Experts and panelists at the Drive to Inspire — Africa (DTI-A) NextUp breakfast meeting have explored how emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), digital payment systems, and Web3, are shaping cross-border trade, entrepreneurship, and innovation across the continent.
The discussion took place on Wednesday, 4th February 2026, at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), on the sidelines of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues 2026 (APD 2026). The session highlighted the pivotal role of technology in enabling Africa’s youth to take on leadership positions, drive economic growth, and access greater opportunities on the global stage.
As the name suggests, NextUp is designed to affirm that African youth are “next in line” for global leadership, economic advancement, and international recognition, emphasising the continent’s potential to compete and collaborate in a rapidly evolving digital economy.
Bernard Dzakpasu, Manager for GRC & ESG Services at KPMG West Africa, moderated the breakfast meeting, guiding conversations around the practical applications of these technologies and the strategies necessary to position young Africans as leaders in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Panelists discussed how AI is being leveraged to optimise business processes and foster innovation, while digital payment infrastructure is enabling seamless cross-border transactions that break down traditional trade barriers. They also examined the potential of Web3 technologies in creating decentralised platforms for entrepreneurship, investment, and digital ownership.
*Deeper digital skills among youth*
Speaking as a panelist, Josephine Siaw-Agyemag, Founder of Ensiegne, challenged educators, developers, and young professionals to move beyond surface-level use of digital tools and focus on building strong learning, research, and communication skills.
She noted that, the real gap is not access to technology, but the ability to learn quickly, adapt skills, and communicate ideas clearly. “If you need technology to solve a problem but cannot clearly explain what you want it to do, that’s already a loss,” she noted.
She emphasised the importance of storytelling and communication, explaining that ideas only gain power when people can clearly tell their stories and question information presented to them. In her view, problem-solving, research, and effective questioning are now essential skills for the modern world.
AI literacy and digital skills
Another panelist, Irene H. Fiebor, Senior Instructional Designer and eLearning Project Officer at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAPITC), stressed the need for young people across Africa to acquire practical digital and artificial intelligence (AI) skills in order to remain competitive in today’s evolving workplace.
Fiebor said her years of experience working with educators and institutions across the continent have shown that the challenge facing many young people is not a lack of intelligence or motivation, but rather the inability to effectively apply digital tools for productive purposes.
“We have many brilliant and energetic young people. What is often missing is the ability to apply and use the digital tools that are available to us,” she noted.
According to her, one of the most critical skills for today’s youth is AI literacy, particularly the ability to use generative AI tools responsibly and effectively. She mentioned platforms such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Claude, and Gemini, urging young professionals to move beyond simply copying AI-generated content.
Curiosity key
Richard Osei-Anim, Managing Partner of Coral Reef Innovation Africa, emphasised that curiosity is one of the most critical skills young people must develop in today’s fast-changing digital era.
According to him, curiosity drives continuous learning and relearning, especially outside the traditional classroom setting. He noted that many people fail to recognise that learning can happen beyond lectures, yet commitment remains a challenge.
Osei-Anim explained that although artificial intelligence is currently the dominant focus, the broader conversation should be framed within the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He pointed out that emerging fields such as cloud computing, cybersecurity, autonomous drones, extended reality (XR), virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality are equally important.
Blockchain in Africa
The fouth panelist, Clinton Mbah, Co-founder and CEO of Accrue, believes blockchain is far from being hype, especially in Africa. In his view, Africans stand to gain the most from the technology, particularly when it comes to cross-border payments and financial access.
Mbah explained how expensive and slow it is to send money across African borders using traditional banks. He gave an example of a Ghanaian user who needed to send money to a Kenyan bank account to organise a trip. To send just $1,000 through the banking system, the user would have lost close to $100 in fees , about 10 percent , and still had to wait days for the money to arrive.
“With blockchain and stablecoins, that entire process becomes much simpler. Transactions can settle almost instantly, at any time of the day, and at a fraction of the cost,” Mbah said.
