L–R: Ayomide Awe, Chief Technical Officer, Termii; Oche Omale, Divisional Head, Engineering, Payment Processing & Switching (Interswitch Purepay); Opeyemi Folorunsho, Vice President, Engineering Research and Development, Moniepoint; and Abdul-Hafiz Ibrahim, Divisional Head, Engineering, Commercial Inclusion (Interswitch inclusio), at the recent Coded Meetup organised by the Interswitch Developer Community, held at the Interswitch Innovation Hub, Lagos
By SCM Staff Writer I Monday, Nov.10, 2025
LAGOS, Nigeria – In a move away from the hyper-competitive and screen-dominated atmosphere typical of major technology gatherings, the Interswitch Developer Community recently hosted an event that prioritised human connection and community building over coding sprints and jargon-heavy presentations.
Held at the Interswitch Innovation Hub in Lagos, the Interswitch Coded Meetup brought together a diverse group of Africa’s leading developers, engineers, product builders, and tech enthusiasts.
Unlike a traditional hackathon, the meetup was billed as a “Code, Connect, and Chill” experience, deliberately designed to encourage participants to step away from their laptops and engage in face-to-face dialogue.
The event signals a subtle but important shift in focus for the continent’s rapidly expanding tech ecosystem: growth is increasingly seen as being driven by collaboration and mentorship, rather than pure competition.
”The screens went dark, and instead, conversations lit up the room,” noted an attendee. “It was about connecting like humans first, and coders second.”
The evening’s structure was anchored by two panel sessions featuring seasoned tech leaders and engineers.
Discussions spanned critical topics shaping the global digital economy, including distributed systems, scalable solution design, and the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
However, the core message echoed throughout the night was that Africa’s next major technological leap is contingent upon stronger internal collaboration.
A recurring theme was the necessity of mentorship, with participants discussing how current leaders can actively open doors for the next generation and how community-driven learning can foster a more inclusive tech landscape.
The social atmosphere was notably relaxed, buzzing with conversations where attendees swapped stories about complex product wins, late-night coding lessons, and troubleshooting tough bugs—experiences that fostered a sense of shared journey within the industry.
Through initiatives like the Coded Meetup, Interswitch, a dominant player in Africa’s fintech space, is actively positioning its Developer Community as a platform that champions knowledge-sharing, inclusion, and sustainable growth. The company’s focus appears to be on nurturing a resilient ecosystem where developers feel less like an industry workforce and more like a supportive professional “family.”
This strategic move underscores a belief that building strong connections is just as vital as writing advanced code for shaping Africa’s digital narrative.
As the continent continues to attract global investment, providing forums that facilitate deep professional and personal connection may prove critical to retaining top talent and sustaining the current pace of innovation.
