Manny Ita –
The Federal Government of Nigeria has confirmed that Abuja will serve as the host city for the 2026 RegTech Africa Conference & Expo (RACE 2026), featuring the prestigious Global Startup World Cup (GSWC) regional qualifiers. Scheduled for May 20–22, 2026, at the State House Banquet Hall in the Presidential Villa, the event is organized under the patronage of the Office of the Vice President in partnership with the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI). The conference, themed “Building Trust, Infrastructure, Inclusion, and Policy for a Borderless Economy,” aims to position Africa as a global hub for regulatory innovation. Cyril Okoroigwe, CEO of RegTech Africa, stated that “hosting the Startup World Cup Regional Competition in Abuja underscores our commitment to positioning Africa as a global innovation powerhouse,” adding that the event serves as a “gateway for African startups to access global capital, partnerships, and visibility.”
A major highlight of the three-day summit will be the pitch competition, where ten shortlisted startups will compete before a jury of venture capitalists and industry experts. The winner of the Abuja regional will advance to the global finals in San Francisco to compete for a $1 million investment prize. Applications for the competition are currently open to startups across all stages and sectors—including fintech, AI, healthtech, and agritech—with a submission deadline of March 31, 2026. Organizers have emphasized that the event is designed to bridge the gap between groundbreaking African solutions and the policymakers shaping the continent’s digital infrastructure. Dr. Nurudeen Abubakar Zauro, Technical Adviser to the President, noted that the conference “provides a critical platform to harness technology and smart regulation as tools for trust-building” within the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The conference is expected to draw over 1,000 in-person and virtual participants, featuring more than 50 world-class speakers across ten thematic tracks. In addition to the Abuja event, a separate preliminary Nigeria regional competition is scheduled for Lagos on March 26, 2026, to further spotlight early-stage businesses. Due to high-level security protocols at the Presidential Villa, attendance is strictly by mandatory registration, and organizers have encouraged early sign-ups to secure placement. Through the #BorderlessAfriconomy campaign, the 2026 summit aims to reshape the global narrative of the African market, presenting it as “policy-aware, innovation-ready, and investment-attractive” for international partners and development agencies.
