The United Kingdom has connected 25 African startup founders with 15 active investors through a structured matchmaking initiative at Moonshot by TechCabal 2026, as it intensifies efforts to support technology-driven businesses across Nigeria and the continent.
The initiative, known as the Magna Investor Connection Drive, brought together vetted founders and investors through curated, pre-matched meetings designed to improve investment readiness, unlock funding opportunities and establish commercial partnerships.
The UK disclosed this in a statement on Friday, October 30, 2026, following its participation in Moonshot, Africa’s technology and innovation conference held in Lagos under the theme, “Courage & Conviction: Building for a New World”.
The engagement formed part of the UK’s broader efforts to strengthen commercial relations with Nigeria and connect African businesses with international investment networks, expertise and growth opportunities.
Through the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub, the British government also supported the TECA Demo and Pitch Days, delivered by BFA Global through UK-funded FSD Africa, where Nigerian innovators presented solutions to real-world challenges and pitched investment-ready businesses to investors and ecosystem leaders.
His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa, Alastair Long, joined other UK representatives, founders, investors and ecosystem leaders at the conference to discuss opportunities for scaling African businesses, attracting investment and expanding into international markets.
Discussions also focused on digital trade, access to finance, climate resilience and innovation-led growth, with emphasis on building partnerships that enable African businesses to compete in global markets.
The Head of Green Growth and Private Sector at the British High Commission in Abuja, Paul Healey, participated in a policy roundtable titled “Protocols to Payouts: Redefining the Long Game, Digital Trade in Africa and Beyond”.
The discussion brought together representatives from the United States, Ghana and the Netherlands, alongside Nigerian technology and business stakeholders, to examine the opportunities and challenges shaping digital trade across Africa.
Separately, the British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Jonny Baxter, convened founders, investors and ecosystem leaders at a reception ahead of the African Prosperity Summit 2026, hosted by Venture Platform, to explore how investment and strategic partnerships could accelerate economic growth across the continent.
Country Director of the UK-Nigeria Technology Hub, Oyinkan Akinola-Bello, said Nigeria had some of Africa’s most innovative and ambitious entrepreneurs, adding that international partnerships were necessary to help businesses attract investment and access wider markets.
“Nigeria is home to some of Africa’s most innovative and ambitious entrepreneurs. Through our partnerships with founders, investors, policymakers and ecosystem builders, we are helping create the conditions businesses need to grow, attract investment and access international opportunities,” she said.
She added that the UK’s long-term commitment to innovation and enterprise was aimed at helping Nigerian businesses establish global connections and drive sustainable economic growth.
The UK also highlighted its Global Entrepreneur Programme (GEP), which supports ambitious international businesses seeking to establish a UK headquarters or research and development presence as part of their global expansion strategies.
