African Changemakers

African Changemakers, Editors Pick

How Oluwatobi Fagbohungbe Is Professionalising Quality Engineering in Nigeria’s Tech Sector

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As Nigerian technology companies scale across millions of users and multiple markets, one constraint has become harder to ignore: products that grow faster than the systems meant to keep them reliable. Failures that once passed as technical hiccups are now reputational risks, regulatory issues and balance‑sheet problems. That pressure point is where Oluwatobi Fagbohungbe has built his career. For nearly a decade, while much of the conversation around African tech talent centred on software developers, Fagbohungbe focused on a less visible but increasingly critical discipline: quality engineering and software testing. Through initiatives including Qace Academy and TestForge, he has helped shape a pipeline of professionals trained not just to build software, but to ensure it works at scale. Building From a Skills Gap Fagbohungbe’s work did not begin with venture capital or institutional support. In 2017, as Nigeria’s startup ecosystem expanded rapidly, he observed a recurring disconnect. Training programmes were producing learners, but companies were still struggling to hire job‑ready quality engineers. Rather than launching a platform, he started teaching. He worked informally with peers and early‑career professionals, emphasising practical testing skills, workplace expectations and exposure to real projects. Over time, that informal effort evolved into a structured community. Today, graduates from his programmes are employed across Nigeria’s fintech and consumer‑technology sector, including at Andela, Moniepoint, Interswitch, Flutterwave, OPay and MTN. The metric that matters is placement, not participation. Training for Deployment, Not Certification Qace Academy was not designed as a conventional bootcamp. Its focus has been on addressing a persistent weakness in African tech education: the transition from training to employment. Instead of framing testing as a checklist‑driven function, the curriculum emphasises systems thinking, business risk and user impact. Trainees are taught how products fail, why failures matter commercially and how quality affects trust as platforms scale. That approach reflects a broader shift within African technology companies. As products expand across borders and regulatory environments, quality failures increasingly translate into compliance exposure and financial loss. By combining mentorship, portfolio development and interview readiness, Qace Academy positioned itself less as a training provider and more as a talent pipeline aligned with employer expectations. Mentorship as Market Alignment The same thinking underpins the QaTechBro Mentorship Program, now in its fourth year. Early‑career professionals are paired with active practitioners, including mentors working outside Nigeria. The objective is calibration rather than motivation. Participants gain insight into global standards, hiring benchmarks and the realities of distributed work. The programme functions as a bridge between local training and international market expectations. TestForge emerged as a complementary layer. Rather than operating as a traditional conference, it serves as an access mechanism. Scholarships and funded placements into Qace Academy programmes link community engagement directly to opportunity. As automation and artificial intelligence gain traction, TestForge has also become a forum for reframing the role of quality engineers. Fagbohungbe presents AI not as a threat, but as a pressure point that raises the bar for judgement, system awareness and ethical responsibility. A System, Not a Series of Projects What distinguishes Fagbohungbe’s work is not any single initiative, but how they connect. From early exposure to structured learning, mentorship and professional integration, the programmes operate as parts of one system. Even Qace Academy Kids reflects this long‑term view, introducing logic and quality fundamentals early rather than attempting to retrofit skills later. The model offers a broader signal for Africa’s technology ecosystem. Sustainable talent development may depend less on chasing new tools and more on building pathways that reflect how careers actually form. Why It Matters As African fintech and consumer platforms mature, quality engineering is moving from the background to the centre of product strategy. Reliability, compliance and user trust are no longer optional features. Fagbohungbe’s contribution sits squarely at that intersection. It is not promotional or headline‑driven, but structural. His work suggests that the next phase of Africa’s technology growth will be shaped as much by depth as by scale. And that the builders strengthening foundations may ultimately have as much influence as those building the most visible products. In that sense, Oluwatobi Fagbohungbe is not just running programmes. He is helping redefine what readiness looks like in Nigeria’s technology sector, one quality engineer at a time.

African Changemakers, Editors Pick

Inside GB Agboola’s Playbook for Building Africa’s Payment Rails

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On a good day, paying an African business should feel as easy as sending an email. In practice, it rarely does. A merchant in Lagos selling to a customer in Nairobi. A startup in Accra charging cards from London. An enterprise in Johannesburg settling across multiple currencies. The promise of digital trade is there, but it often breaks down into familiar friction: incompatible payment methods, uneven regulations, slow settlements and failed transfers. That problem is where Olugbenga “GB” Agboola has spent most of his career. As co‑founder and Chief Executive Officer of Flutterwave, Agboola has helped build one of Africa’s most consequential pieces of financial infrastructure: payment rails that quietly move money across borders, currencies and systems. It is the kind of work most people only notice when it fails, and the kind that determines whether Africa’s digital economy can scale at all. Agboola may not the loudest figure in African fintech. But his work sits at one of the sector’s hardest truths. Commerce cannot scale smoothly if money cannot move smoothly. A Builder From the Systems Layer Agboola’s professional trajectory points to someone comfortable operating deep in the systems layer. Before Flutterwave, he worked on fintech products at global firms including PayPal, gaining exposure to how payments infrastructure works at scale. Flutterwave was founded in 2016 by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Agboola and Adeleke Adekoya, with Aboyeji as the first CEO and Agboola initially serving as CTO. The idea itself was straightforward. The execution, however, was not. Africa’s internet economy was growing rapidly, but cross‑border payments between businesses remained fragmented and expensive. Each new market required rebuilding integrations, renegotiating bank relationships and navigating different regulatory regimes. Flutterwave leaned into an infrastructure thesis: abstract that complexity away and let merchants focus on selling. The CEO Seat Came With a Different Job By 2018, Flutterwave had become one of the companies used to explain Africa’s fintech momentum. That same year, Agboola stepped into the CEO role. His mandate was clear. Expansion beyond Nigeria and a sharper focus on fixing cross‑border payments across the continent. Flutterwave’s positioning evolved from a promising startup into a pan‑African infrastructure company. That shift became impossible to ignore in February 2022, when Flutterwave raised $250 million in a Series D round, pushing its valuation above $3 billion. The round was a global signal that Africa’s infrastructure‑led fintechs could attract serious capital and scale rapidly. But in payments, the real test often begins after the valuation headline fades. Scale brings scrutiny, and infrastructure companies are judged as much on controls as on growth. When Scale Brings Heat Flutterwave soon entered a period of public scrutiny, marked by allegations, internal turmoil and cross‑border legal challenges. For a payments company, such moments are existential. Bank partnerships, regulator confidence and enterprise trust are all at stake. This is the part of fintech building that rarely makes glossy pitch decks. Payments companies operate in regulated, high‑trust environments. When pressure mounts, systems and governance are tested in real time. During this period, Flutterwave also worked to strengthen its regulatory footing at home, securing a Switching and Processing Licence from Nigeria’s central bank. Licences at this level are quiet symbolic. They shape how a company is classified, who it can partner with and how regulators view it as it evolves from startup into infrastructure. The Bet He Is Still Making Flutterwave’s story has included rapid growth, controversy and the kind of scrutiny that follows any payments platform once it becomes too important to ignore. Through it all, Agboola’s focus has remained consistent. He has chosen to stay in the hardest layer of fintech. The one where success is measured not only by visibility, but by whether money moves cleanly, securely and predictably every day. It is not glamorous work. It sits at the intersection of regulators, banks, merchants and markets, each pulling on the same system. But it is the work that makes everything else possible. As Africa’s digital trade expands, the founders who matter most will not be those who promise disruption alone. They will be the ones who can keep the rails steady through growth, scrutiny and change. GB Agboola is still building for that standard.

African Changemakers, Editors Pick, Founder Stories

Odunayo Eweniyi: The Operator Who Made Saving Cool Again

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 At the start of every year, millions of Nigerians open a notes app and write the same promise: I will save more. By February, reality intervenes – rent is due, transport costs spike, family needs appear unannounced. Saving becomes aspirational rather than practical. Odunayo Eweniyi built her career by refusing to ignore that reality. As co‑founder and Chief Operations Officer of PiggyVest, Nigeria’s largest digital savings platform, Eweniyi helped turn saving money from a good intention into a repeatable habit for more than six million users. Not by moralising discipline—but by designing for how Nigerians actually live, earn, and spend. However, PiggyVest grew by treating that reality as the starting point, not an excuse. And at the centre of that work is Odunayo Eweniyi, co-founder and Chief Operations Officer, one of the operators who helped turn saving money from a wish into a routine many nigerians can actually keep. A Familiar Idea, Executed Relentlessly PiggyVest’s origin story is notably unglamorous and that is precisely its advantage. Launched in January 2016 as Piggybank.ng, the company started with a single focus: savings. Investments came later, after a rebrand to PiggyVest in 2019. The sequencing mattered. While many fintechs raced to expand product suites, PiggyVest chose depth before breadth. The core insight was simple: Nigerians already save. They just do it informally—through kolo, rotating savings groups, and self-imposed restrictions. PiggyVest didn’t attempt to replace those habits. It digitised them, added structure, and removed friction. That restraint reflects Eweniyi’s operational philosophy: innovation works best when it feels familiar. When Operations Become the Product In fintech, trust is not a slogan, it is an outcome. And outcomes are operational. As COO, Eweniyi sits at the fault line where ambition meets execution: delayed withdrawals, support backlogs, policy breakdowns. These are not theoretical risks; they are existential ones. A savings platform does not get second chances. PiggyVest’s early identity was built around consistency. Users could save daily, weekly, or monthly, mirroring irregular income patterns. But convincing someone to save is only the beginning. Once you accept their money, you inherit a promise: it must be secure, accurately tracked, and accessible when expected every time. That promise is operational, not marketing-led. Under Eweniyi’s stewardship, PiggyVest focused less on hype and more on reliability, gradually converting trust into routine. Quiet Capital, Clear Signals PiggyVest’s funding history mirrors its strategy. In 2018, the company raised $1.1 million, led by LeadPath Nigeria, with participation from Village Capital and Ventures Platform. It was not a headline-grabbing round, but it sent a clear signal. At the time, PiggyVest was still early, still focused, still committed to a single behavioural shift: helping people save consistently. Growth would come later. In a market that often rewards noise, PiggyVest chose iteration. When the Numbers Speak for Themselves Today, PiggyVest no longer needs to explain its relevance. In 2025, the company reported ₦1.3 trillion paid out to users, a 56% increase from ₦835 billion in 2024. Its user base crossed six million. These are not vanity metrics; they represent repeated financial behaviour at national scale. People download apps out of curiosity. They only trust them with money over years if the system works. Crucially, PiggyVest reached this scale without trying to be everything at once. Savings came first. Investments followed only after trust was established. Designing for Real Life, Not Ideal Users Much of consumer fintech assumes tidy financial lives—predictable income, stable expenses, surplus cash. Nigeria rarely offers such conditions. PiggyVest’s product logic reflects lived experience: small amounts, automation, intentional friction against impulsive withdrawals, and group-based structures that resemble offline savings circles. Informal systems are not alternatives to banking in Nigeria, they are the system. PiggyVest’s innovation was not disruption for its own sake, but better rails for behaviour people already trusted. Building Beyond the Balance Sheet Eweniyi’s influence extends beyond PiggyVest. She is also a co‑founder and general partner at FirstCheck Africa, an early-stage investment platform backing startups founded or co‑founded by women. The move is less about branding than ecosystem correction. In African tech, access to early capital remains uneven. Writing the first cheque often determines who gets to compete. By shifting from founder to early investor, Eweniyi is helping reshape participation, not just outcomes. The Power of Boring Done Well African fintech has no shortage of ambition. What it lacks are enough builders who win by making discipline feel achievable for millions. Eweniyi is not a loud symbol or a motivational trope. Her work is quieter and more durable. She represents a class of African founders who understand that the most transformative products are often the least glamorous: systems that hold, routines that repeat, and trust that compounds. In a market obsessed with speed, Odunayo Eweniyi built endurance.

Africa Focus, African Changemakers, Editors Pick

How Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka Are Rewriting Africa’s Defense Story

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When African governments think about securing power plants, mining sites or national borders, the instinct has long been to look outward. Imported systems, foreign contractors and long procurement cycles have defined the continent’s defense infrastructure for decades. Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka are building in the opposite direction. The Nigerian founders of Terra Industries are part of a small but growing group of African entrepreneurs tackling one of the continent’s hardest problems: how to protect critical infrastructure using locally built, locally operated defense technology. Their bet is that security, like payments or energy, works best when it is designed close to the realities it serves. Founders Building for the Hardest Layer Founded in 2024, Terra Industries reflects its founders’ appetite for complexity. Defense technology is capital‑intensive, highly regulated and politically sensitive. It is not a space that rewards quick wins or surface‑level innovation. But Nwachuku and Maduka chose it anyway. Rather than building consumer software or light enterprise tools, they focused on the systems layer of security. The kind that operates across land, air and water. The kind that must work continuously, quietly and without failure. Their approach combines hardware and software, integrating surveillance drones, automated watchtowers, unmanned ground vehicles and maritime monitoring systems into a single operational platform. At the center is ArtemisOS, Terra’s proprietary software layer that allows security teams to detect threats in real time and coordinate responses with fewer personnel. For the founders, the objective is reliability. Local Manufacturing as Strategy, Not Symbolism One of Terra’s most deliberate choices is where it builds. The company operates a 15,000‑square‑foot manufacturing facility in Abuja, where much of its hardware is produced by African engineers. For Nwachuku and Maduka, this is not a branding exercise. It is a strategic decision aimed at reducing dependence on imported defense systems while building technical capacity locally. In a sector where supply chains are often global and opaque, local manufacturing gives Terra tighter control over deployment, maintenance and iteration. It also aligns with the founders’ broader view that Africa’s security infrastructure should not be permanently outsourced. Investor Confidence in a Difficult Category That vision has attracted serious backing. Terra Industries recently raised $11.75 million in funding led by U.S. venture capital firm 8VC, with participation from Valor Equity Partners, Lux Capital, SV Angel, Leblon Capital, Silent Ventures and Nova Global. The round signals rare investor confidence in an African defense‑technology startup operating at an early stage. Alex Moore, a partner at 8VC and board member at Palantir, sits on Terra’s board. His presence places the company, and by extension its founders, within a global conversation about data‑driven security systems and modern defense infrastructure. For Nwachuku and Maduka, the capital is a tool, not a milestone. It will be used to hire more engineers, expand manufacturing capacity and deploy Terra’s systems across additional African markets. Why Their Timing Matters Africa holds close to 30% of the world’s critical mineral resources, yet insecurity continues to slow infrastructure development and industrial expansion. As global supply chains look increasingly to the continent, the cost of insecure assets is rising. The founders see this clearly. Their argument is straightforward: security infrastructure is economic infrastructure. Without reliable protection, power plants stall, mines shut down and transport corridors fracture. By building security systems designed for African conditions and governance realities, Nwachuku and Maduka are positioning Terra not just as a defense company, but as a foundational layer for long‑term growth. Building Quietly, Building Hard Things Terra Industries is still early. But its founders are operating in a category where patience, discipline and credibility matter more than speed. Nwachuku and Maduka are not trying to out‑market global defense giants. They are trying to out‑understand the terrain, the risks and the institutions they serve. In African technology, the most consequential founders are often those building in spaces few are willing to touch. Defense is one of them. And Terra’s founders are building there, deliberately.

African Changemakers

Sim Shagaya: Crafting Africa’s Digital Consumer Future One Venture at a Time

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For more than a decade, Sim Shagaya has operated at the intersection of technology, consumer behavior and market creation across Africa. His companies have not only introduced new products to the continent’s digital economy, they have forced investors, policymakers and corporates to rethink what is possible in African markets. From DealDey to Konga and now uLesson, Shagaya has built a portfolio of ventures that consistently challenge the limits of infrastructure while proving that African consumers will adopt technology when it is designed with precision and patience. Shagaya’s entry into the entrepreneurial world began at a moment when Africa’s digital landscape was still fragmented. Internet access was uneven, payment systems were unreliable and logistics networks barely existed. Yet he recognized a shift in the behavior of urban consumers who were becoming increasingly comfortable transacting and consuming content online. His first major play, DealDey, tapped into this emerging demand by offering curated deals and experiences at a time when online shopping in Nigeria was far from mainstream. It quickly revealed both the promise and the constraints of internet commerce in the country. That insight shaped his approach to Konga, which became one of the most ambitious and technically complex e commerce companies Africa had ever seen. Rather than adopt a lightweight marketplace model, Shagaya chose a full stack strategy, building out logistics, warehousing, payment infrastructure and customer service capabilities from the ground up. This decision placed Konga in a league of its own. It forced investors to confront the real cost of scaling digital consumer businesses in Africa and set a new operational benchmark for the ecosystem. Even as competition intensified and market pressures mounted, Konga remained a key training ground for talent and a reference point for what disciplined execution in African e commerce could look like. His move into education technology with uLesson marked a shift in industry focus but not in ambition. Shagaya had become increasingly aware that African students were underserved by existing learning tools and that the continent’s young population represented one of the largest education markets in the world. uLesson was built to meet that need with content that reflected local curricula, interactive tools that matched student behavior and delivery methods suited to environments with inconsistent connectivity. The rapid adoption of the platform across multiple countries demonstrated that a homegrown education product could achieve scale and cultural relevance simultaneously. It also placed Shagaya at the center of a new conversation about the future of learning across Africa. What distinguishes Shagaya’s work is his ability to translate long term structural observations into operational strategy. He does not chase hype cycles or build for short term traction. He builds companies with the intention of reshaping consumer behavior over a long horizon. His ventures often arrive before the market is fully ready, but his timing has repeatedly proven accurate as the ecosystem catches up. That pattern explains why so many founders, operators and investors cite him as one of the clearest thinkers in African technology. Today, Shagaya stands as one of the most respected entrepreneurs on the continent not because his journey has been linear or without obstacles, but because his work has had measurable influence on how Africa’s digital economy has evolved. The companies he built, the talent he trained and the markets he helped shape continue to define the trajectory of African tech. In an ecosystem where scale is difficult and patience is rare, Sim Shagaya remains a reminder that enduring companies are built through discipline, insight and a deep understanding of the continent’s realities.

African Changemakers

Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes and the $55 Million Bet That Is Redefining African Capital

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Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes is quietly becoming one of the most influential forces in African private capital. In a sector long dominated by men and foreign decision makers, she has built Aruwa Capital Management into one of the continent’s most powerful women-led investment firms The standard Lorem Ipsum passage, used since the 1500s “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.” Section 1.10.32 of “de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum”, written by Cicero in 45 BC “Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?” 1914 translation by H. Rackham “But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?” Section 1.10.33 of “de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum”, written by Cicero in 45 BC “At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio cumque nihil impedit quo minus id quod maxime placeat facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat.” 1914 translation by H. Rackham “On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms of pleasure of the moment, so blinded by desire, that they cannot foresee the pain and trouble that are bound to ensue; and equal blame belongs to those who fail in their duty through weakness of will, which is the same as saying through shrinking from toil and pain. These cases are perfectly simple and easy to distinguish. In a free hour, when our power of choice is untrammelled and when nothing prevents our being able to do what we like best, every pleasure is to be welcomed and every pain avoided. But in certain circumstances and owing to the claims of duty or the obligations of business it will frequently occur that pleasures have to be repudiated and annoyances accepted. The wise man therefore always holds in these matters to this principle of selection: he rejects pleasures to secure other greater pleasures, or else he endures pains to avoid worse pains.”

Founder
African Changemakers, Startups

How an African Founder Is Reimagining Global Hospitality

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Emmanuel Egbeiyon: The African Founder Reimagining Global Hospitality In an industry long dominated by Western platforms and fragmented local operators, Emmanuel Egbeiyon is quietly building a new narrative. One where Africa is not just a destination, but a source of global hospitality innovation. As the Founder and CEO of EmaGlobalStays, Emmanuel represents a new generation of African entrepreneurs thinking beyond borders, redefining how trust, technology, and travel intersect across the EMEA region and beyond. From Africa to the World Emmanuel’s journey into hospitality did not begin with real estate, nor was it driven by traditional tourism models. Instead, it was shaped by a simple but powerful observation: while global travel was becoming increasingly digital, hospitality across emerging markets remained fragmented, inconsistent, and often untrusted. Guests struggled with verification, quality assurance, and transparency. Hosts lacked reliable platforms that protected their assets and reputations. Across Africa and parts of the Middle East, hospitality existed, but the systems supporting it were outdated. This gap became the foundation for EmaGlobalStays. Founded in 2019, EmaGlobalStays started operations in Dubai, one of the world’s most competitive hospitality markets. Rather than seeing this as a challenge, Emmanuel viewed Dubai as the ultimate testing ground. If a new hospitality platform could survive and thrive there, it could work anywhere. Building a PropTech Hospitality Platform Unlike traditional short stay companies, EmaGlobalStays was never designed to be a real estate business. Emmanuel deliberately positioned it as a proptech driven hospitality ecosystem. At its core, EmaGlobalStays connects verified guests with curated premium homes across multiple cities. The focus is not volume, but quality, trust, and consistency. Every host is vetted. Every property is reviewed. Every guest is verified. This approach reflects Emmanuel’s belief that hospitality is not just about accommodation, but about confidence. Confidence that a stay will match expectations. Confidence that both guests and hosts are protected. Confidence that experiences are standardized across borders. Today, EmaGlobalStays operates across multiple cities, with expansion across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe firmly underway. Why Africa Is Central to the Vision While EmaGlobalStays is global in ambition, Africa sits at the center of Emmanuel’s long term strategy. He sees Africa not as a secondary market, but as the next frontier of global hospitality growth. A continent with a rising middle class, growing intra-African travel, increasing global tourism interest, and an underserved premium short stay segment. Yet, Africa’s hospitality challenge is not demand. It is structure. “There is demand, there are beautiful homes, there are great hosts,” Emmanuel often explains. “What’s missing is a unified, trusted system that connects everything seamlessly.” EmaGlobalStays is designed to be that system. By combining technology, local partnerships, and strict quality control, Emmanuel aims to unify fragmented hospitality markets under one trusted brand, while respecting local culture and operational realities. A Founder With a Systems Mindset What sets Emmanuel apart is not only vision, but execution discipline. He approaches hospitality as an infrastructure problem, not just a service problem. His focus is on building scalable systems, clear processes, and strong governance that allow the platform to grow sustainably. This mindset has attracted interest from angel networks, private investors, and ecosystem leaders across Africa and Europe. Emmanuel is intentional about partnerships, preferring strategic alignment over fast capital. For him, growth without trust is fragile. Redefining African Representation in Global Tech Beyond EmaGlobalStays, Emmanuel represents something larger. He is part of a growing wave of African founders building globally relevant companies without waiting for validation. Founders who understand local markets deeply, yet design products that can scale internationally. In an industry often shaped by narratives about Africa rather than narratives from Africa, Emmanuel’s work challenges perceptions. It shows that African entrepreneurs can lead innovation in sectors traditionally controlled by global incumbents. Looking Ahead The long term vision for EmaGlobalStays is ambitious. To become Africa’s first globally recognized proptech hospitality brand.To create a connected ecosystem that unifies travel, trust, and premium living across cities.To set new standards for how hospitality platforms operate in emerging markets. For Emmanuel Egbeiyon, this is not just about building a company. It is about reshaping how Africa participates in the global hospitality economy.