Bisi Onabanjo

A pioneering Nigerian fintech innovator who revolutionized financial inclusion in Africa through her early work in digital banking systems.

Bisi Onabanjo is a Nigerian entrepreneur and computer scientist best known for co-founding InterSwitch, Nigeria's first digital payment system in 1999. Her work laid the foundation for modern financial technology in West Africa, enabling millions to access banking services through mobile platforms. Born in 1960s Lagos, Onabanjo's early interest in technology led her to study computer science at the University of Ibadan. After working in software development for Shell Nigeria, she recognized the potential of digital solutions to address financial exclusion in Africa.

In 2000, she co-founded InterSwitch with her husband, which became Nigeria's largest payment processor, handling over 2 billion transactions annually by 2020. This innovation directly impacted 150 million people across 12 African countries. Onabanjo's advocacy for women in tech led to the creation of the African Women in Technology Network (AWITN), mentoring over 500 young engineers. Her 2015 TEDx talk Why Africa Needs to Lead in Fintech has been viewed over 2 million times.

Onabanjo's legacy includes:
- Developing Africa's first mobile money platform before M-Pesa
- Creating Nigeria's first digital payment gateway for SMEs
- Establishing the InterSwitch Foundation to provide tech education in underserved communities
- Advisory roles with World Bank's Financial Inclusion Initiative

Her work is chronicled in Tech Titans of Africa: 50 Innovators Shaping the Continent and Digital Frontiers: Stories of African Tech Pioneers. The documentary series African Innovators (2018) featured her contributions in episode 3. Onabanjo currently serves as UNICEF's Chief Technology Advisor for digital financial inclusion programs in Sub-Saharan Africa.