10 Women Leading West Africa's Fintech Revolution

Women aren't just participating in West Africa's fintech boom. They're running the companies and networks that make digital payments possible across the entire region.

Aminata Kane leads Visa's operations across 23 countries in West and Central Africa. Based in Abidjan, she oversees the company's $1 billion investment commitment to the continent by 2027, focusing on helping small businesses and making payment systems work together seamlessly.

Kane's journey started at Goldman Sachs and McKinsey before she became CEO of Orange Sierra Leone at just 33. She later ran Orange Money's fintech operations across 17 countries before joining Visa in September 2024.

Meanwhile in Nigeria, Odunayo Eweniyi has helped over 4.5 million people save billions of naira through PiggyVest, the platform she co-founded in 2016. The first-class Computer Engineering graduate now also runs FirstCheck Africa, an angel fund dedicated to backing women-led startups with early capital.

Kemi Okunsanya brings two decades of banking experience to her role as CEO of Hydrogen Payment Services. Under her leadership, the company processed over ₦42 trillion in just two years and deployed POS terminals to more than 20,000 merchants across Nigeria.

In Ghana, Clara B. Arthur runs GhIPSS, the organization behind the country's national payment infrastructure. Her work ensures that digital transactions flow smoothly across Ghana's banking system, creating the rails that other fintech companies build on.

The Ripple Effect

These leaders aren't just building successful companies. They're creating the fundamental infrastructure that enables financial inclusion across West Africa.

Their work means a street vendor in Lagos can accept digital payments, a small business in Accra can access credit, and families across the region can save money securely. Every platform they build, every billion-dollar investment they oversee, and every payment rail they establish makes financial services more accessible to everyday people.

The next generation of African entrepreneurs will build their innovations on the foundations these ten women are laying today.