MTN Nigeria has introduced a major boost for early-stage startups through its 2025 Cloud Accelerator, offering infrastructure, funding support, and access to investors without asking for equity. The programme, which held its Demo Day in Lagos, gathered 20 high-growth ventures to pitch their products and share how the accelerator strengthened their capacity to scale. MTN said the initiative is designed to support Africa’s growing innovation ecosystem by giving founders the technical tools and business exposure needed to reach new markets.
The Demo Day marked the end of a 12-week programme aimed at fast-tracking early-stage African startups through non-equity funding, technical guidance, and access to MTN’s enterprise cloud and digital infrastructure. Applications for the accelerator opened in July and closed on August 15, targeting innovations across fintech, health, agriculture, artificial intelligence, and e-commerce. MTN noted that the project aligns with its long-term vision to build a strong pipeline of African innovators who can scale sustainably.
Throughout the programme, founders received cloud credits, access to MTN Cloud, MoMo, and Chenosis APIs, technical mentorship, business development support, and sessions to prepare them for investor engagement. MTN executives explained that beyond training, the accelerator creates opportunities for commercial partnerships between the telecom company and the participating ventures.
In his keynote speech, Ayham Moussa, MTN Nigeria’s chief operating officer, said the company remains committed to strengthening digital transformation across Africa. “The goal is not just to train founders. Africa’s innovators need infrastructure that truly fits the continent’s realities. MTN is committed to supporting solutions that are both globally competitive and locally relevant,” he said.
Among the 20 startups that pitched, Regxta stood out with its micro-lending and savings services targeted at underserved individuals and SMEs in rural areas. Led by CEO Bello Rukayat, the company said its data-driven approach helps keep loan default rates below one percent. Another strong pitch came from Pipeops, represented by Samuel Ogbonyomi, which offers an AI-powered tool that makes cloud infrastructure deployment easier for businesses, especially in markets where DevOps talent is limited.
Hadi Finance, led by CEO Bidemi Adebayo, introduced its credit and financing tools for small retailers, while ProDev, represented by Faith Dike, highlighted its recruitment platform built to connect African tech professionals to global employers. Other startups featured in the cohort included Prembly, CreditCheck, Sproutly, MyItura, Uri, Bunce, Trashcoin, and several others working across finance, agriculture, logistics, and digital identity.
MTN executives emphasised that the accelerator supports efforts to remove barriers that slow down African startups, especially access to infrastructure, payment systems, and enterprise technology. Industry analysts say MTN’s decision to provide non-equity backing and access to cloud tools gives founders a faster path from prototype to market-ready products.
MTN confirmed that support for the startups will continue after Demo Day through pilot programmes, commercial partnerships, follow-up support, and possible future investment opportunities. For many founders, the event served as a key chance to present their solutions, attract investors, and strengthen their presence in Nigeria’s competitive tech landscape and the wider African market.
