In Kigali, Wave Mobile Money positions African youth as a driver of innovation and financial inclusion

Organized during the week of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Finals, the event brought together leaders from sports, finance, public policy, technology, and investment to explore how inclusive digital infrastructure can support the next generation of African entrepreneurs and leaders.

Wave Mobile Money reaffirmed on May 29, 2026, in Kigali, Rwanda, its commitment to youth opportunities, digital innovation, and financial inclusion during the BAL Business Brunch in Kigali. The high-level gathering was held during the BAL Finals week under the theme: “Youth, Innovation and Financial Inclusion: Building the Next Generation of African Leaders.”

The event convened key stakeholders from across the continent’s growth ecosystem, including representatives from sports, finance, public policy, technology, and investment, to reflect on how inclusive digital infrastructure can create opportunities for young people across Africa. It also served as a strategic platform to align Wave’s financial inclusion mission with one of the continent’s most unifying sporting and cultural events.

Taking place shortly after the Africa CEO Forum, the event further reinforced Kigali’s role as a hub for major conversations shaping growth, innovation, and the rise of Africa’s next generation of leaders. For Wave, this Business Brunch extended that momentum onto another influential platform: sport. It reflects a growing understanding that youth culture, entrepreneurship, digital finance, and economic inclusion are now deeply interconnected.

The panel brought together key actors from essential pillars of Africa’s growth ecosystem, including Amadou Gallo Fall, President of the Basketball Africa League, Coumba Tine Sène, Regional Director and Head of Public Affairs at Wave Mobile Money, Dr. Diane Karusisi, CEO of Banque de Kigali, and Yves Iradukunda, Minister of State at the Ministry of ICT and Innovation of Rwanda. Together, they explored how cultural platforms, financial infrastructure, institutional capital, and enabling public policies can combine to support youth entrepreneurship, innovation, and inclusive growth.

For Wave, the discussion highlighted the importance of simple, affordable, and reliable financial tools in helping young Africans turn their ambitions into reality. Across the continent, young people are building businesses, producing content, forming communities, driving culture, and creating new forms of economic activity. Their ability to thrive depends not only on inspiration or visibility, but also on access to financial infrastructure adapted to their everyday realities.