By Abigail Mbah
Nigeria’s tech ecosystem has long been the heartbeat of African innovation, moving far beyond its early days of traditional fintech into a new era of decentralized infrastructure and deep digital transformation. As we look toward 2027, a fresh wave of builders is tackling complex local and global challenges. From cross-border liquidity and real-world asset tokenization to scalable enterprise software. Here is a closer look at the Nigerian founders leading the charge in blockchain and digital technology, and why their work is poised to define the coming year.
1. Charles Okaformbah
Charles Okaformbah is a Nigerian fintech executive, cloud engineer, and blockchain solutions architect. Based in Abuja, he has over 17 years of experience building startups, Web3 protocols, and enterprise software systems[OI1] . He is the Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Convexity, a blockchain solutions firm known for enterprise training and humanitarian aid transparency tools like CHATS. Charles Okaformbah focuses on modernizing payment systems, strengthening digital asset oversight, and enabling financial inclusion through secure, enterprise-grade technology, including leadership of regulated crypto wallet infrastructure in Mauritius and real-world asset tokenization marketplaces. Mr Charles champions CHATS (Convexity Humanitarian Aid Transfer Solution), which is a blockchain-powered platform built by Convexity to bring transparency, security, and traceability to cash and voucher assistance (CVA) in humanitarian aid distribution.
2. Karla Nwaeke (Also known as Karla God)
Karla Nwaeke is a prominent business developer and community builder in the African blockchain space. She leads initiatives like Borderless Builders and speaks at technology conferences and in media outlets such as Arise News on stablecoins, tokenization, and opportunities for women in tech. Karla Nwaeke founded Bitsave, a decentralized finance (DeFi) and crypto-savings platform designed to help users build financial discipline. Karla has successfully helped many save hundreds of thousands of dollars in her first year of launch and operation, including newbies in the digital asset space. Karla Nwaeke advocates for financial empowerment and blockchain innovation across Africa.
3. Onyedikachi Ibekwe (Also known as Dikachi Ibekwe)
Onyedikachi Ibekwe is the founder of LambaCard, a decentralized loyalty platform that partners with businesses to reward customers with deflationary Web3 tokens, digital assets designed to decrease in supply every time a reward is issued or an on-chain transaction occurs. LambaCard integrates Web3 wallets into third-party platforms where these rewards are distributed. Driven by a mission to accelerate blockchain adoption across Africa, Ibekwe built LambaCard to bridge everyday commerce with Web3 utility. The platform quickly gained traction, recording over 1,300% growth in loyalty token transactions within its first 30 days of launch. During an interview with Crest Africa. Dikachi said he had questions like: Why should others define Africa’s digital future when Africans understand the realities on the ground? That question didn’t just sit with him. It moved him. It challenged him. It shaped him. From that defining moment, Dikachi didn’t choose the easy path of speculation. He chose the harder road of building. He founded Lambabros with a vision to create blockchain-driven solutions for Africa’s most critical industries. Dikachi is also driving Web3 adoption through free Web3 education for the Young minds in Africa and beyond.
4. Progress Ochuko Eyaadah (Also known as Koxy)
Progress Ochuko Eyaadah is a Nigerian Blockchain & Systems Engineer, tech educator, and Web3 leader. Progress Ochuko is the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Choppaddi (formerly known as Fastbuka). The platform integrates stablecoin-enabled payments and has secured up to $80,000 in funding from the Stellar Community Fund. Progress works as a senior blockchain engineer (including roles with platforms like Toyow), building blockchain infrastructure to make investing and digital finance more accessible in Africa. Progress Ochuko is also big on community & Mentorship, as she serves as a Stellar Ambassador and actively mentors young women transitioning into tech and Web3 careers. Progress also rebuilt the backend architecture for Sytemap, transitioning the real estate platform to blockchain infrastructure. She implemented secure token minting and condition-based smart contracts to make property transactions traceable.
5. Seun Lanlege (Also known as Oluwaseun Lanlege)
Seun Lanlege is a blockchain engineer, researcher, and tech entrepreneur focused on core protocol infrastructure, interoperability, privacy, and scalability in Web3. Often referring to himself online as a “Web3 philosopher,” he focuses on building core cross-chain infrastructure, verifiable interoperability, and on-chain foreign exchange. Seun Lanlege founded Polytope Labs & Hyperbridge in late 2022 alongside co-founder David Salami. Polytope Labs is a blockchain research and development company. Through the lab, Lanlege created Hyperbridge, a cryptographically secure interoperability protocol that allows independent blockchains to verify state and communicate without relying on centralized intermediaries. In 2026, Polytope Labs launched HyperFX, a decentralized foreign exchange and stablecoin liquidity product aimed at African markets. The platform surpassed $1 million in liquidity within its first month of operation. Seun Lanlege has shown determination in putting Africa on the map in terms of blockchain infrastructure development.
6. Anita Ndukwe (Also known as Ndukwe Anita)
Anita Ndukwe is a Nigerian fintech entrepreneur, blockchain builder, and brand designer based in Port Harcourt. Before launching her Web3 and fintech startups, she worked as a graphic designer, brand designer, and project manager at Teocreativehub. Anita Ndukwe is best known as the Co-Founder and CEO of Jumpa and the co-founder of 3rike. Anita Ndukwe Founded Jumpa in September 2025. Jumpa is a chat-native, multi-chain stablecoin wallet and AI-powered financial assistant. It enables users to send cross-border payments, convert currencies, pay bills, and manage money via natural-language chat, voice, or images. Under her leadership, the start-up secured approximately $89,700 in funding from the Stellar Community Fund (Round 44) in 2026 and launched its public beta later that year. Anita Ndukwe Co-founded 3rike in November 2025. 3rike focuses on on-chain ownership, community, and governance for three-wheeler (keke) riders. The project gained early recognition and prize funding during the Based Africa hackathon.