BoG Governor pushes for real fintech deployment beyond Sandboxes

Dr. Johnson Asiama, Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), says Africa must move beyond fintech experimentation and focus on scaling regulated digital financial solutions that can deliver real economic impact, speaking at the Future of Finance Dialogue during the 2026 3i Africa Summit. Dr. Asiama noted that the continent already has enough ideas, frameworks and pilot programmes, but implementation remains the biggest challenge. He stated, "We do not lack ideas, frameworks or pilots, we have these in abundance. The harder question is how we move from controlled experimentation to scaled regulated deployment."

Dr. Asiama stressed that regulatory sandboxes should no longer be viewed as temporary testing grounds, but as pathways to full market participation and innovation growth. He added, "Regulatory sandboxes must become bridges to real market entry. The measure of a sandbox is not how many firms are admitted." According to him, the success of fintech innovation should be measured by how many solutions successfully transition into trusted, regulated and scalable services that improve lives and support businesses. Ethel Cofie, Chief Executive Officer of Edel Technology Consulting, urged fintech companies across Africa to prioritise collaboration in order to accelerate growth within the digital finance ecosystem.

Ethel Cofie noted that the future of Africa's fintech industry will depend heavily on strategic partnerships rather than isolated innovation. She said, "No single fintech can solve Africa's financial inclusion challenge alone. Collaboration is what will drive scale and sustainability across the ecosystem." Ethel Cofie further encouraged fintech firms to work more closely with regulators, banks and technology providers to build solutions that can easily expand across African markets, adding, "We must stop building in silos and start creating interconnected solutions that can serve the continent at scale." The 3i Africa Summit brought together policymakers, regulators, investors and technology leaders to discuss the future of digital finance and innovation in Africa.