Africa’s digital economy needs infrastructure beyond apps, panel says

A panel at Moonshot by TechCabal 2026 emphasized that Africa’s digital economy cannot rely solely on apps. Reliable transport, accurate location data, access to financing, and shared infrastructure are critical for scaling businesses across the continent. Without these, even well-designed apps face delivery failures, payment delays, and operational inefficiencies.

Tarun Mottlia

Editor, Lazyfounder

Published Oct 30, 20262 min read

Africa’s digital economy needs infrastructure beyond apps, panel says — Image: TechCabal via source

Infrastructure gaps beyond app development

According to a panel at Moonshot by TechCabal 2026, Africa’s digital economy depends on more than just apps that connect users to services. Speakers highlighted four critical areas: reliable transport networks, accurate location data, access to financing, and shared infrastructure. These elements are essential for businesses to scale, particularly in sectors like logistics, ride-hailing, and electric mobility.

Sanusi Adedamola, COO of Fez Delivery, and Seun Alley, CEO of the same company, stressed that apps alone cannot overcome the continent’s infrastructure challenges. Without dependable transport, for example, delivery services face delays and higher costs, while fragmented logistics systems make expansion difficult.

Connectivity and financing challenges

Even in Nigeria’s commercial hub, Lagos, uneven internet connectivity remains a problem for businesses. The gap between digital service demand and reliable connectivity forces operators to adapt, often at increased cost.

Access to financing is another hurdle. Chinwe Adighiogu, SVP of Products at MAX, noted that operational data—such as riders’ activity, earnings, and battery use—can help lenders assess borrowers who lack conventional banking histories. This data-driven approach is becoming a necessity for businesses seeking loans or investment.

World Bank research from 2024 supports this, showing that investments in roads and electricity significantly boost activity in Africa’s manufacturing and services sectors.

Shared infrastructure as a solution

The panel proposed shared infrastructure as a way to reduce costs and avoid isolated systems. Examples include mapping data for streets and neighborhoods, as well as shared charging and battery-swapping networks for electric mobility. These systems benefit multiple businesses, improving efficiency and reducing redundancy.

Adighiogu emphasized that without addressing these foundational issues, even the most polished app risks failures in delivery, payments, or service reliability.

What this means

Lazyfounder analysis — our interpretation, not reported fact.

For founders and operators in Africa’s digital economy, this discussion underscores a reality beyond product development: infrastructure determines scalability. Apps may attract users, but without reliable transport, location data, financing, and shared systems, operational costs will rise, and expansion will stall.

The emphasis on shared infrastructure—like mapping or charging networks—suggests opportunities for startups to build solutions that serve multiple players, rather than proprietary systems. Meanwhile, the role of operational data in securing financing could shape how businesses structure their analytics and lending partnerships.

This conversation also signals to investors that infrastructure-focused startups—particularly in logistics, energy, and financial services—may offer long-term value, even if they lack the immediate visibility of consumer-facing apps.

Sources

TechCabal · 2026-10-28
Africa’s digital economy needs more than apps to scale

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