Prime Minister Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva has cautioned that Africa must take control of the digital infrastructure.
KIGALI – Rwanda’s Prime Minister Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva says African nations must seize control of the digital infrastructure powering their financial futures, framing digital sovereignty as the cornerstone of true economic independence.
Opening the third Inclusive Fintech Forum 2026 in Kigali, the Prime Minister addressed a high-level audience of policymakers, investors, and tech innovators. His message was clear: as the decades-old global financial order undergoes a profound shift, Africa must move from the margins to the center by building its own resilient payment architectures.
“Africa cannot and should not attempt to build financial sovereignty on rails it does not control,” the Prime Minister stated. “As digital transformation accelerates, we must ensure the infrastructure underpinning our financial systems—and the data governance protecting them—remains a strategic priority.”
The forum, a collaborative effort between the Kigali International Financial Centre (KIFC), the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), and the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR), underscores a deepening strategic partnership between Rwanda and Singapore in the fintech space.
Prime Minister Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva tours the exhibition space, interacting with participants and exploring fintech solutions driving financial inclusion across Africa.
The Rise of Africa’s Fintech Ecosystem
The Prime Minister highlighted that fintech is now the fastest-growing segment of Africa’s startup ecosystem. Driven by a young, entrepreneurial population, the continent is successfully leapfrogging traditional banking hurdles. Digital platforms are drastically lowering transaction costs and bringing millions of previously unbanked individuals into the formal economy. To transition from a tech consumer to a global innovation hub, Nsengiyumva argued that Africa must now focus on mobilizing capital for critical sectors such as energy, digital infrastructure, and large-scale manufacturing.
The tangible impact of these policies was detailed by Dr. Soraya Hakuziyaremye, Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda, who revealed a transformation in the country’s financial landscape. Financial inclusion in Rwanda has surged from 21 percent in 2008 to 92 percent in 2026. Dr. Hakuziyaremye noted that these are not just statistics, but represent farmers, traders, and young entrepreneurs whose lives are changed by a mobile money wallet. The country’s new National Financial Inclusion Roadmap 2026–2030 aims to move beyond simple access toward deepening the actual financial health and resilience of households.
Participants follow proceedings during the opening session of the Inclusive Fintech Forum 2026 in Kigali.
Overcoming Structural Barriers to Sovereignty
With near-universal 4G coverage and the digitization of government services through the Irembo platform, Rwanda has become a living laboratory for digital governance. However, despite this optimism, the forum acknowledged significant friction points that still hinder continental growth, including high cross-border payment costs, regulatory fragmentation, and limited access to affordable capital.
To counter these, the Prime Minister pointed to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) digital protocols and the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) as the essential foundation for sustainable financial sovereignty. By hosting this forum, Kigali reaffirms its position as a premier global stage for dialogue, ensuring that Africa’s next chapter of growth is written on its own terms.
