#africa

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has taken its “Made in Nigeria. Built for the world.” campaign to one of the world’s most recognizable advertising locations, New York’s Times Square. On Friday, September 18, 2026, Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive of Dangote Group, joined members of his leadership team in New York as the refinery’s campaign appeared on digital billboards in Times Square. The display comes as the refinery continues to expand its international profile, showcasing a major Nigerian industrial project on a highly visible global platform. The Times Square campaign coincides with the refinery’s ongoing public offering on the Nigerian Exchange, which opened on September 14 and offers 4.1 billion ordinary shares at ₦525 each. The offer is scheduled to remain open until October 13, 2026.

The New York appearance comes at an important stage for the refinery as it seeks to expand its ownership base and increase its international reach. The IPO, described by Dangote as the “People’s IPO,” is expected to raise about ₦2.15 trillion if fully subscribed, with the proceeds supporting the company’s expansion plans. The refinery currently has a processing capacity of about 700,000 barrels per day, while its broader expansion plans aim to increase capacity significantly in the coming years. Reuters reported that Dangote is also considering a potential U.S. listing of the refinery business within the next three to four years. The Times Square campaign therefore places the Nigerian refinery directly in front of an international audience at a time when the company is seeking greater global visibility and participation in its next phase of growth.

The campaign also reflects the refinery’s growing role in Nigeria’s petroleum export story. The facility, located in Lagos, has moved from being a major domestic industrial project to an exporter of refined petroleum products, with the company seeking markets beyond Africa. The Times Square billboard, carrying the message “Made in Nigeria. Built for the world,” presents that ambition in one of the most internationally recognizable commercial spaces. For Dangote Group, the display is another opportunity to place Nigerian manufacturing and industrial capacity before a global audience while the refinery continues its public share offering and expansion plans.

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8 months into 2026, five countries account for the bulk of #Africa's startup funding.

Nigeria leads with $529M, but Benin's $327M is the real standout: a market that rarely cracks $10M pushed into second place continent-wide. Egypt ($322M) and South Africa ($248M) hold their usual top-5 spots, while Kenya ($217M) rounds out the leading pack. Pan-African #startups raised $64M across borders.

For the full breakdown and in-depth analysis on what's driving these numbers,

#Techviral #Africantechecosystem #AfricanStartups

Africa’s #startup #ecosystem is bigger than fintech. But #fintech is still winning the funding race.

I came across an infographic showing some of #Africa’s top-funded #startups as of #August 2026, and one thing immediately stood out to me.

Fintech dominates.

Moniepoint — $110M
Jumia — $90M
TymeBank — $70M
mPharma — $58M
FairMoney — $42M
Sun King — $38M
Chipper Cash — $30M

And the list continues across e-commerce, logistics, healthtech, energy, software and other sectors.

But there is a bigger story here.
#Africa isn’t simply building more startups.
Africa is building #businesses around real #problems.

How people save.
How people access financial services.
How people connect and network.
How businesses receive payments.
How medicine reaches patients.
How electricity reaches households.
How goods move across cities.
How people buy and sell.

That is where I think the next generation of #African companies will come from.

And as someone building in #community finance, this is particularly interesting to me.

For decades, Africans have already created informal systems to solve financial problems Ajo, Esusu, cooperatives, savings groups and rotating contributions.

The opportunity isn’t to replace those #behaviours.

It is to #modernize them.

That is part of the thinking behind what we build, the #Azatell.

The question I keep asking is:

What happens when #African financial behaviour meets world-class #technology?

This funding landscape suggests #investors are already paying attention to the opportunity.

Now the question is:

Which African startup will become the next $100M company?

What sector do you think will produce it?

#AfricanStartups #AfricaTech #Fintech #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #Entrepreneurship #CommunityFinance #Lumpay #Nigeria #Africa

Africa’s fintech story is no longer about simply putting banking on a phone.

It is about solving uniquely African problems access, trust, payments, cross-border transactions, cash dependency, and the ability to save and grow money.

Here are 10 fintechs shaping that story:

1. Flutterwave 🇳🇬 — Building payment infrastructure connecting African businesses to the world.
   


2. OPay 🇳🇬 — Making everyday digital payments more accessible.
   


3. M-Pesa 🇰🇪 — Proved that a mobile phone can become a financial account.
   


4. Moniepoint 🇳🇬 — Building financial infrastructure around the needs of businesses and SMEs.
   


5. Paystack 🇳🇬 — Making online payments easier for African businesses.
   


6. PalmPay 🇳🇬 — Bringing payments and digital financial services closer to everyday consumers.
   


7. Wave 🇸🇳 — Showing how simplicity and affordable mobile money can drive adoption.
   


8. Chipper Cash 🌍 — Tackling the complexity of moving money across African borders.
   


9. Kuda 🇳🇬 — Reimagining everyday banking through a digital-first experience.
   


10. Interswitch 🇳🇬 — Building the infrastructure powering digital payments across Africa.
    

But the bigger lesson isn’t the companies.

It’s the problems they chose to solve.

Africa doesn’t need more technology for technology’s sake.

We need products that understand how Africans earn, spend, save, borrow, send money and build wealth together.

That is where the next generation of African fintech will be built.

And I believe community finance will be a major part of that future.

The opportunity isn’t just to digitize what already exists.

It is to modernize the financial behaviours and communities that have always existed.

Which African fintech do you think deserves to be on this list?

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#AfricanFintech #azatell #Fintech #Africa #ProductManagement #AfricanBusiness #FinancialInclusion #CommunityFinance #Innovation #Lumpay

𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚’𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞. 🚀

374 young #professionals. One shared ambition: to lead, #innovate and make an impact across #Africa and beyond.

Through 21 cohorts, UBA’s Graduate Management Accelerated #Programme has equipped over 5,000 young #Africans with the #skills, experience and opportunities to build meaningful careers and contribute to Africa’s #growth.

This is more than a graduate programme. It is an #investment in the people who will shape the Africa of tomorrow. We are not just building the future leaders of #UBA, we are equipping the next #African trailblazers.

To our newest GMAP graduates, congratulations. Your journey starts here.

#AfricasGlobalBank
#GMAP2026
#azatellnigeria
#ubagroup
#EmpoweringYoungAfricans

𝗨𝗕𝗔, @ubagroup 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗡𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝘀 #𝗘𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗹𝘂 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘀
The United Bank for Africa Plc has welcomed Emmanuel Nnorom as its new Group Chairman, days after he officially assumed the role following the retirement of Tony Elumelu.

#UBA announced Nnorom’s welcome in a post on its social media platforms on Wednesday, describing him as a seasoned business leader and chartered accountant with more than four decades of experience.

Nnorom officially assumed the position on August 21, 2026, succeeding Elumelu, who retired after completing the maximum tenure permitted for non-executive directors under Central Bank of Nigeria corporate governance guidelines.

Welcoming him to the position, UBA said, “We welcome Mr. Emmanuel N. Nnorom as the new Group Chairman of United Bank for #Africa Plc.

“A seasoned business leader and chartered accountant with over four decades of experience.”

The bank noted that Nnorom had spent more than eight years in senior leadership positions within the UBA Group, including as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of UBA Africa, Group Chief Operating Officer and Group Chief Financial Officer.

It added that he also served as a Non-Executive Director on the UBA board.

“With his wealth of experience and understanding of UBA’s journey, Mr. Nnorom takes the helm at an important moment in the Group’s continued growth across Africa and beyond,” the bank stated.

UBA had earlier announced Nnorom’s appointment as Elumelu’s successor, with the appointment taking effect on August 21.

Nnorom joined the UBA board as a Non-Executive Director in 2024 after serving in several executive positions within the group.

During his time with UBA, he served as Group Chief Operating Officer, Executive Director (Group Executive Office), Executive Director (Finance), Executive Director (Risk), and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of UBA Africa.

As #CEO of UBA Africa, Nnorom oversaw the bank’s operations across several African #countries, contributing to its pan-African expansion.

Outside UBA, he has held senior positions in major #Nigerian companies and #financial institutions.

He served as #President and Chief Executive Officer of Transnational Corporation Plc between September 2014 and May 2017 and has been the Group Chief Executive Officer of Heirs Holdings since June 2017.

His #banking career also includes senior management positions at Standard Trust Bank, now UBA, Diamond Bank, NUB International Bank and Liberty Merchant Bank.

Nnorom is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and an Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of #Bankers of Nigeria.

He studied at Templeton College, Oxford, where he completed executive leadership and management programmes.

UBA said his appointment came at an important period in the group’s continued growth across Africa and beyond.... #latestnews #azatellnews #viralnews #bank #unitedbankforafrica #nigeriansws

MTN Global Graduate Programme 2026 provides on the ground experiences in the fast-paced TechCo industry of #MTN across #Africa and the Middle East. Through MTN Global Graduate Programme 2026, MTN Graduate Trainee will explore the vibrant footprint of MTN, work alongside leading experts, do meaningful work and be exposed to various #opportunities that could change the trajectory of his or her future career ambitions.

Benefits of MTN Global Graduate Programme 2026

MTN Graduate #Trainee will receive:

1. International exchange/rotation
   



2. Mentorship and coaching opportunities
   



3. On the ground training
   



4. Accelerated career path
   

Requirements for MTN Global Graduate Programme 2026

Candidates applying for MTN Global Graduate Programme 2026 must:

1. Be high-achieving students seeking future-skills employment
   



2. Have an average academic score of 70% and above
   



3. Be between 20 to 27 years
   



4. Reside in a target country where MTN operates
   

How To Apply for MTN Global Graduate Programme 2026

To apply for MTN Global Graduate Programme 2026, interested, eligible and qualified applicants should visit

https://www.mtn.ng/career/global-graduates/
Sign up to complete your registration

Google is offering students enrolled at accredited Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education 12 months of access to its AI Plus (AI+) plan at no cost. The subscription is valued at approximately ₦92,400, equivalent to about $68.56, and is intended to make advanced artificial intelligence tools more accessible for learning, research and academic work.

The plan gives eligible students expanded access to #Gemini and features such as Gemini Live, Deep Research, AI-powered study tools, interactive learning experiences and #Google Lens Homework Help. These tools can help students research complex subjects, understand difficult concepts, organise study materials and receive support with assignments.

Students must verify their enrolment through SheerID, a third-party eligibility-verification platform. Those who benefited from the student offer during the previous academic year may qualify for another 12 months after verifying that they remain enrolled at an eligible institution. The subscription included in the offer may depend on the student’s country or institution.

The initiative expands Google’s investment in AI-supported education across #Africa. In October 2025, the company introduced a similar offer for university students in #Nigeria, #Kenya, #Ghana, #Rwanda, South Africa and #Zimbabwe, providing premium #AI tools for research, creativity and learning.
Read More>>>https://lnkd.in/d4Upn4hE

#GoogleAI #GeminiAI #NigerianStudents #ArtificialIntelligence #EducationTechnology #DigitalEducation #Nigeria #AfricanStudents #EdTech #AfricaStartupMagazine #southafrica