Ghana will host the third edition of the 3i Africa Summit from 6 to 8 May 2026, with the theme "Shaping Africa's Integrated Fintech Future."
Organisers held a launch event on 25 March to announce the programme and confirm Accra as the venue for the second consecutive year.
The summit convenes heads of state, central bank governors, investors, and fintech executives.
Previous editions have produced commitments on cross-border payment corridors and regulatory cooperation, though follow-through on those commitments has varied.
This year's agenda centres on three areas: interoperable payment systems, trusted digital infrastructure, and coherent regulatory frameworks across borders. The interoperability question is the most pressing. MoMo transfers still stop at the border for most users, despite years of pilot programmes and memoranda of understanding between regulators.
The summit's organisers said they expect concrete proposals on connecting national payment switches, though they did not say which countries are closest to implementation.
Digital infrastructure discussions will focus on shared identity verification systems and the data-centre capacity needed to support growing financial services traffic. Central bank digital currencies, which dominated fintech conversations two years ago, are expected to receive less attention this time, reflecting a broader cooling of enthusiasm among African regulators.
On the regulatory side, the summit will look at how different jurisdictions license fintechs and whether mutual recognition of licences could reduce the cost of operating across multiple markets.
A single fintech currently needs separate approvals in each country it enters, a process that can take years and millions of dollars.
The investor track will include pitch sessions for early- and growth-stage fintechs, though organisers have not disclosed how many investors have confirmed attendance.
Hosting the summit again puts Accra at the centre of a conversation it wants to own. Last year's summit produced five signed memoranda on cross-border payment corridors. None have been implemented.
