Executive and advisory leader and digital transformation expert Unwana Esang has called for stronger collaboration across industries and borders as a critical pathway to achieving sustainable development and digital inclusion in Africa.
Esang made this known following a week-long engagement in Nigeria where she hosted senior colleagues from Mastercard, including Tim Buckler, Jody Forrester, Ebrahim Mohammed Choonara, Acquila Ntsonkota, Joaquín Ablático and Branislav Ilic. The team met with partners and clients across key sectors to discuss strategies for driving innovation, scale and impact across Nigeria and the continent.
According to Esang, Africa’s development challenges cannot be solved by isolated efforts, stressing that progress will require coordinated action across multiple sectors including finance, telecommunications, technology and public policy.
“The Africa we wish to see will not build itself,” she said. “It will take an ecosystem across geographies and industry verticals — not just individual players — to deliver scalable and sustainable solutions that truly empower the continent.”
She explained that engagements with fintech companies, telecommunications providers, banks and technology platforms during the visit demonstrated the growing momentum behind ecosystem-led solutions and reinforced the importance of deep collaboration in unlocking economic opportunities.
Workshops and strategy meetings with partners focused on translating “ecosystem thinking” into practical initiatives capable of delivering measurable impact, with participants examining how strategic alignment among key stakeholders could accelerate innovation and strengthen institutional capacity.
Esang identified several priority areas critical to Africa’s transformation, beginning with the need to strengthen digital ecosystems that connect innovators, regulators, investors and solution providers. She also emphasized the importance of increasing the continent’s adoption of artificial intelligence to enable predictive decision-making, improve service delivery and drive efficiency.
Another major focus, she said, is cybersecurity and fraud intelligence, which she described as essential to sustaining trust in Africa’s growing digital economy. She further highlighted the expansion of digital infrastructure as a means of ensuring that financial and technological services reach underserved communities and rural populations.
In addition, Esang underscored the importance of partnerships between local enterprises and multinational corporations, arguing that collaboration must be grounded in cultural understanding and shared goals. She also called for policy and regulatory frameworks that encourage innovation while protecting consumers.
On entrepreneurship and talent development, Esang said empowering young innovators with access to capital, tools and mentorship would be key to building Africa’s future workforce and technology leaders.
Speaking on Mastercard’s role, she reaffirmed the company’s commitment to investing in digital and economic inclusion across the continent, noting that long-term impact depends on sustained engagement and listening to local communities.
“At Mastercard, we hold the belief that investing in these enablers is our route to sustainable impact in powering an Africa that works for everyone,” she said. “Our engagements last week reaffirmed that our commitment to enabling businesses and communities across Nigeria and Africa remains strong.”
Esang concluded by calling for continued collaboration among stakeholders and urged industry leaders to remain focused on building systems that deliver inclusive growth.
“Let’s keep building — together,” she said.
She also noted that during the visit, the visiting delegation and the Mastercard Advisors & Consulting Services team in Lagos attended a special screening of the film Osamede, produced by filmmaker Lilian Olubi, in celebration of Nigeria’s growing creative industry.
Tony Emeka Nwosu
