Manny Ita –
Nigeria has been announced as the host for the 2026 RegTech Africa Conference & Expo (RACE 2026), a premier regulatory technology and policy reform platform scheduled to take place from May 20 to 22, 2026, at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja. Held under the patronage of the Office of the Vice President and in partnership with the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI), the event aims to address the integration of technology and policy within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Cyril Okoroigwe, Chair of the Organizing Committee, stated that the conference is “positioned as a strategic policy and innovation platform—where technology-enabled regulation becomes a catalyst for trust, inclusion, and sustainable economic growth across Africa.” The forum will focus on utilizing artificial intelligence, digital identity, and cybersecurity to facilitate a borderless economy for the continent’s 1.4 billion people.
The three-day summit will feature over 50 speakers and 1,000 participants, highlighting the role of RegTech and SupTech in modernizing policy frameworks and reducing risks for small and medium-sized enterprises. A central component of the 2026 program is the Global Startup World Cup – Regional Challenge, which intends to showcase African technology startups to a global audience. Dr. Nurudeen Abubakar Zauro, Technical Adviser to the President and Executive Secretary of PreCEFI, noted that the conference “aligns strongly with Nigeria’s commitment to economic and financial inclusion,” adding that it provides a critical platform to “harness technology and smart regulation as tools for trust-building, inclusion, and sustainable economic growth—both within Nigeria and across Africa.”
Organized in collaboration with the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), the expo will utilize a hybrid format to engage both in-person and virtual global leaders. Participants are required to undergo mandatory registration due to the high-level security protocols at the Presidential Villa venue. The organizing committee has emphasized that the conference aims to reshape global perceptions of the African market, presenting the continent as “policy-aware, innovation-ready, and investment-attractive.” Through thematic tracks and ministerial dialogues, the event seeks to establish a framework for interoperable payment systems and data exchange to support the projected US$3.4 trillion value of the unified African market.
