By Cross Udo, Abuja
Nigeria is positioning itself at the forefront of Africa’s digital transformation with the unveiling of the RegTech Africa Conference and Expo, RACE 2026, aimed at accelerating regulatory harmony and cross-border innovation across the continent.
The conference, scheduled for May 20–22, 2026, under the patronage of the Office of the Vice President, is being organised in partnership with the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion and in collaboration with the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Chairman of the Organising Committee, Mr Cyril Okoroigwe, described RACE 2026 as Africa’s premier platform for dialogue at the intersection of regulation, technology and economic development.
He said the initiative was designed to plug “regulatory and infrastructure gaps limiting cross-border trade, finance and digital innovation across the continent.”
“Despite AfCFTA’s promise, fragmented regulations, weak interoperability and regulatory uncertainty continue to constrain cross-border trade, payments and digital services, resulting in significant opportunity costs for African economies,” Okoroigwe warned.
Anchored on the “Africonomy” vision of a connected and trusted digital market, RACE 2026 aligns with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which targets a $3.4 trillion market of 1.4 billion people across 54 countries.
With the theme Building Trust, Infrastructure, Inclusion, and Policy for a Borderless Economy, the conference will focus on regulatory innovation, interoperable payment systems, digital identity frameworks, and expanded financial inclusion for startups, women, youth, and underserved groups.
The organisers said Nigeria’s hosting of the event underscores its emergence “as a continental hub for policy dialogue, financial innovation and digital economic leadership.”
Virtually addressing the briefing, GIABA’s Acting Principal Officer for Legal and Law Enforcement, Ms Gina Wood, said the conference comes at a critical time as West African countries prepare for the third round of Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) evaluations.
“This conference and its policy dialogue come at a critical moment for West Africa,” Wood said, adding that countries must move beyond technical compliance to effectiveness through stronger coordination, improved risk understanding and modern supervisory tools.
She pledged GIABA’s support through “capacity building, technical assistance, policy guidance and regional cooperation,” describing RACE 2026 as a timely platform to build “a trusted, inclusive and future-ready regulatory framework for Africa’s digital economy.”
