Deji Olukotun

Co-founder of Paga, revolutionizing financial inclusion across Africa through mobile payments

Deji Olukotun is a Nigerian tech entrepreneur and co-founder of Paga, a leading African fintech company enabling financial access for underserved populations. Born in 1979, Olukotun's early career in Silicon Valley with companies like Yahoo and Google exposed him to the potential of digital solutions for global development challenges. His return to Nigeria in 2008 was driven by the vision of creating financial tools accessible to the 70% of Africans without traditional bank accounts.

In 2012, Olukotun co-founded Paga with Kola Aina, developing Africa's first mobile wallet system integrated with basic feature phones. The platform's innovative "cash-in/cash-out" network allowed users to send money, pay bills, and access microloans through simple SMS commands. By 2021, Paga had processed over $10 billion in transactions, serving 15 million users across 12 African countries.

Olukotun's contributions extend beyond payments. He pioneered the Paga SME program providing micro-entrepreneurs with inventory management and credit tools, and developed the Paga Health platform streamlining medical payments. His work has been recognized by Forbes Africa as one of the top 30 under 30 innovators, and he serves on the African Development Bank's fintech advisory board.

Key innovations include the creation of Africa's first interoperable mobile money system, and the Paga Education initiative providing scholarships for tech education. Olukotun's vision of a cashless Africa has inspired similar platforms like Flutterwave and Paystack, transforming how 400 million unbanked Africans access financial services.