transformation, noting projections that the sector could add USD 47 billion to Africa’s economy by 2028 despite current penetration rates of just 5–6%.
Inclusion, Innovation, and Regulation
Tawk stressed that fintech’s foundation rests on inclusion, pointing out disparities between high inclusion in South Africa and Kenya versus very low levels in countries like South Sudan. He also highlighted gender gaps and regulatory fragmentation, urging greater interoperability. Morlière added that literacy barriers, ID ownership, and poor UX are hindrances, particularly for women and rural populations.
Partnerships as Growth Drivers
Bouzid emphasized strategic partnerships with banks, telcos, and non-financial businesses as crucial for scaling fintech, citing telco-led data and services like microloans, and embedding fintech in sectors such as agriculture and retail. She noted Ooredoo’s efforts in Algeria to expand connectivity and mobile wallets to tackle exclusion.
Mobile-First and Cross-Border Trade
Chiura highlighted Africa’s dominance in mobile money, accounting for 66% of global transactions worth USD 1.4 trillion, and stressed that the continent’s fintech future is undeniably mobile-first. He linked fintech to the creator and gig economies, digital content, and trade opportunities under AfCFTA, supported by initiatives like PAPSS.
Empowering MSMEs
Panelists agreed that fintech is critical in closing Africa’s MSME credit gap of over USD 300 billion. Digital lending, alternative credit scoring, and low-cost payment solutions are helping MSMEs overcome challenges where traditional banks fail. Startups like Flutterwave, Moniepoint, and Fawry were cited as examples driving innovation in this space.
Future Innovations
Tawk predicted a shift toward blockchain and decentralized systems for security and efficiency, while Chiura highlighted AI, open banking, and DeFi as transformative technologies for Africa. Bouzid advised pragmatic adoption, prioritizing connectivity and real-world use cases before advanced tools like AR or 5G.
The session concluded that fintech will thrive at the intersection of inclusion, innovation, and regulation, with infrastructure, literacy, gender equality, and MSME empowerment as the sector’s key challenges and opportunities.
