WorldStage– MTN Nigeria has unveiled to investors, solutions by 20 early stage startups, who are the first cohort of its 12 weeks Cloud Accelerators programme in Lagos.
The unveiling was the highlight of the MTN Cloud Accelerator Demo Day and Investors Mixer held on Monday.
Ms. Linda Saint-Nwafor, the Chief Enterprise Business Officer at MTN Nigeria, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to boosting Africa’s digital economy through locally anchored infrastructure, mentorship and N100m funding for the startups.
She disclosed that about 8000 early stage startups applied for the first cohort of the MTN Cloud Accelerator of which 20 made it to the finals, and had completed the 12-week programme.
Saint-Nwafor said that the company had committed N100m in funding to the programme, out of which each startup received N5 million to produce solutions which would be “powered locally and scaled globally”.
Saint-Nwafor said the funding was specifically structured to support the startups and address practical issues such as infrastructure gaps and market access.
“For us at MTN, the Cloud Accelerator is not a ceremonial initiative.
‘’It is a deliberate investment in Africa’s digital future and an insistence on a future where African solutions are ‘powered locally, scaled globally’,” she reaffirmed.
The MTN executive said that the vision behind the MTN Cloud Accelerator Programme had always been clear, to equip African founders with the tools, mentorship and funding they need to enable them to scale.
According to her, the impact was derived not just from the capital but from the robust ecosystem built around the programme.
‘’Startups were granted access to MTN cloud infrastructure described as local, reliable, and predictable.
“They were also integrated into MTN’s payment collection platforms, leveraging APIs, USSD, and SMS capabilities to shorten development cycles,” Saint-Nwafor explained.
The former Chief Executive Officer at MTN Congo Brazzaville and current MTN Nigeria executive, Ayham Moussa, formally welcomed attendees, highlighting the programme’s core philosophy.
Moussa said that the MTN Cloud Accelerator was built not as a serial programme but a real engine for scale.
He listed the programme’s triple focus: providing locally anchored infrastructure, offering hands-on expert-led mentorship, and delivering funding for expansion.
Moussa urged the founders to build fast, build clean, design for resilience from day one, and to leverage local infrastructure delivered with global standards.
The General Manager, Enterprise Marketing, Njideka Jack, in her vote of thanks, applauded the inaugural cohort, stating that the vision behind the programme had translated into real outcomes.
“It is really exciting to see the vision behind the Accelerator Programme come to life, equipping our founders with tools, mentorship, and funding,” the representative said.
Jack emphasised the need for Africa to move beyond mere potential to actual manifestations, leveraging the size and quality of its human capital.
“We must continue to showcase the greatness that resides in our country and in our continent.
“Those that can build should build, those that can invest should invest, let us each find the parts to play to drive innovation and continue to change the narrative of our country and our continent,” she said.
Speaking on behalf of the first cohort of 20 startups, Dr. Joseph Olowe expressed profound gratitude to the MTN leadership and team for creating a transformative platform.
Olowe said that MTN Nigeria did not just give the cohort a map, it taught them how to navigate the challenging but exciting terrain of business like war.
He acknowledged the countless hours spent by mentors and advisors, recounting personal anecdotes of breakthroughs, including a brilliant idea projected to generate an extra $3,000 per year in revenue for his company’s users.
The valedictorian concluded by stating that the founders looked forward to returning to similar events not as students but as success stories and partners.
According to him, this underscores the collaborative and enduring nature of the accelerator experience.
Some of the startups at the 12-week were in healthcare- from reactive to preventive using FDA-certified Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
MYITURA, founded by Shina Arogundade, which is building integrated digital health ecosystems across Africa.
In Fintech, Regxta, led by Bello Rukayat, is targeting 600 million underserved Africans through AI-powered digital banking, while Creditchek by Kingsley Ibe is developing machine learning tools for credit assessment and fraud prevention.
In the sustainability space, Trashcoin Ltd, founded by Olamide Ilesanmi, is digitising recycling through Africa’s first eco-fintech platform.
Scrapays Inc., led by Boluwatife Arewa, is building decentralised recycling infrastructure that has already reached over 36,700 households.
In Agritech, Agrovesto, under Bayo Adewoye, is improving farmer incomes by 30 per cent to 60 per cent for over 20,000 farmers, and XChangeBOX, led by Abiola Jimoh, is driving excellence in agro-commodity trading and exports among others.
