I am very happy to share that Ndubuisi Ekekwe has joined the Advisory Board of the Africa Fintech Network (AFN). This is the most important organization for the advancement and development of the fintech sector in the continent.

Other members include Andrew Davis – Ambassador for Stone & Chalk Australia; Alastair Lukies CBE – Member UK Prime Minister Business Council; Yiting Shen – Citibank; Prof. Bitange Ndemo – Kenya; Ade Ayeyemi – Group CEO Ecobank Transnational Incorporated and Dr. Patrick Saidu Conteh – former Governor, Central Bank of Sierra Leone.

To Segun Aina and the entire executive leadership, let’s take African fintech and the broad economy to the mountaintop.

—press release

Africa Fintech Network (AFN) in its drive to connect Africa and the global community for open dialogue, build synergies and create diverse opportunities in Fintech and allied matters has set up an Advisory Council made up of highly influential business and fintech thought leaders from within and outside of Africa.

We are pleased to announce that the AFN Advisory Council was inaugurated on 18th November 2021. The members include – Andrew Davis – Ambassador for Stone & Chalk Australia; Alastair Lukies CBE – Chair of UK Fintech Alliance and Member UK Prime Minister Business Council; Prof. Bitange Ndemo – Prof of Entrepreneurship at University of Nairobi and former Permanent Secretary Kenya Ministry of Information and Communications; Prof. Ndubuisi Ekekwe – Founder Tekedia Institute; Yiting Shen – Citibank Global Head of External Network Management; Ade Ayeyemi – Group CEO, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated and Dr. Patrick Saidu Conteh – Regional Lead, Sub Sahara Africa, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance and former Governor, Central Bank of Sierra Leone. Participants at the inauguration event included AFN Executive Board Members as well as Moyosore Odeyemi – Ernst and Young and Ladi Asuni – KPMG.

While inaugurating the Advisory Council, the AFN President Dr Segun Aina remarked that the event is significant as it marked a turning point for the future of the organization. Ali Hussein, Executive Board Member AFN and Chairman of Association of Fintechs in Kenya in his special presentation describes the current state of Fintech in Africa and the prospects for growth. A major highlight from the presentation is the increasing investment within Africa’s fintech ecosystem that is catalyzed by activities in payments, lending, savings and wealth management.

The newly inaugurated members of the Advisory Council also commented on how the AFN can position itself as the go-to institution when it comes to fintech engagements within the continent. Andrew Davis remarked that “AFN must work with regulators towards opening their minds on the positive strides that fintechs can make on the continent”. Yiting Shen mentioned the need for “learning best practices from other parts of the world and explore potential collaborations with other global actors”.

As stated by Prof. Ndemo, “It is inevitable that we are experiencing new forms of financial innovations and currencies and it will be important for AFN to take up that leadership role in ensuring we can create access for more fintechs within the ecosystem”. Mr Ade Ayeyemi stated that “As a working officer of a bank, part of my role is to bridge the gap between fintechs and traditional banks because I believe it is through working together, partnership and collaboration that we can solve the problems ahead of us and I will commit my efforts to that even as a member of the council”.

Alastair Lukies CBE did highlight some of the key factors that are affecting the fintech ecosystem currently and they include; regulation, innovation, capital, talents, and lastly education. He believes the AFN can be developed and branded to be the knowledge bank of fintech education within the continent.

Moyosore Odeyemi and Ladi Asuni who represented EY and KPMG respectively mentioned that they are happy to see a development of this nature take effect at the Africa Fintech Network and that with their current support to the Nigerian fintech ecosystem through the Fintech Association of Nigeria (FintechNGR)- a key member of AFN- their institutions will equally be happy to support and contribute to the success of the Africa Fintech Network.

AFN President, Dr Segun Aina rounded up by expressing optimism that through the set up of the Advisory Council and support from the broader stakeholders, AFN will be able to further develop and showcase the enormous talents and capabilities that exist in the fintech ecosystem and Africa at large.

We are truly excited about the future.

For bios and pictures of the AFN Advisory Council members, click here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1km91Icuud6oY-kEqunbxQiRdpHblrTvD/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=102667543206579818848&rtpof=true&sd=true

For more details about the AFN, visit: www.africafintechnetwork.com

The African superstar David Adedeji Adeleke Aka Davido who just turned 29 years of age turned his pre birthday activities to fund raising. He jokingly asked his friends, fans and well  wishers to send him at least 1 million naira each so he can gather enough funds to clear his new car from the wharf. Immediately he made that request, it became wild like a money rush, money started rolling over each other, People started sending money and it was as if it’s a competition of who can send first or send the most money to the Music Taliban.

Some sent out of love and admiration for the craft of the Music mega star  while some sent theirs in order to place the artiste in their debt but whichever the motives were, millions of money were gathered; Millions upon millions cried and rolled over each  other into the Wema bank account of the singer which he said was opened specifically for this purpose. A whopping sum of about 30 million naira  was gathered  in the bank account of the Fem crooner in less than one hour after which he made the request. 

Not just money, cryptocurrencies were sent to him too. He shared his cryptocurrency wallet addresses where he asked people who prefer to send cryptocurrencies like bitcoin or ethereum to send the value of 1 million naira instead into the wallets for the sake of convenience. 

Naira, dollars and cryptocurrencies were sent to the man loved by all with joy in the heart of the friends and fans; the senders and in less two days, about 200 million naira  was realized surpassing his initial target of 100 million naira.

Judging from his antecedents, people placed a bet with each other that Davido being a humanitarian and philanthropist who have been ruled by his basic philosophy of ‘we rise by lifting others’ which he always find time to categorically emphasis that it  is what motivates him to help people and putting smiles on faces of people;  almost everyone predicted that he will give all the money out. Well, the bet was right as he gave out all the 200 million naira raised for him for his birthday celebration to charity and even added an extra 50 million naira of his own money totaling 250 million naira given out by him to the orphanage. 

David Adeleke aka Davido has clearly written his name in the sand of time as the most philanthropic Nigerian entertainer ever lived as it is the record that nobody in the entertainment sphere has given that much to charity as a philanthropic gesture.

He has earned different good titles for himself because of these good deeds out of which the most befitting is: A David with a heart of king David. 

Adam Smith Economics taught us the power of Capital as a factor of production. Musician Davido has provided a case study for Social Capital as an enabling tool in this age of social media virality. 

The Igbo Apprenticeship System has validated the thesis of Communal Capital through the ubuntu philosophy of shared prosperity. 

From social to communal to big tech aggregation, this is the age of grand unification. Find ways to connect into your world because it has all that you need, to thrive.

Invest in your social capital