Africa's next billion-dollar companies will not be built in Silicon Valley. They will be built here — by founders who pay attention to the realities around them, listen to their customers, and turn local insight into technology that works. That was the consensus at the latest UBA Business Series in Lagos, where entrepreneurs, investors, and creators came together to discuss how consumer feedback is shaping Africa's next generation of high-growth businesses.
1. Building Is About Observation, Not Genius
Moderator Adaora Mbelu opened the conversation with a challenge to entrepreneurs: stop waiting to be the smartest person in the room. The greatest opportunities emerge from paying attention to what others overlook — to people, behaviour, and context. For African builders, that means spending time with your users, not just your product roadmap.
2. Your Customers Will Tell You What to Build Next
Femi Aluko, co-founder and CEO of Chowdeck, shared that the company's biggest innovations came directly from analysing customer behaviour. Purchasing patterns on the platform inspired an entirely new product line. The lesson? Data isn't just a metric — it's a roadmap. Listen carefully, and your customers will show you what to build next.
3. AI Is a Creative Opportunity, Not a Threat
Rapper and entrepreneur M.I Abaga made the case that AI gives African creators the ability to compete globally — solving bigger problems and building businesses that serve international markets. For Zambia's growing creative and digital economy, this is a significant unlock. The tools are increasingly available. The question is how quickly we learn to use them well.
4. Back Founders, Not Pitches
Venture capitalist Ashim Egunjobi, co-founder of Octerra Capital, pushed back on the obsession with polished investor decks. Successful investing, he argued, begins with backing resilient founders — people who have weathered real problems, not just rehearsed their answers. For entrepreneurs raising capital in Africa, the message is clear: traction and resilience matter more than slides.
5. Financial Inclusion, Creatives, Sport, and SMEs Will Lead
The panellists were unanimous on the sectors most likely to produce Africa's next billion- dollar companies: financial inclusion, the creative economy, sports, and SMEs. These are the spaces where African realities meet scalable technology — and where the next generation of founders will build.
What This Means for Zambia
At Digital Literacy Consultants, we see the same patterns the UBA panel described. The founders who thrive are the ones who combine deep local insight with modern digital skills. The opportunity is enormous — and increasingly, the training, tools, and platforms needed to seize it are within reach.
Whether you're a student, a professional, or an entrepreneur, the path forward is the same: build your digital and AI literacy, pay attention to the customers and communities around you, and turn what you see into something the world needs.