MTN Nigeria has announced 20 startups as the first cohort of the Cloud Accelerator Program.
The selected startups will receive a ₦5 million ($3,300) equity-free grant, MTN Cloud credits, and access to other MTN ecosystem APIs like MoMo (fintech) and Chenosis (API marketplace). Additionally, the 20 startups will each receive one-on-one mentorship from industry leaders, training on investor readiness, and go-to-market (GTM) support.
The MTN Cloud Accelerator starts today, September 6 and runs for 12 weeks to December 6, 2025. The hybrid-style programme culminates in a demo day where the startup founders can pitch to MTN leaders, venture capitalists, and the media.
According to an official statement, the selected startups demonstrated potential to scale across the continent by leveraging MTN’s infrastructure, APIs, and strategic partnerships.
Lynda Saint-Nwafor, Chief Enterprise Business Officer at MTN Nigeria, said: “It all began with a dream: to build a world-class data centre and launch MTN Cloud, a solution designed to deliver on world-class capabilities without the usual barriers. Building on that momentum, we made a promise: to create an Accelerator Program that would empower African startups to scale, thrive, and lead globally. And today, we have delivered.”
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Meet the 20 startups selected for MTN Cloud Accelerator
Of the 20 startups, fintechs were the most represented, with five startups, followed by emerging sectors: HealthTech, CleanTech, and HRTech, each with two startups. The remaining sectors, including RegTech, BioTech, AgriTech, Logistics, DevOps, Digital transformation, IT Services, Enterprise Tech, and Creative Tech, each have 1 startup.
This programme is part of MTN Nigeria’s plan to gain early adoption for its recently introduced Cloud platform.
