The United Kingdom has arranged investment matchmaking between 25 Nigerian technology entrepreneurs and 15 investors to help African businesses attract funding and compete internationally. The initiative took place through the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub at Moonshot by TechCabal 2026, Africa's technology and innovation conference held in Lagos. Ndidiamaka Eze, Communications Lead for Growth, Trade and Investment at the British High Commission in Nigeria, said the Magna Investor Connection Drive brought together selected founders and investors through curated meetings aimed at facilitating investment opportunities, business partnerships and access to growth networks.
The UK government said the engagements were designed to strengthen the capacity of Nigerian and African businesses to attract investment, access international markets and build globally competitive enterprises. The country's participation in the conference also included support for 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 their businesses to investors and ecosystem leaders. Alastair Long, His Majesty's Trade Commissioner for Africa, and Jonny Baxter, the British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, engaged founders, investors and business leaders during the conference, which was held under the theme 'Courage and Conviction: Building for a New World'.
Discussions at the event focused on access to finance, digital trade, climate resilience, innovation-led growth and opportunities for African businesses to expand into international markets. Oyinkan Akinola-Bello, Country Director of the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub, said Nigeria had a strong pool of innovative entrepreneurs who needed strategic partnerships and access to international opportunities to scale their businesses. She noted that the UK remained committed to supporting entrepreneurship and strengthening commercial partnerships between both countries, adding that the impact of the engagements would be measured by the investments and partnerships generated beyond the conference.
The UK also highlighted its Global Entrepreneur Programme, which supports exceptional international businesses seeking to establish headquarters or research and development operations in the UK as part of their expansion plans. The programme, alongside the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub, is expected to provide Nigerian entrepreneurs with access to international networks, expertise and growth opportunities. The UK government said its participation in Moonshot 2026 formed part of broader efforts to strengthen commercial relations with Nigeria, support technology-driven entrepreneurship and promote investment-led economic growth across Africa.