By 2030, Africa’s digital economy is expected to reach $1.5 trillion. we know the numbers. We know the “unicorns” that are supposed to get us there.
However, a company is just a legal entity. They don’t dig trenches for fiber optic cables. They don’t negotiate treaties to kill the US dollar in cross-border trade. And they’re not waking up at 4 a.m. to fix broken supply chains in Lagos.
people do.
For the final chapter of our 2026 watchlist, we’re combing through press releases to profile the human demographic. These are architects. These are certain individuals whose personal decisions in the first quarter of 2026 will determine whether the continent’s digital infrastructure holds up or collapses under the weight of its own growth.
Here are the five people who will hold the keys to the continent’s operating system in 2026.
1. Mike Ogbal III, PAPSS (Pan African Payment System) CEO
While fintech companies compete for consumer apps, Ogbal is changing the way central banks operate across the continent. In July 2025, Ogbal secured the entry of Al Maghrib Bank (Morocco) into the PAPSS network, becoming the 17th central bank to join. This will open up North Africa’s most important banking market to the rest of Africa.
In 2024, Afreximbank provided $17.5 billion in trade finance, showing high demand. PAPSS currently reduces cross-border transaction costs from an average of 10-30% (using correspondent banks) to less than 1%.
Highlights of the first quarter
Look at switch consolidation in East Africa. With Kenya’s KCB and Bank of Kigali now operational, Ogbal’s plan for the first quarter could be to connect the East African Payments System (EAPS) directly to the REPSS system (COMESA) via PAPSS.
If successful, tea exporters in Mombasa will be able to invoice buyers in Casablanca in Kenyan shillings and instantly receive payment in dirhams. This means there is no need for USD or Citibank intermediaries. Mr. Ogbal will serve in a similar role to the “Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board” of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
2. Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (Nigeria)
Most digital ministers talk about ‘startups’. Tijani talks about “dirt”. By the end of 2025, he has completed a $2 billion special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the national fiber optic backbone. The project is 49% government funded and 51% privately funded (World Bank/AFC), avoiding bureaucratic delays. According to World Bank data, a 10% increase in broadband access could boost GDP by 2.5%.
Highlights of the first quarter
Physical labor begins. In the first quarter, the SPV is likely to start laying 90,000 km of fiber optic cable. This is the largest infrastructure project in Nigeria’s history since the GSM auction. By connecting all 774 local government areas, Tijani does more than just improve your internet speed. He’s also working on building the foundation that companies like Moniepoint and Cybervergent will use for the next 20 years.
3. Deepankar Rustagi, OmniRetail CEO
Rastaji has quietly built Africa’s most extensive ‘just-in-time’ supply chain. After acquiring Traction Apps, OmniRetail did more than just digitize its inventory. They have digitized payments. By late 2025, OmniRetail was doing more than just moving products. It processed billions of dollars in gross merchandise value (GMV) and used that data to underwrite working capital loans for more than 100,000 retailers with zero credit history with traditional banks.
Highlights of the first quarter
Rastazi is betting on “inventory as currency.” In 2026, look for omni-retail to act as a risk engine and launch a trade finance protocol that allows FMCG giants (Unilever, Nestlé) to lend directly to corner stores. He transforms supply chains into fintech products, solving the biggest driver for small and medium-sized enterprises in Africa: liquidity.
4. Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT and Innovation (Rwanda)
While the EU seeks to restrict AI, Ingabire is creating a legal framework for exporting it. At Davos in 2025, she predicted that AI would contribute 6% to Rwanda’s GDP. She supported this by establishing the Timbuktu Initiative headquarters in Kigali. The Huillet Drone Operations Center is now the most advanced testing ground for autonomous logistics in the Southern Hemisphere.
Highlights of the first quarter
“Data Sovereignty” Law. In the first quarter, Ingabire will roll out a policy framework that will allow global AI labs (such as Anthropic) to train models on African medical and agricultural data within Rwanda, provided the IP is shared. She positions Kigali as the “Delaware of African AI,” the only place where high-risk technologies can be tested legally and quickly.
5. Richmond Bassey, Bamboo CEO
Bassey stopped building “trading apps.” He is creating the “World Bank”. The company’s DNA changed with the launch of Misan (June 2025) and the acquisition of the South African financial services license.
Remittances to sub-Saharan Africa reached $54 billion last year. Bamboo is no longer competing for a $100 stock investment. They are fighting for a $500 monthly family support transfer.
Highlights of the first quarter
In 2026, Bassey’s goal is to make “remittance” and “investment” the same transaction. Instead of sending money home to be spent (and grow), users can have it invested (and thus create wealth). If Bamboo can capture even 5% of the Nigeria-Canada or Nigeria-UK corridor in Q1, it will be worth more than most Tier 2 banks.
Final Verdict: Year of the Operator
For the past decade, Africa’s technology narrative has focused on what’s possible. We focused on demographics, youth population and mobile usage. We counted unicorns like trophies. In 2026, the era of “possibility” will end. We are now entering the era of “execution.”
The five leaders we profiled (Ogbal, Tijani, Rustagi, Ingabire, and Bassey) represent important changes in the way the continent operates. They are no longer working alone. They are building systems that others can use.
Without Bosun Tijani’s 90,000 km of fiber, Deepankar Rustagi’s AI-driven supply chain would have no data to process. Without Mike Ogbal’s payments rails, Richmond Bassey’s cross-border wallets would hit a wall of correspondent bank fees. Without Paula Ingabire’s regulatory clarity, the global capital needed to power all of this will remain on the sidelines in Silicon Valley and London.
The $1.5 trillion digital economy will not be unlocked by new apps. Unlocked by mitigating infrastructure risk. These five individuals are effectively reducing Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and cost of doing business across the continent. They are digging trenches so that the rest of the ecosystem can operate.
Predictions for 2026:
By Q4 2026, success will no longer be measured by who raises the most Series B funding, but by who efficiently connects to these new rails. The message to investors and founders is clear. Stop looking for the next “unicorn.” Start supporting your leaders.
