African-led technology ventures dominated the spotlight at the 2026 Sankalp Africa Summit, as fintech, healthtech, climate, circular economy and agritech founders secured top honours in a showcase of entrepreneurship increasingly reshaping the continent’s economic architecture.
Held from 25–26 February at the Sarit Expo Centre in Nairobi, the summit organised by Sankalp Forum brought together investors, policymakers and founders at a time when African startups face tighter global capital markets but rising demand for locally built solutions.
FinTech: Closing East Africa’s “funding gap”
In the FinTech category, Somo emerged victorious, with founder and executive chair Amelia Hopkins Phillips and CEO Catherine Masolia recognised for advancing ethical finance across Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.
The not-for-profit, which has spent nine years building financial inclusion pathways, framed its win as validation of its systems-first approach to solving capital constraints for entrepreneurs.
“We came. We saw. We conquered,” Somo said after taking the stage at the Sankalp Africa Summit 2026. The organisation argued that solving the region’s persistent “funding gap” requires infrastructure rather than rhetoric. “By providing digital tools and systems, we are helping East African founders become investment-ready and create sustainable jobs in their communities.”
Across sub-Saharan Africa, the financing shortfall for small and medium enterprises runs into tens of billions of dollars annually, according to development finance estimates. As venture capital flows into Africa moderated over the past two years amid global rate hikes and risk repricing, investment readiness and governance infrastructure have become decisive differentiators. Somo’s model, blending digital financial systems with capacity building, reflects a broader continental pivot towards resilience over hype.
HealthTech: Technology as continuity of care
The HealthTech Award went to Malaica, co-founded by Victor Murage Ndegwa, who described the recognition as the culmination of years of “intentional work building technology that makes pregnancy safer, more structured, and more supported for mums”.
“I’m really grateful to have been shortlisted as a finalist and even more honoured to win the HealthTech Award,” Ndegwa said, noting the summit’s Nairobi gathering.
“We are not just building infrastructure and software. We are building continuity of care in a space where gaps can cost lives.”
Kenya, like many African countries, continues to battle maternal mortality challenges, particularly in underserved communities where fragmented care pathways persist. Malaica’s model combines in-person and remote clinical care with digital tracking systems designed to ensure mothers are supported from pregnancy through postpartum.
“Our focus remains simple: combine great in-person and remote clinical care with thoughtful technology so that no mother feels lost in her journey,” Ndegwa added.
The award underscores a wider African healthtech trend where pragmatic, locally embedded platforms that integrate digital tools with frontline service delivery rather than replacing it.
ClimateTech: Scaling clean energy for livelihoods
In the ClimateTech category, SOSAI Renewable Energies Company, led by founder Habiba Ali, was recognised for expanding clean energy access across underserved communities.
The company began by replacing kerosene lamps and smoky cooking fires with solar lights and clean cookstoves, interventions that cut indoor air pollution and reduce long-term health risks for women and children. It has since scaled into solar home systems, mini-grids and decentralised energy solutions powering micro-enterprises.
When receiving her award, Ali spoke candidly about “the fear of starting” and “the fear of failing” a reminder that Africa’s clean energy transition is being driven not only by capital but by entrepreneurial risk-taking.
With more than 600 million Africans still lacking reliable electricity access, decentralised renewable systems are increasingly central to national electrification strategies and climate adaptation frameworks. Enterprises such as SOSAI are positioning distributed solar not merely as a climate solution but as economic infrastructure.
CircularTech: Digitising the waste economy
The CircularTech Award went to M-taka, founded by Benson Abila, for digitising waste recovery and embedding data transparency into recycling supply chains.
“We are not just powering recovery, we are building digital infrastructure for the circular economy,” Abila said. “Every kilogram collected is logged. Every transaction is traceable. Every waste actor becomes visible in a system that has long overlooked them.”
Africa’s rapid urbanisation has intensified waste management pressures, while informal waste pickers remain economically marginalised despite playing a critical environmental role. M-taka’s platform logs transactions and participants digitally, aiming to create an “inclusive, data-driven circular supply chain” that dignifies waste work and converts recycling into measurable climate action.
One year after pitching on the summit’s Ascend Stage, the company returned with reported traction of more than 20,000 community members, waste actors, partners and customers participating in its ecosystem.
“This award belongs to everyone doing the heavy lifting every day,” Abila said. “We’re just getting started.”
AgriTech: Climate-smart aquaculture and the blue economy
In the AgriTech category, Rio Fish Ltd, led by Angela Juliana Odero, was recognised for advancing sustainable aquaculture from the shores of Lake Victoria to regional markets.
“This moment represents more than recognition, it represents years of resilience, innovation and bold belief in climate-smart aquaculture,” the company said. Over seven years, Rio Fish has focused on strengthening food systems, empowering women and youth, restoring ecosystems and building climate resilience through sustainable fish farming.
Africa’s aquaculture sector is expanding rapidly as demand for affordable protein rises and capture fisheries face environmental stress. Climate-smart fish farming, integrated with ecosystem restoration, is increasingly seen as pivotal to food security and the continent’s emerging blue economy.
“The future of Africa’s blue economy is inclusive, circular and climate-smart and we are proud to be building it,” the company said.
Beyond awards: Infrastructure over narrative
Taken together, the winners reflect a decisive shift in African entrepreneurship from pitch-deck ambition to infrastructure execution.
Fintech platforms are addressing structural capital inefficiencies. Healthtech startups are integrating digital systems with frontline clinical care. Climate enterprises are scaling distributed renewables as productive assets. Circular economy ventures are formalising informal sectors through traceable data systems. Agritech innovators are embedding sustainability into food production.
At a time when global investors are demanding clearer unit economics and demonstrable impact, African founders are recalibrating accordingly building businesses that respond directly to demographic pressure, climate vulnerability and employment gaps.
The 2026 Sankalp Africa Summit did more than hand out trophies. It highlighted a cohort of African-led ventures engineering systems change in markets long defined by structural constraints. In doing so, it offered a sharper narrative for the continent’s innovation economy: disciplined execution, measurable impact and scale built from the ground up.
