Socium, founded in 2021 by Samba Lo and Serigne Seye, provides payroll, recruitment and workforce management software to businesses across 21 Francophone African countries.
Black will work closely with Okoudjou, the executive team, and shareholders to steer Onafriq’s growth strategy, with a particular focus on expanding cross-border capabilities and forging global partnerships.
The company recorded impressive growth in 2024, adding over 1 million users who placed more than 15 million investment orders worth approximately EGP 170bn ($3.4bn).
We looked through our data and uncovered a jarring reality: in 2025, Nigerian VCs are eerily quiet—even after some announced headline-making fundraises. For local founders, this isn’t just a data point; it’s a big concern.
In August 2024, Qardy closed a seven-figure pre-seed funding round backed by investors including White Field Ventures, Vastly Valuable Ventures, and a number of angel backers.
The EDFI loan follows a separate $12 million investment last year from Vancouver-based Key Carbon — formerly Carbon Neutral Royalty — with backing from private equity firm Cartesian.
Last year, HAVAÍC — a venture capital firm known for strategic tech investments and a recent exit from fellow emergency-tech startup RapidDeploy — invested $1.1 million in AURA through a bridge round, in partnership with AfricInvest.
Socium, founded in 2021 by Samba Lo and Serigne Seye, provides payroll, recruitment and workforce management software to businesses across 21 Francophone African countries.
Sixteen months later, on a hot July day in 2026, Egypt's finance minister, Ahmed Kouchouk, returned to a company whose public frustration had once laid bare the country's industrial bureaucracy.