Africa Needs More Creators

On June 15, 2026, the Central Bank of Nigeria mandated all banks, fintech companies, and payment service providers to begin using local servers to manage all payment transactions within Nigeria. At first this felt infuriating — how could companies be expected to meet an obligation when the basic infrastructure hasn't been provided? But then it reminded me of one of my core worries about Africa: we are too dependent on external creators.

Africa is hailed as one of the most promising continents for innovation and entrepreneurship, yet what we see is almost total dependence on other continents for creation so that we can then leverage those creations and build ours for profit. If AWS shuts down today, tens of thousands of companies in Africa would experience a digital blackout with no sustainable alternative. When PayPal blacklisted Nigeria from international payments, it caused massive disruption until African companies rose to fill the gap.

That's the paradox — when put under pressure, Africa does have the potential to be creative. About 12 companies from Africa created international payment solutions when PayPal blocked Nigeria. The CBN directive would similarly be met by companies arising to find solutions. That's the power resident in Africa. However, I'm calling for it to become our common theme — not only when things go wrong.

It's time to begin searching for inventions and create a culture that encourages people to think, create, and innovate. Instead of sitting and just using the tools, software, and programs created by other continents, begin to learn how you can also create those tools. The knowledge is out there. We just need to search it out.

Be a creator and not just a consumer. You also have the Creator's Gene in you. My name is Golden Ogbeka, and I'm a Solutions Expert specializing in solving problems across tech, finance, agriculture, logistics, real estate, education, and various other sectors.