UBA Business Series enlists M.I Abaga, Chowdeck CEO, Egunjobi to speak on innovation, African Startups

Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc is set to host the latest edition of its quarterly UBA Business Series, turning the spotlight on how businesses can transform everyday customer feedback into technology that answers Africa’s real needs, 

Scheduled for Thursday, 16 July 2026 at 11:00 a.m. (WAT), the event, themed “Building for Africa’s Realities: Turning Consumer Feedback into Technology-Driven Solutions,” will convene founders, investors and builders to share candid insight on designing products that work in African conditions rather than solutions borrowed wholesale from elsewhere.

Participants will be able to join virtually, as the session streams live across UBA’s digital platforms, including the Group’s YouTube channel, with those interested following the conversation online through the bank’s official channels.

The session will feature a lineup of speakers who have built for African markets first-hand, including rapper and entrepreneur, M.I Abaga; venture capitalist and co-founder of Octerra Capital, Ashim Egunjobi; and co-founder and chief executive of Chowdeck, Femi Aluko. The conversation will be hosted by media entrepreneur and founder, Adaora Mbelu.

Panelists are expected to share their personal journeys and perspectives on building consumer platforms, backing the founders behind them, and staying close enough to the customer to keep getting the product right in a fast-moving market.

Speaking ahead of the event, UBA’s Group Head, Brands, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Alero Ladipo, said the edition reflects the bank’s commitment to the entrepreneurs and businesses driving Africa’s growth.

“The best African businesses are not guessing what their customers want, they are listening, adapting and building accordingly,” Ladipo said. 

“Through this edition of the UBA Business Series, we want to put that discipline within reach of every entrepreneur, and create a platform where honest conversations about product, technology and growth can take place. When our businesses build for Africa’s realities, the whole continent benefits.”

The quarterly UBA Business Series has grown into a major knowledge-sharing platform designed to equip entrepreneurs, professionals and business leaders with the insights, tools and strategies to build sustainable enterprises and navigate an evolving business environment.

With more than 25,000 employees and over 45 million customers globally, UBA is one of the largest employers in Africa’s financial sector. The bank operates in 20 African countries, as well as the United Kingdom, the United States, France and the United Arab Emirates, providing retail, commercial and institutional banking services while advancing financial inclusion through innovative technology.