UBA Hosts Building for Africa Realities Summit to Drive Innovation

UBA Building for Africa Realities Summit brought together business leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators and creatives to explore how African businesses can develop sustainable solutions tailored to the continent’s unique challenges.

Organised by the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Group, the event featured discussions on innovation, technology, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship, with speakers including Ashim Edunjobi, Co-founder and CEO of Ocetra, Femi Aluko, Co-founder and CEO of Chowdeck, and renowned rapper and entrepreneur M.I. Abaga.

Opening the session, Egunjobi said businesses must continuously adapt to changing customer preferences, stressing that consumer behaviour differs across African markets. She noted that understanding these differences is essential for building products and services that truly meet customers’ needs.

She also highlighted the role of technology in improving business operations and strengthening customer engagement across the continent.

Speaking on customer insights, Chowdeck CEO Femi Aluko said today’s consumers expect fast delivery at affordable prices, adding that no two markets are the same. He explained that studying customer behaviour has helped Chowdeck improve its services and expand its offerings.

According to Aluko, the company discovered that many Nigerian customers frequently change their food preferences, prompting Chowdeck to add products such as tomatoes and rodo (pepper) to its delivery platform.

He also shared the story behind Chowdeck, revealing that he left his position as a Principal Officer at Paystack because he believed the startup could become a leading logistics company. Before launching the business with two other co-founders and just two delivery riders, the team studied successful delivery models in countries including the United States, India, China and Dubai to identify opportunities within Africa’s logistics sector.

Aluko recalled that Chowdeck gained national attention after a post on X (formerly Twitter) described the company as building “jujutech” for food logistics rather than another fintech startup.

Rapper and entrepreneur M.I. Abaga urged African creatives to embrace artificial intelligence as a tool to enhance, rather than replace, human creativity. He said AI can help entrepreneurs complete tasks such as writing business proposals and preparing documentation more efficiently, allowing them to focus on innovation.

Abaga also encouraged businesses to think globally by improving branding, subtitles, colour design and presentation to make their products more attractive to international audiences while addressing customers’ pain points.

Speaking on why startups succeed or fail, Edunjobi identified founder commitment, market validation and market readiness as the three major factors investors consider before backing a business.

She noted that many startups fail because founders become emotionally attached to their solutions instead of focusing on solving real customer problems, adding that a business only succeeds when customers are willing to pay for its solution.

Closing the UBA Building for Africa Realities Summit, UBA’s Head of Digital Banking, Olukayode Olubiyi, reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to developing customer-focused digital solutions.

He said the bank’s AI-powered digital support platform, Leo Verse, was created in response to customer feedback, enabling users to carry out banking transactions seamlessly through WhatsApp. Olubiyi added that by listening to customers and leveraging technology, UBA will continue to develop innovative solutions that improve convenience, accessibility and the overall customer experience.