The CEO of Flutterwave, Olugbenga Agboola, has urged Nigerian youths to leverage consistency and excellence to dismantle structural economic barriers across Africa.
Agboola shared his journey during the 2026 Youth Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Programme (YEEP) summit in Abuja, explaining how his background as a software engineer helped him identify payment fragmentation across the continent.
He noted that Nigeria has one of the world’s most advanced real-time financial systems via the NIP network, but the lack of integration with other African nations inspired the creation of Flutterwave as an infrastructural highway.
The NIP (Nigeria Instant Payment) network enables instant fund transfers across Nigerian banks, representing the pinnacle of local fintech, with real-time processing faster than many in Europe and the U.S.
Agboola emphasised that building global business relationships relies on trust and maintaining bridges.
He challenged the thousands of National Youth Service Corps members present to invest in emerging AI technologies, highlighting that digital tools have democratized global economic opportunities.
Celebrated music producer Cobhams Asuquo also shared his story, noting that early ignorance of failure and focused determination allowed him to excel despite being visually impaired.
Growing up in military barracks without sight, Asuquo practiced piano for hours while peers engaged in sports. He warned youths against making excuses, stressing the importance of working harder to surpass physical or societal limitations.
He encouraged young entrepreneurs to seek mentorship and practice mutual kindness, avoiding lonely professional paths.
Fashion designer Prudent Gabriel-Akpobi stated that sustainable entrepreneurship depends on grit, innovation, and vision, not starting capital.
She urged youths to ignore excuses, save what they can, and use local resources to build their businesses.
Now funding annual fashion scholarships worth millions of Naira, Gabriel-Akpobi called on youths to make an immediate, tangible impact on their communities.
