Afrifursa Fintech Summit 2021: Forum aims to connect African and Canadian fintech innovators

The Afrifursa Fintech Summit will launch its inaugural event virtually later this month, presenting a unique opportunity to connect the African and Canadian fintech ecosystems. Participants at this highly-anticipated Summit will engage in social impact partnerships through shared thought leadership, understanding of the fintech start-up environment, market intelligence and awareness of B2B opportunities.

Both Africa and Canada have a tremendous amount of knowledge and best practices to share in the fintech space. Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda are just some of the African countries that have made remarkable moves in this industry, with 576 fintech start-ups are headquartered in Africa in 2021. This represents a growth of 17.3% from 491 in 2019.

Canada currently has the fastest growing tech market in North America and is home to approximately 700 fintech companies, with 18 of these founded as recently as 2020. The Afrifursa Fintech Summit will bring dynamic people, innovation and opportunities together for collaboration available in Africa and Canada. Attendees will be able to establish deeper and new channels of connectivity between Canadian and African fintech ecosystems. They will be exposed to new opportunities to develop existing fintech synergies between these two regions and gain momentum toward collaboration around social impact delivered through fintech.

“The fintech industry has grown astronomically under the pandemic and global partnerships are going to be key in realizing the industry’s full potential. Collaboration between Canadian and African fintech stakeholders is still largely untapped, so we are offering the Afrifursa Fintech Summit in order to reduce the barriers and forge direct linkages,” said Tapfuma Musewe, founder of Afrifursa.

The Afrifursa Fintech Summit has curated expert speakers, including:

Michelle Chivunga (founder and CEO of Global Policy House)
Ronald Makomba (head of business development at Yoco)
Christian Kajeneri (fintech strategy, services and products, MTN Rwanda)
Mimi Kalinda (narrative shaper and founder of Africa Communications Group)

From unicorns in waiting to digital currency policy experts, the event will create tangible opportunities of exchange for everyone involved. The Summit will take a deep dive into the following key topics:

Economy – The role of Fintech in COVID recovery.
Governance – The rise of alternative currencies and global trade/ investment flows.
Impact – The role of Fintech in fostering equity & sustainability.
Innovation – Fintech as a financial services contributor and disruptor.
Investment – Growing importance of cross border acquisitions and investments in Fintech.

The Afrifursa Fintech Summit will be held on September 22, 2021 from 9am – 1pm ET/ 3pm – 7pm CAT. Registrations are open online.

Based in Toronto, with roots in Africa, Afrifursa is a newly launched initiative that aims to shift the narrative around Africa. Known for its “meet the diasporans” podcasts that highlight how global citizens are finding innovative ways to use their extraordinary skill sets and rich experiences to act on opportunities of exchange with Africa, the organization also initiated the Afrifursa Fintech Summit.

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