𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮’𝘀 𝗲𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝟯𝟬 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗩𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 Zambia is proudly represented on the continental stage as @my_eshandi earns a spot among the Top 30 startups shortlisted for the prestigious @VivaTech AfricaTech Award. The recognition places eShandi alongside some of Africa’s most innovative companies driving solutions in fintech, health, agriculture, and climate technology. As one of the few Southern African startups on the list and Zambia’s sole representative, eShandi’s inclusion signals the country’s growing footprint in the digital innovation space. Operating in the fintech sector, eShandi is focused on expanding access to financial services through digital lending and alternative credit scoring. By leveraging technology to assess creditworthiness beyond traditional systems, the platform is helping underserved individuals and small businesses access much-needed financing. The VivaTech AfricaTech Award celebrates startups transforming local challenges into scalable, high-impact solutions. Six finalists are expected to be announced ahead of the grand finale in June. Full List of 30 AfricaTech Nominees: PressPayNg – Nigeria SURGiA – Egypt Ndovu Wealth – Kenya Winich Farms – Nigeria Anda – Angola Eight Medical – Nigeria AgriEdge – Morocco Leya Labs – Ivory Coast Cure Bionics – Tunisia Trashcoin – Nigeria 10mg Health – Nigeria Billboxx – Nigeria Breedj – Mauritius Bwell – Egypt DeepEcho – Morocco eShandi – Zambia Exuus – Rwanda Famasi – Nigeria Flexpay – Kenya iFunza – Kenya Instaware – Tunisia Job Crystal – South Africa Lifebank – Nigeria PraxiLabs – Egypt Sahl – Egypt Scandium – Nigeria Shamba Records – Kenya Trade Lenda – Nigeria Ubiquity AI – South Africa XChangeBOX – Nigeria See more at vivatech.com/

𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗳𝘆𝗮 𝗠𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲-𝗠𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗙𝗜𝗦 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 Chilufya Mutale-Mwila (@Ms_Chilu), Co-Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of @my_eshandi, has been named African Woman in Finance of the Year at the prestigious AFIS Awards 2025. With over a decade of experience in financial services and inclusive finance, Chilufya has played a pivotal role in shaping eShandi into one of Africa’s fastest-growing fintech companies, ranked #4 on the Financial Times Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies 2024. Under her leadership, eShandi has expanded operations across Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and South Africa, delivering digital credit and savings solutions to more than 1.5 million users. Her work reflects a deep commitment to financial inclusion, particularly in empowering women and small business owners across the continent. Through eShandi, Chilufya has championed digital payments and technology-led financial inclusion, using innovation to make financial services more accessible and inclusive. By leveraging data, mobile platforms, and user-focused design, eShandi bridges the gap between formal finance and underserved communities, empowering individuals and businesses to transact, save, and grow in Africa’s rapidly evolving digital economy. #AFIS2025 #AFISAwards #FintechAfrica #WomenInFinance #eShandi #TechtrendsZambia

𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 #𝗪𝗶𝗗𝗭𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮𝟮𝟱 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗳𝘆𝗮 𝗠𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲-𝗠𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗮 We are excited to announce that Chilufya Mutale-Mwila, multi-award-winning entrepreneur and Co-Founder & Chief Visionary Officer of @my_eshandi, will be speaking at the first ever Women in Digital Gathering. Chilufya is one of Zambia’s most influential leaders in digital lending, SME finance and inclusive fintech innovation. Under her leadership, eShandi has grown into a multi-award-winning Pan African fintech expanding across Southern and East Africa, and was recognised by the Financial Times as one of Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies. Her work continues to transform how small businesses and underserved communities access capital, digital tools and financial opportunities. With more than a decade of experience, she has built a strong track record of designing digital solutions that create real impact for women and emerging entrepreneurs. She is a Stanford Seed alumna and a World Bank – IFC SheWins Africa alumna, representing a distinguished network of African women founders shaping the future of inclusive finance. She also serves as Vice-Chair of the Payments Association of Zambia, contributing to policy, industry development and digital payment innovation at national level. At the Women in Digital Gathering, Chilufya will share deep insight into digital finance adoption, innovative lending models and the transformative role fintech can play in empowering women-led businesses across the country. View the programme here: tinyurl.com/WiDZambia25 #WiDZambia25 @undpzambia @undp @undpafrica @UNDPAccLabs @UNDPtech @UNDPDigital