History is not written by those who try to play it safe. It is created by the unreasonable individuals who see a broken system and say, “I can fix that with an idea that seems unusual.”
In [Part 1], we looked at four major companies building the infrastructure. In [Part 2], we explored four companies improving the supply chain. They are the logical winners. But logic doesn’t always account for the outliers.
For the final instalment of our 2026 Watchlist, we are looking at the Wildcards. These are the “Moonshots”—the high-risk, high-reward bets that could either fail wholly or spectacularly rewrite the operating manual for the continent.
Here are the two companies trying to do the impossible in Q1 2026.
1. Chidi (Rwanda / Anthropic): The “AI Teacher” for a Nation
In November 2025, while the world was debating AI regulation, Rwanda quietly launched “Chidi” – a national AI tutor built on Anthropic’s Claude model. This wasn’t a small pilot. The government rolled it out to 200,000 students and 2,000 teachers at once.
Every education expert says you can’t replace teachers. Rwanda is betting that you don’t replace them; you augment them at a scale no human system can match.
Chidi is different because of how it teaches. Unlike standard chatbots that spit out answers (breeding laziness), Chidi is built on a Socratic Model. If a student asks, “What is the capital of France?” Chidi doesn’t just say “Paris.” It asks back, “Where do you think the Eiffel Tower is?” It forces the student to think.
Why Watch “Rwanda’s Chidi” in Q1 2026?
This is the first time a sovereign African nation has deployed a specific Large Language Model (LLM) as a public utility. Rwanda is currently collecting data on the first 100,000 interactions. If Q1 reports show that test scores in rural schools are rising, Rwanda won’t just be an education success story; it will become an AI Education Exporter. Every Ministry of Education from Nairobi to Abuja will be looking to license the “Chidi Model.”
2. Bamboo (Nigeria / South Africa): The “Money Mover”
Bamboo started as a simple B2C app for buying US stocks. But in late 2025, they quietly executed a massive pivot that changed their entire DNA: “Misan” (formerly Coins). While everyone else was fighting for local market share, Bamboo acquired a Canadian Money Service Business (MSB) license and launched a fee-free remittance rail.
The “Dollar Curse” (currency devaluation) has pushed the African middle class into a corner. They are desperate for two things: Capital Preservation and Global Access. Bamboo is betting that the user who trusts them with their life savings (stocks) will also trust them with their daily transfers (remittance). By launching in South Africa (July 2025) and integrating remittance, they are building a “closed loop.” You don’t just send money home to be spent; you send it home to be invested—instantly locked into their Fixed Returns (offering up to 8% dollar-denominated yields).
Why Watch “Bamboo” in Q1 2026?
Bamboo is no longer just competing with stockbrokers like Trove; they are now entering the ring with LemFi and Sendwave. The prediction? In Q1, watch for Bamboo to merge these apps into a single “Global Citizen Wallet.” If they succeed in converting even 10% of their remittance flow into investment assets, they stop being just a broker and become the “Revolut of Africa”—the only app you need to earn, send, and save globally.
The Final Verdict: Who Wins 2026?
Our 10-company Watchlist reveals an undeniable shift. Success in 2026 isn’t about who can build the slickest app, but who can engineer the most resilient solutions for the physical world. Here is the full roster for the year ahead:
Part 1: The Infrastructure Giants (Building the Rails)
- Moniepoint: Won by becoming a bank for the unbanked.
- Sun King: Won by financing light in local currency.
- Cybervergent: Won by securing the digital perimeter for banks and governments.
- Cassava Technologies: Won by laying the data pipes for the continent.
Part 2: The Supply Chain Fixers (Moving the Goods)
- OmniRetail: Won by digitising the informal corner shop.
- Remedial Health: Won by securing the pharmaceutical chain.
- Koolboks: Won by saving the harvest with a solar cold chain.
- Ridelink: Won by lowering the cost of logistics.
Part 3: The Wildcards (Rewriting the Rules)
- Bamboo: Betting that “Wealth” and “Remittance” are the same product.
- Chidi: Betting that AI can teach the next generation to think.
The Takeaway: The era of “Growth at All Costs” is dead. The era of “Value at All Costs” has begun. The stage is set. 2026 starts now.
