Visa has announced strategic investments in four African start-ups from the first cohort of its Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator program, marking a significant push to expand fintech solutions and financial inclusion across the continent.
The selected start-ups include Ghana-based business finance platform Oze, Kenya’s HR tech firm Workpay, Nigeria’s address verification service OkHi, and ORDA, a restaurant software provider operating in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa.
These investments highlight Visa’s commitment to fostering fintech growth across Africa, with the company stating that each investment is a step toward enhancing financial access and digital payment solutions on the continent.
The Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator program, a three-month intensive designed to support start-ups from Seed to Series A stages, offers 1:1 mentorship, tailored training, and funding opportunities. Graduates from the second cohort will showcase their innovations on December 2nd at a Demo Day in Cape Town, South Africa. This event will gather an audience of venture capitalists, angel investors, and key ecosystem partners, providing a valuable networking platform.
“Visa sees each investment as a unique opportunity to drive financial access and inclusion, and we are proud to support these start-ups as they realize their vision for a more connected Africa,” said Godfrey Sullivan, Visa’s senior vice president of products, partnerships, and digital solutions for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA).
Visa also announced that additional investments and business partnerships with program graduates are being finalized and will be disclosed soon. In collaboration with Amazon Web Services, which offers free cloud services to participating companies, the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator program aims to nurture the next generation of fintech innovators on the continent.
Visa is encouraging more companies with interests in Africa’s fintech ecosystem to join the accelerator, supporting Africa’s digital finance landscape and reaping the benefits of these transformative partnerships.
