President Paul Kagame participated in a gathering on Wednesday, November 8, along with prominent investors, startups, and industry leaders focused on Africa. The occasion marked the official commencement of Norrsken Africa Week, an event aimed at exploring ways to accelerate the growth of Africa’s tech and startup ecosystem.

Hosted at Norrsken House Kigali, this two-day event is dedicated to identifying investment opportunities and startup potential on the continent, as highlighted by the organizers.

Norrsken Africa Week also serves as the official inauguration of Norrsken Kigali House.

The event features renowned investors who will share their insights, including Nonkululeko Nyembezi, Chairman at the Standard Bank Group, Niklas Adalberth, Founder of Norrsken, Hannah Subyai Kamuanga, Partner at Launch Africa Ventures, celebrated musician and investor Mr. Eazi, Angela Homsi, Chief Executive and Founder of Angaza Capital, Moses Mukundi, Founder of Eden Care, among others.

This gathering coincides with Africa’s emergence as the world’s fastest-growing economic powerhouse. Projections suggest that by 2030, more than 1 billion new African internet users will come online.

In 2022, the African startup ecosystem witnessed a remarkable rise, raising over $6.5 billion, which is an increase of over 8 percent compared to the previous year, despite a global Venture Capital downturn. Fintech emerged as the dominant sector, with 205 African fintech startups, marking an 11.4 percent increase from 2021, collectively raising $1.5 billion during the year.

Notably, women-founded startups saw a surge, accounting for 22 percent of all equity rounds in Africa in 2022, reflecting a 2 percent increase from the previous year.