MTN Nigeria has awarded 20 early-stage startups N5 million each as part of its 12-week Cloud Accelerator Programme, aiming to boost Africa’s digital economy through funding, mentorship, and locally anchored infrastructure.
The startups, selected from a pool of 8,000 applicants, showcased their solutions at the MTN Cloud Accelerator Demo Day and Investors Mixer in Lagos on Monday.
Linda Saint-Nwafor, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to supporting local innovation.
She explained that the N100 million funding was structured to help startups address infrastructure gaps and expand market access, enabling solutions that are “powered locally and scaled globally.”
The programme integrates startups with MTN’s cloud infrastructure, payment platforms, and APIs, helping them shorten development cycles.
Ayham Moussa, MTN Nigeria executive, emphasized the programme’s focus on hands-on mentorship, robust infrastructure, and growth funding, encouraging founders to build fast, design for resilience, and leverage local resources with global standards.
Njideka Jack, General Manager of Enterprise Marketing, praised the inaugural cohort for translating the vision of the accelerator into tangible results.
She highlighted the importance of leveraging Africa’s human capital to drive innovation and position the continent as a hub of technological solutions.
Representing the cohort, Dr. Joseph Olowe of DoktorConnect expressed gratitude for the mentorship and resources provided, noting breakthroughs such as a solution projected to generate an additional $3,000 per year for users.
He emphasised the long-term collaboration fostered by the programme, with founders aiming to return as success stories and partners.
Startups in the first cohort include DoktorConnect, MYITURA, Regxta, Creditchek, Trashcoin Ltd, Scrapays Inc., Agrovesto, and XChangeBOX, among others.
These companies are addressing diverse sectors such as healthcare, fintech, sustainability, and agritech, with solutions ranging from IoT-driven preventive healthcare to decentralized recycling platforms and agro-commodity trading.
The programme underscores MTN’s strategy to empower African founders with funding, mentorship, and tools to scale innovative solutions across the continent.
