By 2030, Africa’s digital economy is projected to hit $1.5 Trillion. We know the numbers. We know the “Unicorns” that are supposed to get us there.
But companies are just legal entities. They don’t dig trenches for fibre optic cables. They don’t negotiate treaties to kill the US Dollar in cross-border trade. And they don’t wake up at 4:00 AM to fix a broken supply chain in Lagos.
People do.
For the final chapter of our 2026 Watchlist, we are cutting through the press releases to profile the Human Layer. These are the Architects—the specific individuals whose personal decisions in Q1 2026 can determine whether the continent’s digital infrastructure holds up or collapses under the weight of its own growth.
Here are the 5 people holding the keys to the continent’s operating system in 2026.
1. Mike Ogbalu III, CEO, PAPSS (Pan-African Payment and Settlement System)
While fintech companies compete for consumer apps, Ogbalu is changing how central banking operates across the continent. In July 2025, Ogbalu secured Bank Al-Maghrib’s (Morocco) entry into the PAPSS network, making it the 17th central bank to join. This opens up North Africa’s most significant banking market to the rest of Africa.
In 2024, Afreximbank provided $17.5 billion in trade finance, showing high demand. PAPSS is currently lowering cross-border transaction costs from an average of 10-30% (using correspondent banks) to less than 1%.
What to Watch in Q1
Watch for the East African Switch Integration. With KCB in Kenya and Bank of Kigali now operational, Ogbalu’s plan for Q1 might be to connect the East African Payment System (EAPS) directly to the REPSS system (COMESA) through PAPSS.
If he succeeds, a tea exporter in Mombasa can send an invoice to a buyer in Casablanca in Kenyan Shillings and receive payment in Dirhams, instantly. This means no need for US Dollars or Citibank intermediaries. Ogbalu would be acting like the “Federal Reserve Chairman” of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
2. Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy (Nigeria)
Most Digital Ministers talk about “startups.” Tijani talks about “dirt.” By late 2025, he completed a $2 Billion Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the National Fibre Optic Backbone. This project includes a 49% government and 51% private (World Bank/AFC) investment, avoiding bureaucratic delays. According to World Bank data, a 10% increase in broadband access can boost GDP by 2.5%.
What to Watch in Q1
The physical work starts. In Q1, the SPV will most likely begin installing 90,000 km of fibre optic cable. This is the largest infrastructure project in Nigerian history since the GSM auction. By connecting all 774 Local Government Areas, Tijani is not just improving internet speeds; he is also building the foundation that companies like Moniepoint and Cybervergent will use for the next 20 years.
3. Deepankar Rustagi, CEO, OmniRetail
Rustagi has quietly built the most extensive “Just-in-Time” supply chain in Africa. Following the acquisition of Traction Apps, OmniRetail didn’t just digitise inventory; they digitised payment. By late 2025, OmniRetail wasn’t just moving goods; it was processing billions in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) and using that data to underwrite Working Capital Loans for over 100,000 retailers with zero credit history with traditional banks.
What to Watch in Q1
Rustagi is betting on “Inventory-as-Currency.” In 2026, watch for OmniRetail to launch a Trade Finance Protocol that enables FMCG giants (Unilever, Nestle) to lend directly to corner shops, with OmniRetail acting as the risk engine. He is turning the supply chain into a fintech product, solving the #1 killer of African SMEs: Liquidity.
4. Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT & Innovation (Rwanda)
While the EU is trying to restrict AI, Ingabire is building the legal framework to export it. At Davos 2025, she projected AI would contribute 6% to Rwanda’s GDP. She backed this up by launching the Timbuktoo initiative’s HQ in Kigali. The Drone Operation Centre in Huye is now the most advanced testing ground for autonomous logistics in the Southern Hemisphere.
What To Watch in Q1
The “Data Sovereignty” Laws. In Q1, Ingabire is expected to roll out a policy framework that allows global AI labs (like Anthropic) to train models on African medical and agricultural data within Rwanda, provided the IP is shared. She is positioning Kigali to be the “Delaware of African AI” – the only place where you can legally and quickly test high-risk technologies.
5. Richmond Bassey, CEO, Bamboo
Bassey has stopped building a “Trading App.” He is creating a “Global Bank.” The launch of “Misan” (June 2025) and the acquisition of a South African financial services license changed the company’s DNA.
Remittance to Sub-Saharan Africa hit $54 Billion last year. Bamboo is no longer fighting for the $100 stock investment; they are fighting for the $500 monthly family support transfer.
What To Watch in Q1
In 2026, Bassey’s goal would be to make the “Remittance” and the “Investment” the same transaction. Instead of sending money home to be spent (which inflates), users can send it home to be invested (which creates wealth). If he captures even 5% of the Nigeria-Canada or Nigeria-UK corridor in Q1, Bamboo becomes more valuable than most Tier-2 banks.
The Final Verdict: The Year of the Operator
For the last ten years, the story of African tech has focused on “Potential.” We highlighted demographics, youth populations, and mobile usage. We counted Unicorns like they were trophies. In 2026, the “Potential” era is over. Now, we enter the era of “Execution.”
The five leaders we profiled—Ogbalu, Tijani, Rustagi, Ingabire, and Bassey—show a key change in how the continent operates. They are no longer working alone; they are building systems for others to use.
- Without Bosun Tijani’s 90,000km of fibre, Deepankar Rustagi’s AI-driven supply chain has no data to crunch.
- Without Mike Ogbalu’s settlement rails, Richmond Bassey’s cross-border wallet hits a wall of correspondent banking fees.
- Without Paula Ingabire’s regulatory clarity, the global capital needed to fuel all of this stays on the sidelines in Silicon Valley or London.
The $1.5 Trillion digital economy isn’t going to be unlocked by a new app. It will be unlocked by de-risking the infrastructure. These five individuals are effectively lowering the Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and the Cost of Doing Business for the entire continent. They are the ones digging the trenches so the rest of the ecosystem can run.
The 2026 Prediction:
By Q4 2026, we won’t be judging success by who raised the biggest Series B. We will be judging it by who plugged into these new rails efficiently. The message to investors and founders is clear: Stop looking for the next “Unicorn.” Start backing the Leaders.
