The 3i Africa Summit, one of the continent’s foremost gatherings of fintech innovators, policymakers, regulators and institutional investors, has taken place in Accra.
The three-day summit, held under the theme “The Next Frontier: Shaping Africa’s Integrated FinTech Future,” brought together over 600 delegates.
In a keynote address at the opening of the Summit, Mr Shaibu Haruna, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), MobileMoney Fintech Ltd. (MMFL), spoke on the topic: “Strengthening Consumer Protection in High-Velocity Credit & Banking Markets”, in which he examined the growing need for robust safeguards as digital credit and mobile banking services scaled rapidly across Africa’s emerging markets.
According to Mr Haruna, Africa was no longer waiting for the world to define its financial future, but was actively building it.
He, therefore, called for stronger consumer protection frameworks to underpin Africa’s fast-growing digital lending ecosystem, warning that financial inclusion without safeguards could do more harm than good.
Mr Haruna said the speed of digital credit should be matched with transparency, accountability and trust, adding that without protection, there could not be any inclusion, and inclusion without protection would be a trap.
He said consumer protection should be a shared responsibility across the ecosystem, noting that it should not just be a regulator or service provider issue, but a collective responsibility.
The MMFL CEO outlined four critical priority areas for the industry, namely transparency, responsible use, data fairness and accountability. They added that customers ought to fully understand the true cost of credit, interest rates, fees and penalties, and that transparency should be embedded in the design of every product.
He expressed concern about multiple borrowing and debt cycles among users, urging providers to take a more deliberate approach to customer onboarding and credit management.
Mr Haruna stressed the need to ensure that access to credit did not become a pathway to debt distress and that it was important to take responsibility for guiding customers, especially first-time borrowers, toward sustainable financial behaviour.
On regulation, Mr Haruna called for a more balanced and adaptive approach, adding that the answer was not just more regulation, but smarter regulation, risk-based frameworks, real-time data sharing and outcome-driven supervision that would focus on customer impact.
In an address, Ralph Mupita, Mobile Telecommunication Network (MTN) Group President & Chief Executive Officer, spoke on the topic: “The Future of Digital Finance in Emerging Markets as African economies accelerate investment in digital financial infrastructure,” while Ebenezer Twum Asante, Senior Vice President, MTN Group—WECA, also contributed to discussions on how mobile money, embedded finance and telecom-led ecosystems are expanding access to financial services across Africa and beyond.
Also joining the panel at the opening of the Summit was Adoma Owusu, General Manager, Fintech Business Development & Expansion, MTN Group Fintech, to speak on the topic “Beyond Trading: Creating Real Utility in Africa,” exploring how virtual assets are being applied to address real-world challenges across payments, financing and service delivery.
Now in its third year, the 3i Africa Summit has established itself as a premier continental platform anchored in Innovation, Investment and Impact.
The 2026 edition signals Africa’s shift from observation to structured implementation—integrating virtual assets, tokenisation, artificial intelligence, open banking and digital public infrastructure to build more resilient financial systems.
The Summit reflected both the continent’s momentum and MobileMoney Fintech Ltd.’s (MMFL’s) commitment to responsible, people-centred financial innovation.
MMFL and MTN Ghana’s participation in the Summit underscores the companies’ commitment to responsible financial innovation—and to ensuring that Africa’s rapid fintech growth translates into a lasting and inclusive economic impact for consumers across the continent.
Source: G.D. Zaney, Esq.
