What if the next wave of insurance and fintech innovation isn’t coming from Silicon Valley—but from Lagos, Nairobi, and Cape Town? In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VdL sits down with Tunde Salako, entrepreneur, physician-turned-insurance innovator, and a driving force behind Africa’s rapidly evolving FinTech, HealthTech, and InsurTech ecosystems. This is not a conversation about “catching up.” It’s about how Africa is re-engineering inclusion, insurance, and innovation on its own terms—and why the global market is finally paying attention. Tunde’s journey is anything but linear. Trained as a physician, he spent years straddling healthcare and insurance—seeing firsthand how gaps in coverage, access, and trust compound inequality. That dual perspective led him to co-found Hadiel, a HealthTech startup focused on expanding health inclusion, and to build the Africa InsurTech Lab—a platform designed to aggregate, document, and amplify what was missing from the global conversation: Africa’s innovation story. For years, interest in African insurance and fintech existed without structure or visibility. Startups were building. Talent was emerging. But there was no connective tissue. Africa InsurTech Lab was created to change that—showcasing innovation, building confidence, and ensuring the continent isn’t left behind as global capital and partnerships shift. The timing matters. Over the past two years, while startup investment slowed across parts of Europe and North America, Africa attracted more than $3 billion in venture funding—with fintech consistently capturing around 55% of total investment. Even as global markets cooled, Africa’s ecosystem remained resilient, driven by unmet needs, mobile-first adoption, and a generation of founders building for local realities. Technology access has been a major accelerator. What once required significant capital is now within reach. Building digital products is no longer prohibitive, and the rise of 700+ tech hubs across the continent has created momentum around coding, product development, and local talent creation. Crucially, these solutions are being designed by people who understand the environment, constraints, and cultural context they serve. Insurance, Tunde argues, is entering a critical phase. Over the next three to seven years, the convergence of technology, data, and ecosystem collaboration will unlock entirely new models. Incumbents increasingly want to focus on risk reduction and customer value—while leaving experimentation and technology execution to agile startups. That dynamic is opening the door to partnerships, collaborations, and M&A, rather than zero-sum competition. Throughout the episode, one message is clear: Africa doesn’t lack innovation. It lacks amplification. And that’s changing fast. This conversation is essential listening for investors, insurers, fintech leaders, and policymakers looking beyond traditional markets. It’s a reminder that inclusion isn’t a side project—it’s a growth strategy. And that the future of insurance will be shaped by those willing to listen to where the momentum already is. Because Africa doesn’t need permission to innovate. It needs partners ready to meet it where it’s already moving. And that’s exactly what Scouting for Growth is here to spotlight.