Nigeria, Africa target borderless digital boom as RACE 2026 looms
—Conference to forge regulatory harmony, digital trust, seamless cross-border innovation in AfCFTA push
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
Abuja —Nigeria is charging ahead as Africa’s digital frontier, unveiling details of the RegTech Africa Conference and Expo, RACE 2026, vanguardngr.com reported.
The conference, which will be held under the patronage of the Office of the Vice President, between 20th and 22nd of May, 2026, is being organised in partnership with the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion and in collaboration with the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa, GIABA
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Chairman of the Organising Committee, Mr. Cyril Okoroigwe, described RACE 2026 as Africa’s leading platform for dialogue at the intersection of regulation, technology and economic development, designed to address the regulatory and infrastructure gaps limiting cross-border trade, finance and digital innovation across the continent.
He spotlighted its mission to plug “regulatory and infrastructure gaps limiting cross-border trade, finance, and digital innovation across the continent.
Anchored on the bold “Africonomy” vision—a connected, trusted, innovation-driven economic space—RACE aligns squarely with the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, set to unite a $3.4 trillion market of 1.4 billion people across 54 nations.
“Despite AfCFTA’s promise, fragmented regulations, weak interoperability, and regulatory uncertainty continue to constrain cross-border trade, payments, and digital services, resulting in significant opportunity costs for African economies,” Okoroigwe warned.
With the theme: “Building Trust, Infrastructure, Inclusion, and Policy for a Borderless Economy,” he explained that the conference will drive regulatory innovation, deploy trusted digital rails like interoperable payments and ID frameworks, and boost financial inclusion for startups, women, youth, and underserved groups.
It promises to rally regulators, governments, banks, tech pioneers, and partners while spotlighting investment hotspots in compliance, fintech, cybersecurity, and digital services.
The organisers hailed Nigeria’s hosting as proof of its rise “as a continental hub for policy dialogue, financial innovation, and digital economic leadership.”
Virtually addressing the parley, GIABA’s Acting Principal Officer for Legal and Law Enforcement, Gina Wood, underscored the timing: “This conference and its policy dialogue come at a critical moment for West Africa as countries prepare for the third round of Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Financing of Terrorism evaluations.”
She drove home GIABA’s second-round findings: “Countries must move beyond technical compliance to effectiveness, stressing stronger coordination, improved risk understanding, modern supervisory approaches, and the use of technology to safeguard financial systems.”
Wood praised Nigeria’s backing: “Sustainable reforms require strong political commitment and deeper collaboration between public and private sectors, including regulators, financial institutions, fintech innovators, and telecommunications operators.”
She pledged GIABA’s support via “capacity building, technical assistance, policy guidance, and regional cooperation,” positioning RACE as “a timely platform to advance a trusted, inclusive, and future-ready regulatory and compliance framework across West Africa and the continent.
“This parley kicked off official hype for RACE 2026, with organisers urging media to amplify how “regulation, innovation, and technology can work together to unlock Africa’s ambition for a secure, inclusive, and borderless digital economy.”
