Category: Consulting

Why Africans Don’t Trust Fintech’s and Mobile Money (Yet)

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Let’s start with a simple truth: access isn’t the same as trust.
We’ve spent over a decade celebrating Africa’s financial inclusion boom — the millions of new mobile wallets, the rise of fintech titans from Lagos to Nairobi, the mammoth stats that make development economists beam. Yet, I keep coming back to one uncomfortable question: do Africans trust the financial systems we’ve created for them?
Because if they don’t, then all we’ve built are digital doors — not open ones.

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Infrastructure Investments: Building Africa’s Digital Backbone for Growth

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Having sat on two investment committees—one in insurance, another in venture capital—as well as the board of Ghana’s GIFEC (which allocates universal access funds for ICT infrastructure), I’ve seen firsthand how capital allocation decisions shape long-term outcomes.

Insurance investments emphasize stability, risk management, and sustainable returns.

Venture capital emphasizes growth, agility, and the capacity to back bold bets.

GIFEC balances financial stewardship with national inclusion goals, investing in connectivity for underserved communities.

These three lenses—risk, growth, and inclusion—mirror the balance Africa must strike in digital infrastructure investments. Governance, therefore, is not a footnote. It is the multiplier that ensures that capital, once deployed, creates lasting resilience and inclusion.

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What Airtel Money’s Comeback against M-Pesa in Kenya teaches about Challenging Market Giants

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What Airtel Money’s Comeback against M-Pesa in Kenya teaches about Challenging Market Giants
For years, Safaricom’s M-Pesa was the immovable force in Kenya’s mobile money market. It dominated not only customer wallets but also public imagination, with over 90% market share and a network so vast it became synonymous with mobile money itself.
But quietly—and strategically—Airtel Money has staged a comeback. It didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t happen by mimicking M-Pesa’s dominance. Instead, it was a masterclass in what challenger telcos can do right when facing a Goliath.
Kenya’s story offers rich lessons—and data—to learn from.

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The New Bank Of Ghana Corporate Governance Rules Signals a Call to Maturity for Fintech’s by the Regulator(..Is this an Africa Trend ?)

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In June 2025, the Bank of Ghana released its Corporate Governance Guidelines for Payment Service Providers. At first glance, it might seem like just another compliance update—but read between the lines, and you’ll see something deeper.
This is a call to leadership.
These guidelines don’t merely set minimum standards. They signal the central bank’s expectation that Ghana’s digital finance sector is no longer in its experimental phase. It is systemically important. And with that importance comes accountability, transparency, and—most importantly—governance maturity.
Ghana is not alone. Across Africa, fintech is growing up—and regulators are making it clear: scale must now be matched with structure.

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Bank of Ghana Governor Asiama’s Digital Finance Playbook: Quiet Revolution, Bold Stakes, and Ghana’s Fintech Future

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For all its clarity, the Governor’s strategy is still early-stage. Questions remain:
• Will the central bank invest directly in shared infrastructure, or depend on industry?
• Can digital identity initiatives integrate seamlessly with national ID systems?
• Will commercial banks respond with bold enough product pivots?
• Can government agencies align around identity and infrastructure without bureaucratic drag?

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Building In-House AI Capacity in Banking: A Director’s Guide to What to Hire and How to Hire

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Building In-House AI Capacity in Banking: A Director’s Guide to What to Hire and How to Hire
Why Build AI Capacity Internally?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a future concept — it is reshaping banking today. From detecting fraud in real-time to helping customers get faster loan decisions, AI has the potential to significantly increase efficiency, improve risk management, and enhance customer experience.
However, relying solely on outside vendors means you:
• May not fully own your data insights.
• Lose flexibility in tailoring solutions to your unique needs.
• Risk exposing sensitive customer data.
Building internal AI capacity allows the bank to:
• Control and secure its most valuable asset — customer and operational data.
• Develop models and systems that are custom-fit to the bank’s goals and compliance environment.
• Respond quickly to changing regulatory demands and market conditions.

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