Global technology leaders Visa and Microsoft have partnered to accelerate innovation in Nigeria’s fintech sector through a strategic focus on agentic artificial intelligence (AI), aiming to deepen the talent pipeline and enhance industry compliance standards.
At the recently concluded AI Skills Week in Lagos, the two companies convened over 70 developers and more than 150 C-suite executives, including CIOs, CTOs, and transformation leads, for an intensive program centred on practical applications of agentic AI within financial services. The initiative emphasized the development of AI-powered tools that can automate complex compliance tasks, including Know Your Customer (KYC) and regulatory reporting processes.
The event featured hands-on workshops, product labs, and a hackathon leveraging Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI and Semantic Kernel platforms. Participants were challenged to create AI-driven fintech solutions designed to address operational gaps, particularly around compliance and customer engagement.
Speaking on the initiative, Andrew Uaboi, Vice President and Cluster Head at Visa West Africa, said: “We are investing in the future of digital finance by empowering Nigerian talent to apply cutting-edge AI technologies that solve real-world challenges.” Microsoft Nigeria and Ghana Country Manager, Ola Williams, reinforced the commitment, noting that the collaboration is “a major step toward building a digitally resilient financial services ecosystem.”
The program comes at a critical time for Nigeria’s fintech industry, which continues to expand but faces talent shortages and evolving regulatory demands. With the AI market projected to contribute up to $15 billion to Nigeria’s GDP by 2030, such initiatives are viewed as key to unlocking long-term growth and competitiveness.
As global interest in generative and agentic AI accelerates, Visa and Microsoft’s strategic partnership offers a scalable model for bridging skills gaps and ensuring that Nigeria remains at the forefront of fintech innovation in Africa.
