Quick Summary:
Flutterwave and Invest Africa convene global investors, policymakers, and tech leaders in Washington D.C. to discuss scaling Africa’s digital economy and cross-border fintech integration.

Flutterwave, Africa’s leading payments technology company, hosted a private Digital Economy Roundtable in partnership with Invest Africa on April 14, 2026, on the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C.

The session, moderated by Shannon Stround, Chief Executive Officer (US) of Invest Africa, brought together global investors, development finance institutions, policymakers, and technology leaders to assess the state of investment in Africa’s digital economy and the infrastructure required for scale.

High-Level Participation

Among the distinguished attendees were Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, who highlighted the positive investment landscape in Nigeria’s digital sector.

Other participants included Haytham Elmaayergi (Afreximbank), Wale Adeosun (Kuramo Capital), Yvonne Ike (Bank of America), Bolaji Balogun (Chapel Hill Denham), and Miguel Azevedo (Citibank).

Flutterwave’s senior leadership team led discussions across three strategic pillars:

Building Africa’s Payments Superhighway

Bankole Falade, Flutterwave’s Chief Legal, Regulatory, and Public Policy Officer, opened the session with remarks on “Building Africa’s Payments Superhighway.”

He traced Flutterwave’s decade-long journey from connecting fragmented payment networks to becoming a comprehensive financial operating system for Africa’s digital economy.

Mobilising Capital And Scaling Infrastructure

Bridgit Antwi, Head of Strategy and Operations, led discussions on mobilising investment capital to enable ecosystem consolidation and expand access to short-term liquidity for real-time transactions and working capital.

Bolanle Baruwa, Head of SME Business, focused on scaling digital infrastructure, describing the Payments Superhighway as a bridge for global capital deployment into Africa’s $1.5 trillion digital economy.

She emphasised the need to build systematic talent pipelines, shifting from basic digital training to sustainable employment aligned with infrastructure growth.

Falade also advocated for “Regulatory Passporting” to reduce cross-border entry costs and deepen continental integration for digital scale.

Africa’s Digital Economy: The Next Frontier

The roundtable reinforced the view that Africa remains one of the most compelling long-term investment opportunities, particularly in digital infrastructure, payments, fintech, and technology-enabled sectors.

Participants noted that regulatory reforms, macroeconomic adjustments, and policy modernisation are improving the investment climate across key markets.

While individual market opportunities remain strong, scaling across borders and regional integration were identified as critical to unlocking the next phase of growth.

Broad Institutional Representation

The event featured senior representatives from Afreximbank, Bank of America, British International Investment, Chapel Hill Denham, Citibank, Dalberg, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Gates Foundation, Google, Helios Towers, Kuramo Capital, Premier Invest, and the Nigerian Exchange Group.

Also in attendance were the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), UBA, and the World Bank Group.

The discussions reflected a shift in investor sentiment—from narrative to execution—with investors increasingly backing scalable platforms capable of delivering sustainable impact across Africa’s digital economy.

Quick Summary:
NigerianStockCrash as the Nigerian stock market records its biggest single-day loss in history, wiping out N4.6 trillion from investors’ wealth following panic sell-offs in heavyweight stocks like Dangote Cement and Oando.

The Nigerian stock market experienced its worst trading day in history on Tuesday, as panic-driven sell-offs wiped out a staggering N4.6 trillion from investors’ portfolios. The massive downturn was triggered by sharp declines in major stocks, including Dangote Cement and Oando, both of which fell by 10 percent.

Market Overview

Data from the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) showed that the total market capitalisation plunged from N94.526 trillion to N89.884 trillion, representing a loss of N4.642 trillion.

The All-Share Index (ASI) also dropped by 7,454.60 points (5.01%), closing at 141,327.30 points, down from 148,781.90 recorded on Monday.

This marks one of the most dramatic single-day declines ever recorded on the NGX, dragging the year-to-date return down to 37.31 percent.

For the first time in the exchange’s history, the market breadth closed extremely negative — with 61 losers against only four gainers.

Major Movers and Trading Activity

Dangote Cement and Oando were the biggest casualties, both dropping by 10 percent to close at N594 and N429.30 per share, respectively.

On the positive side, NCR Nigeria topped the gainers’ chart, rising by 9.8 percent.

Despite the losses, trading activity surged, with an 80 percent increase in volume and a 159 percent rise in turnover, as investors rushed to offload shares.

A total of 655.9 million shares worth N29.4 billion were traded across 29,558 deals, compared to 364.4 million shares valued at N11.4 billion on Monday.

FBN HoldCo led in trading volume with 68.27 million shares, while GEREGU Power Plc recorded the highest transaction value at N4.42 billion.

Analysts’ Reactions

David Adonri, Vice Chairman of Highcap Securities Ltd., attributed the market crash to a combination of weak Q3 earnings, policy uncertainty, and investor panic over a proposed 30 percent capital gains tax.

He added that policy misinterpretations and external comments about Nigeria’s economic reforms further fueled investor anxiety, leading to widespread sell-offs.

Broader Implications

Market analysts believe the record loss underscores the fragility of investor confidence in Nigeria’s capital market amid macroeconomic uncertainty and policy inconsistency.

They emphasize the need for clear fiscal communication, stronger corporate performance, and stability in tax policy to restore market confidence and attract long-term investment.

Quick Summary:
NigeriaStockMarket as the Nigerian Exchange suffers a sharp decline, losing N4.6 trillion in market value due to widespread sell-offs in heavyweight stocks such as Dangote Cement, MTN, and Oando.

The Nigerian stock market closed on a bearish note on Tuesday, recording a massive N4.6 trillion loss following heavy sell-offs in major blue-chip stocks.

According to data from the Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX), the market capitalization dropped from N94.526 trillion to N89.884 trillion, representing a 5.01 per cent decline.

Similarly, the All-Share Index (ASI) fell by 7,454.60 points, closing at 141,327.30 points, down from 148,781.90 points recorded on Monday. This downturn reduced the year-to-date return to 37.31 per cent.

Market Performance Overview

The trading session ended with 61 losers and only four gainers, reflecting a broadly negative market sentiment.

Leading the decliners were:

On the gainers’ side:

Trading Volume and Value

Market activity showed a significant increase in both volume and turnover:

First HoldCo recorded the highest volume with 68.27 million shares, while GEREGU led in value traded, amounting to N4.42 billion.

Expert Analysis

David Adonri, Vice-Chairman of Highcap Securities Ltd., attributed the market downturn to a combination of weak third-quarter earnings, investor misinterpretation of foreign policy remarks, and concerns over a proposed capital gains tax increase.

He explained that the market had already shown signs of weakness before the recent external shock.

He added that investor sentiment worsened after comments by former U.S. President Donald Trump were misinterpreted, causing panic and eroding confidence.

Despite the downturn, Adonri described the current phase as a “buyers’ market”, offering opportunities for investors with available liquidity.