Equity Group, AfricaNenda target 400 million unbanked Africans as Mwangi named continental DPI champion

Equity Group Managing Director and CEO Dr. James Mwangi has been named the continent's first Continental Digital Public Infrastructure Champion.

According to a joint statement released by the three partners, the collaboration was sealed through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in Nairobi on Sunday, and is designed to expand financial inclusion, strengthen digital payment ecosystems and support Africa's broader digital transformation agenda through deeper public-private collaboration.

The statement said Dr. Mwangi's appointment recognises his leadership in advancing inclusive digital financial ecosystems and his role in pushing forward the continent's digital transformation drive.

Speaking during the MoU signing, AfricaNenda Chief Executive Officer Dr. Robert Ochola said the partnership builds on Equity Group's track record in expanding financial inclusion and will help accelerate the practical rollout of DPI across the continent.

"Yet nearly 400 million people across the continent remain excluded from formal financial services. Through this partnership, we want to build practical Digital Public Infrastructure models and scale them across 20 to 30 African markets," Dr. Ochola said, according to the statement.

He added that DPI cannot succeed without private sector participation, saying Equity brings the execution capability, market reach and innovation needed to move the agenda from policy to implementation, and welcomed Dr. Mwangi's acceptance of the continental role.

Robert Karanja, Founder and Senior Advisor at DPI4Africa and a board member of the Mojaloop Foundation, said in the statement that accelerating DPI across Africa will require strong private sector leadership working alongside governments to drive adoption, innovation and financial inclusion.

He said a symbolic plaque bearing Dr. Mwangi's name was presented in recognition of his appointment as the continent's inaugural DPI Champion, an honour he said reflects Dr. Mwangi's leadership in advancing digital transformation and will help bring together a coalition of partners to accelerate DPI adoption across Africa.

Per the statement, Dr. Mwangi will champion interoperable DPI systems in his new role, aimed at accelerating financial inclusion, expanding access to digital services and unlocking opportunities for millions of Africans.

The partners say lowering the cost of accessing trusted digital platforms will empower young innovators and entrepreneurs to build scalable digital solutions, access regional markets and create jobs. The infrastructure is also expected to enable seamless cross-border payments, trusted digital identities and secure data exchange, supporting implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and deepening regional economic integration.

Speaking after the signing, Dr. Mwangi said the partnership aligns naturally with Equity Group's long-standing mission of transforming lives and promoting Africa's socio-economic development.

"With humility, I accept this appointment to be the champion of Continental Digital Public Infrastructure. I will continue working with governments, regulators, development partners and the private sector to accelerate this agenda," Dr. Mwangi said in the statement.

He added that the initiative was not about stripping governments of control over public infrastructure but about demonstrating how the private sector can partner with them to accelerate implementation of critical digital systems such as digital identity and interoperable payments, likening the shift to how physical infrastructure once transformed African economies.

According to the statement, Dr. Mwangi's appointment aligns with Equity Group's Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan (ARRP), which reinforces his leadership in advancing digital innovation and value addition across sectors such as agriculture and extractives, alongside inclusive economic transformation through trade, investment, manufacturing, technology, logistics, and social and environmental development.

The statement notes that the appointment follows the successful conclusion of the Africa Forward Summit, where Dr. Mwangi co-chaired the Business Forum and championed value addition, regional trade and market access for African products.

It says the summit catalysed strategic partnerships that have since opened premium international markets for Kenyan specialty teas, culminating in the launch of Kenyan Purple Tea in Paris, a milestone the partners say reinforces Kenya's shift from exporting raw commodities to branded, high-value products. The statement credits these achievements to Dr. Mwangi's leadership in advancing agricultural transformation and value addition across strategic sectors including tea, coffee, rice and leather.

Nanjira Sambuli, Senior Advocacy Officer for Africa on Inclusive Financial Systems and Digital Public Infrastructure at the Gates Foundation, said in the statement that the Foundation is backing the partnership because DPI must translate into tangible impact for ordinary people, noting that building the infrastructure is only a first step and that the real measure of success is whether people use it to improve their lives. She said the Foundation was proud to support AfricaNenda's partnership with Equity, an institution she described as having consistently championed financial inclusion and socio-economic transformation across Africa.

The statement further notes that despite significant progress in mobile money adoption, hundreds of millions of Africans remain excluded from formal financial services, underscoring the need for interoperable digital infrastructure that widens participation in the digital economy.