Accra, Ghana — The 2025 edition of the Africa Fintech Summit 2025 (AFTSACCRA25) has spotlighted the continent’s boldest fintech innovators. At the heart of the summit was the 8th AlphaExpo Micro Accelerator and Pitch Competition, where YeneHealth from Ethiopia walked away with the top prize, solidifying its place as one of Africa’s most promising femtech startups.
The three-day summit, held at the Accra International Conference Center, brought together founders, investors, regulators, and ecosystem builders from across the globe. It was less about flashy presentations and more about real solutions to real challenges.
A Win for Femtech
YeneHealth clinched first place, receiving $3,000 in cash and $25,000 in AWS credits. The startup is building a digital health platform focused on African women — a sector often overlooked in mainstream healthcare innovation.
Their pitch stood out for its depth, clarity, and vision: a platform designed to close critical gaps in access to care for millions of women across the continent.
Second place went to NylaBank, a Shariah-compliant digital bank operating across the USA and Ghana. Its ethical banking model is designed to serve Africa’s growing Muslim population with modern financial tools that align with faith-based principles.
Morocco’s ProDetect secured third place for its AI-powered fraud detection platform, which addresses one of the continent’s most pressing financial risks: transaction fraud.
32 Startups, One Stage
The competition drew 32 startups from more than 12 countries, showcasing solutions across fintech, healthtech, edtech, and agritech. Each startup had just a few minutes to pitch to a panel of judges and prove their model’s strength and scalability.
The ten finalists — including YeneHealth, NylaBank, ProDetect, Credstore Africa, Phundit, VeryPay, Kutana Technologies, ACE Investment and Impact Advisors, InversePay, and Brydge — delivered sharp, high-stakes presentations to a room packed with investors and industry leaders.
Judges included leading figures from Coinbase, Paystack, Visa, Renew Capital, and Ghana Post.
Beyond the Podium
Every participating startup walked away with $25,000 in AWS credits — a boost that can make a tangible difference in scaling young companies.
The program also gave founders access to masterclasses, investor networking sessions, and ecosystem exposure. It wasn’t just a competition; it was a launchpad.
Startups like 360kart, Ascend/VergePay, BuukMeNow, Greybox, and Mansa Transfers were among the diverse lineup that reflected the strength and maturity of Africa’s startup scene.
Building a Fintech Legacy
The AlphaExpo program has grown into a key pillar of the summit since its launch in 2018. So far, more than 80 startups have passed through its stage, raising over $260 million in follow-on funding.
This year’s competition underscored a clear message: Africa is not merely catching up — it is setting new standards in inclusive and accessible fintech innovation.
From borderless banking to femtech and AI fraud detection, the continent’s entrepreneurs are addressing local problems with solutions that can scale globally.
About Africa Fintech Summit
The Africa Fintech Summit is a biannual gathering that connects the key players shaping the future of finance on the continent. Hosted in Washington, D.C., each April and in an African city each November, the summit has become a trusted platform for partnerships, investment, and policy dialogue.
For many of the founders who took the stage in Accra, this was more than a pitch competition. It was a chance to be part of a larger story — one where African innovation takes center stage.
