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For years, the global AI conversation has been dominated by names like OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and Microsoft. But this week, a different name captured international attention. Nearpays. A Nigerian startup has achieved something no African company had ever done before, winning the AI for Good Innovation Factory Grand Finale, one of the United Nations' biggest AI startup competitions.
For years, Chams Holding Company Plc has been one of those companies quietly working behind the scenes. You probably didn’t see them in flashy startup headlines. You didn’t hear about them raising millions every quarter. But chances are?
At the start of 2025, Nomba was processing about ₦37 million in transactions. By the end of the year, that number had exploded into billions without flashy hype, viral gimmicks, or aggressive marketing. Instead, something more interesting happened.
In a moment that felt bigger than fintech, Nigerian payments powerhouse Flutterwave lit up the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), and the reaction back home was electric. For many Nigerians watching online, seeing their own company’s name on the trading floor screens wasn’t just news… it was proof that Africa’s tech dreams can play on the world’s biggest financial stages.
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