FedEx Express (FedEx), a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. and the world’s largest express transportation company, has announced that it has established a direct commercial presence in Nigeria, to meet the country’s growing international shipping demands.
With a direct presence in the country, businesses and customers in Nigeria now have greater access to a wider portfolio of FedEx Express shipping solutions, while Red Star Express Plc, our service provider in Nigeria continues to provide the infrastructure for ground operations.
FedEx Express
Customers will also have access to a range of FedEx digital tools that makes shipping easier and more efficient through www.FedEx.com. These services include opening a new account, tracking shipment status, creating shipping air waybills, scheduling courier pickups, and managing billing. Additionally, FedEx will now have dedicated Sales and Customer Technology teams on ground to interact and provide enhanced logistics expertise to help local businesses grow internationally.
Nigeria is the largest and fastest growing economy in Africa, and the African Development Bank projects that the average growth rate for the country’s economy will increase by 3.2% between 2022 through to 2022[1].
Taarek Hinedi, vice president for FedEx Middle East and Africa operations, said, “Today we are closer to our customers than ever before. This strategic step makes it easier for local businesses to ship with us as they look to tap more import and export opportunities and grow their customers around the world.”
“Nigeria is on the right path for further growth and FedEx is committed to supporting this growth and connecting Nigeria to some of the biggest trading partners located in Asia and Europe. The FedEx network is crucial to provide businesses with greater connectivity between Africa and Europe as well as within the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region,” said Hinedi. “As Nigeria continues with its 2021 to 2025 National Development Plan to increase the share of its exports to Africa up to 35% from a base figure of 20%[2], businesses will require a range of international services and solutions to help boost the economy.”
FedEx has been facilitating trade in Nigeria since 1994, offering its international solutions through Red Star Express Plc. With this latest initiative, FedEx will continue to leverage the capabilities and infrastructure of the service provider, Red Star Express Plc, that will continue to provide pick-ups, deliveries, customs clearance services, and retail locations across the country.
FedEx remains committed to supporting the Nigerian Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), to drive structural reforms to diversify its economy and reduce dependency on oil. The FedEx direct presence in the country will help connect Nigerian business owners, exporters, importers, and consumers to more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, covering more than 99% of the world’s gross domestic product.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
Vodafone Group CEO Nick Read will step down at the end of 2022 following a year when the telecommunications company’s share price sank. Chief financial officer Margherita Della Valle will become interim CEO, in addition to her current role, while a replacement is found, the company said in a statement on Monday.
The company’s share price has sunk nearly 20% this year even after Read attempted to appease investors with asset sales and refocusing the British phone company’s business.
Vodafone Group CEO Nick Read
The company, which owns JSE-listed Vodacom Group, agreed to sell a stake in its Frankfurt-listed Vantage Towers business to a private equity consortium last month.
Read will remain an adviser to the board until the end of March, the company said.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
Houston police said Friday they arrested and charged with murder a man suspected in the killing of rapper Takeoff, a member of the influential hip hop group Migos, who was fatally shot last month.
Speaking at a press conference, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, was arrested on Thursday evening in connection with the death of Takeoff, who was one of three people shot November 1 at a bowling alley in Houston.
One day previously Cameron Joshua, 22, was charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon.
Houston Police Sgt. Michael Burrow said that the shooting at a private party followed an argument over a “lucrative dice game,” but that Takeoff was uninvolved and “an innocent bystander.”
“Gun violence everywhere, not just in the city of Houston, has to stop,” said the city’s mayor, Sylvester Turner, on Friday, calling the shooting a case of a “young man taking the life of another young man for no reason.”
“Pulling a firearm can have deadly consequences that you cannot undo.”
Born in Lawrenceville, Georgia on June 18, 1994, Takeoff was best known for his membership in Migos along with Quavo, his uncle, and Offset, his cousin who is married to fellow rapper Cardi B.
The Atlanta-based Migos soared to prominence off their viral 2013 song “Versace,” which Drake remixed. The trio later recorded “Walk It Talk It” with the Canadian superstar rapper.
It was 2016’s hit “Bad and Boujee” that first saw them hit number one, a song emblematic of their signature flow, a unique cadence of staccato lyrical bursts in triplet rhythm.The smash has been streamed 1.5 billion times in the United States alone.
In the weeks following the shooting Quavo penned an emotional tribute to Takeoff, praising his relative’s “REAL passion for music.”
“He created his triplet flow and the rest was HISTORY,” Quavo wrote. “He never worried about titles, credit, or what man got the most shine, that wasn’t him. He didn’t care about any of that as long as we brought it back home to the family!”
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
As the digital economy continues to grow, increasingly relevant financial solutions emerge. Consumers can access services that make their lives simpler, and businesses run more agile and efficient operations with enhanced potential. Governments can reach more citizens as long-term prosperity comes into vision for more and more people. This is why financial inclusion is so critical – it is the first step to financial security.
At Mastercard, we are innovating for impact in financial and digital inclusion. In 2020, Mastercard doubled down on its financial inclusion commitment to connect a total of a billion individuals and 50 million micro and small merchants to the digital economy by 2025 — with a direct focus on 25 million women entrepreneurs.
Mark Elliott, is division president of Mastercard, sub-Saharan Africa
While this is a global goal, there is a vast amount of work to be done in Africa, because there’s widespread inequality and exclusion that persists. We have a responsibility to continually think about how we can find different and more innovative ways to address this.
Local innovation is critical in driving inclusion. As a global technology company, we cannot simply pull things off the shelf from our product set in the US or Europe and expect them to work in Africa. This is especially true in an environment where many people may still have limited access to basic technology and financial services. To create products and services that truly solve the local pain points for communities in Africa, we must think carefully about the technology and partnerships that will further these goals.
The adoption of digital payments is becoming increasingly relevant, and in Africa, mobile phone adoption is inextricably linked to this. For millions who have never had a brick-and-mortar bank account, leapfrogging legacy banking to digital-first banking services is an easy transition.
The Mastercard Digital First programme provides or partners with a complete digital experience in the world of payment methods
This dynamic makes it even more important for institutions in the financial payment space to adopt “digital first” platforms. The Mastercard Digital First programme provides or partners with a complete digital experience in the world of payment methods. Digital First provides the customer with a 100% digital product: no paperwork, branch visits or snail mail. Customers can open a bank account immediately by uploading identification, apply for a card, activate it, and use it for all their payment needs from their mobile devices. A physical visit to a branch then becomes an optional extra.
Though the financial sector is already digitally transforming, there are still some barriers to progress, which include a preference for cash – often in areas where there is limited infrastructure. It is important to note that access to the Internet and data is a critical enabler for adoption of digital financial services. Digital inclusion is a prerequisite for financial inclusion.
At Mastercard, we are addressing this challenge through our partnership with Samsung, Airtel and Asante Financial Services to put digital devices in the hands of more people who can pay for them with small, manageable instalments while also building a credit history.
In sub-Saharan Africa, over 60% of the population is made up of smallholder farmers. Economic growth from agriculture in Africa is four times more effective at reducing extreme poverty than any other sector, which means that inclusion in agriculture is a fantastic place to make an impact. However, farmers face significant challenges, including limited access to markets, access to working capital to secure quality seeds and pesticides, and access to relevant financial tools to pay and get paid efficiently.
To help smallholder farmers overcome these challenges and transition from subsistence to commercial farming, Mastercard launched a digital platform in 2015 called Farm Pass, bringing together various agri-sector stakeholders from the supply and demand sides in one agricultural marketplace. Smallholder farmers can sell their produce at a better price, access quality inputs and farming information, get paid and pay digitally, and develop a financial profile that can unlock financing opportunities for working capital and inputs.
Across Africa, Farm Pass has already helped nearly a million smallholder farmers access better prices
Across Africa, Farm Pass has already helped nearly a million smallholder farmers access better prices. It is transforming agricultural ecosystems and connecting farmers to the formal financial system, also providing them with a digital record that could support future loan applications. During the pandemic, farmers were able to sell produce at 25-50% higher prices by connecting directly with buyers in Farm Pass, even though local markets were closed.
Soon more farmers will discover its benefits because of the partnership between Mastercard and Ecobank Group, which will see Farm Pass rolled out to 33 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, growing the solution’s footprint beyond Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania where it is currently live. And as more farmers move from subsistence to commercial farming, it will in turn stimulate agricultural growth, increase competitiveness and improve food security in Africa – which has also experienced the knock-on effects of disrupted supply chains due to the Ukraine crisis.
Tech for good
These solutions, which help create new connections, truly showcase “tech for good”. And the efforts are recognised. It was a particularly proud moment when Mastercard was awarded “Best Financial Inclusion Services Provider” at the recent Digital Banker Awards in three markets, namely Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.
Mastercard’s goal is to build a connected digital economy that is secure, sustainable, financially inclusive and works for everyone. Such ecosystems are built as a concerted effort undertaken by private and public stakeholders. We are excited to continue collaborating with like-minded partners, in and beyond payments. By applying our expertise, insights and solutions to forge pioneering and scalable commercial models across sectors and industries, we are able to secure a bright and more financially inclusive future for all.
Mark Elliott, is division president of Mastercard, sub-Saharan Africa
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
Africa’s largest telecoms company MTN Group is selling its Afghanistan business to Beirut-based M1 New Ventures for US$35-million (R640-million) as Africa’s largest wireless carrier continues to reduce its presence outside the continent.
The Johannesburg-based company announced the deal on Friday alongside its third quarter results. The M1 Group is owned by Lebanon’s Mikati family, who sold Middle East assets to the South African company in 2006, when MTN was seeking to expand in the region.
Ralph Mupita, the MTN Group President and Chief Executive
MTN shares rose as much as 5.2% in early trade in Johannesburg, paring year-to-date losses to 20%.
The wireless carrier has been narrowing focus on its home continent since 2020, targeting high growth areas such as data sales and mobile money. The group abandoned its Syrian business and transferred its Yemen unit to a partner. Operating in Afghanistan, where MTN is the biggest operator with about a 40% market share, has been complicated since the US withdrawal in August 2021. MTN remains present in Iran.
Separately, MTN said it’s advancing talks with strategic investors to buy a stake in its fintech unit. The talks are moving towards a binding-offer stage, and MTN expects outcomes by the first quarter of next year. Customers at the fintech business increased by 23.3% to 63 million in the third quarter from a year earlier, with transaction volumes up by a third to 9.5 billion.
‘Compelling’
“In the near term, revenue growth has been impacted by new taxes in a few markets, but we continue to see the case for structural and compelling growth for fintech services in the medium term that will deepen financial inclusion across Africa,” said MTN CEO Ralph Mupita.
In South Africa, where the carrier recently ended talks to acquire Telkom, the company’s subscribers increased by more than 800 000 to 35.9 million. Group-wide, subscribers rose to 285 million.
MTN said it has repatriated R13-billion from overseas operations so far this year.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
The Nigerian monetary authorities have hinted at plans to redesign the country’s currency, the naira. According to reports from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), plans are ongoing to redesign the higher denomination notes of N1,000, N500 and N200 notes.
Godwin Emefiele, the CBN Governor made this disclosure during a special press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, 26 October, 2022, where he revealed that the new design and issues will take effect from 15 December, 2022.
CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele
“In line with the provisions of Sections 2(b), Section 18(a) and Section 19, Seb section(a) and (b) (2007), the management of the CBN has sought and obtained the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari to redesign, produce, release and circulate new series of banknotes at N200, N500 and N1,00 levels.
“In line with this approval, we have finalised arrangements for the new currency to begin circulation from December 15, 2022 after its launch by President Buhari.
“The new and existing currencies shall remain legal tender and circulate together until January 31, 2023 when the existing currencies shall cease to be a legal tender.
“To be more specific, as of the end of September 2022, available data at the CBN indicates that N2.7 trillion out of the N3.3 trillion currency in circulation was outside the vault of commercial banks across the country and supposedly held by members of the public.
“Evidently, currency in circulation has more than doubled since 2015, rising from N1.46 trillion in December 2015 to N3.2 trillion as of September 2022. I must say that this is a worrisome trend that must not be allowed to continue.”
This latest development, he said, will help the CBN address some of Nigeria’s security threats.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
Once Telkom has concluded its deliberations with wireless broadband operator Rain, it’s possible – likely even – that the company will be back at MTN’s door.
This is despite the complexity involved in getting MTN Group’s proposal to buy Telkom – now no longer the subject of formal talks – across the line, including securing regulatory approvals from the Competition Commission and telecommunications sector regulator Icasa.
Ralph Mupita, the MTN Group President and Chief Executive
Telkom on Thursday morning surprised investors when it announced, via a statement on the JSE’s stock exchange news service, that its talks with MTN were off the table. That sent Telkom’s shares down by a quarter.
It is exceptionally unlikely that Telkom would be prepared to pay anywhere near R17.9-billion for Rain
MTN had proposed buying Telkom for a combination of cash and shares, though the discussions never progressed beyond the early stages, and no due diligence was undertaken.
“MTN terminated discussions in relation to the MTN proposal on 18 October as Telkom was not in a position to provide MTN with assurances around exclusivity,” Telkom said in its statement to investors.
I hear MTN wasn’t keen to get involved in a game of horse-trading, where Telkom entertained competing offers. Given the complexity of the transaction and the high hurdles involved in getting it past regulators, MTN wanted a “clean” discussion with Telkom, if not outright exclusivity.
So, with the Telkom/MTN talks now officially off the table, will Telkom and Rain be able to engineer a deal? That’s unclear, but there are also big challenges involved there, too. Telkom has said Rain approached its board with a proposal that Telkom buy it. The question is, with what money? Telkom’s balance sheet is not exactly awash with cash – if it was, it would be able to compete more effectively with bigger rivals MTN and Vodacom in network roll-out and investment.
Rain valuation
Rain shareholder African Rainbow Capital (ARC) Investments in September attached a valuation to the wireless Internet provider of an eye-popping R17.9-billion – that’s more than Telkom’s current market value of R17.7-billion. Yet, on a sum of the parts basis, Telkom is by far the more valuable business. A strategic plan by Telkom management, kick-started by former CEO Sipho Maseko, should go a long way in unlocking the value trapped in the business.
Although it is under considerable pressure — its legacy fixed-line business is in terminal decline, its mobile business (the growth driver in the past decade) is running out of steam and its IT services business has been taking pain for years – Telkom still has formidable assets. These include the largest fibre infrastructure deployment of any telecommunications operator in South Africa, a massive property and towers & masts portfolio, data centres, and large tracts of radio frequency spectrum suited for mobile broadband.
Rain, on the other hand, has a network of a few thousand high sites, some spectrum access and not a heck of a lot more. ARC Investments said Rain achieved its budget of R1-billion in Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) in the 2022 financial year, which ended in February. Telkom’s 2022 full-year Ebitda was R10.9-billion. Chalk and cheese stuff!
Telkom’s fibre assets are highly prized
It is exceptionally unlikely, even if it could afford to do so, that Telkom would be prepared to pay anywhere near R17.9-billion for Rain. Are there creative ways of engineering a deal, one that doesn’t saddle Telkom with an unsustainable debt load, turning it into another Cell C? Perhaps.
But what would Telkom really get from Rain? Some wireless broadband customers, a 5G network (it’s now building one of these anyway – the launch is next week) and some spectrum (if Icasa allows it). Rain has said a combination of the two companies is a “logical alternative to simply selling to MTN”.
“The merger would bring together the considerable infrastructure and mobile businesses of Telkom and the successful, new-age 4G and 5G businesses of Rain,” Rain said when it first proposed a tie-up.
A Telkom/Rain combination does, at face value, appear to be more consumer friendly than a Telkom/MTN deal. Surely a strong third player is better for competition that the number-2 player buying the number 3 to create, in effect, a two-player market? But that argument makes sense only if South Africa is big enough to be a three-player market. Is it? The US was a four-player market, and consolidated into a three-player market. But the US is orders of magnitude bigger than South Africa. Telecoms is already a scale game, and only becoming more so. Cell C has already quit the infrastructure game, unable to keep up with the bigger players. What’s to say a Rain and Telkom combination doesn’t eventually meet the same fate?
More sense
For Telkom – and its investors – a deal between MTN and Telkom would make more sense, despite it being exceptionally difficult to consummate. It would give MTN access to a significant network of fibre into homes and businesses through Openserve, allowing it to compete more effectively with Vodacom, which is itself in the process of buying a big stake in the company that owns Openserve rival Vumatel. And Telkom would become part of a much bigger entity that has the financial muscle to compete head-on with Vodacom in mobile, fibre, fintech and enterprise ICT services.
It’s impossible to know yet how this story will pan out. Will Telkom and Rain find a way to make a deal work? Maybe. But if I were a betting man, I’d put my money on Serame Taukobong, Telkom’s group CEO, and Ralph Mupita, MTN’s group CEO, reengaging at some point – and probably sooner than later – about merging their businesses. — (c) 2022 NewsCentral Media
Duncan McLeod is editor of TechCentral.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
Leading insurance group, Prudential plc and tech giant Google Cloud announced a strategic partnership to enhance health and financial inclusion for communities across Asia and Africa.
Under this alliance, Prudential will leverage Google Cloud’s data analytics capabilities, secure and sustainable infrastructure, and the broader Google ecosystem, to accelerate its digital transformation and to enhance user engagement of its health and wealth platform, Pulse. For Google Cloud, this partnership presents an opportunity to collaborate with a leading insurance provider to make protection, health and savings solutions simpler and more accessible across Asia and Africa.
Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud
Pulse is part of Prudential’s multi-channel strategy to make healthcare more accessible and increase financial inclusion. The app provides users with access to services such as health risk assessment and online doctor consultation to help them better manage their health needs, as well as digital wealth tools to make financial decisions simpler. Pulse is available in 17 markets and 11 languages.
Solmaz Altin, Managing Director, Strategic Business Group, Prudential, said: “Across our markets, people are living longer, but not necessarily healthier and better. Harnessing technology, we want to empower people to live well for longer by making it easier for them to take care of their health and plan for their financial futures.
“Through this strategic partnership, we will leverage new technology solutions to make the Pulse platform more intelligent and engaging with the aim of reaching out to more people across Asia and Africa, in particular those who cannot easily access health and financial information and services.”
This announcement deepens the existing relationship between Prudential and Google that began in 2019. Prudential is using Google Maps in the Pulse application, and further projects with Google Health, Document AI and Fitbit are being explored to enhance efficiency, functionality and user engagement.
Prudential expects to benefit from Google’s suite of data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools such as Kubeflow, Looker, BigQuery and Vertex AI, to enhance customer interactions and to provide more personalised, accurate healthcare information and education to Pulse app users.
In the longer term, Prudential will look to adopt Google’s AI across a broader digital strategy to make accessing insurance simpler, to drive greater efficiency, and to increase agent productivity. For example, through technology such as advanced analytics and AI, Prudential aims to use data to help its agents better understand the needs of their customers. It is also looking to improve customer experience, by digitising the entire claims process, making submission, assessment, and approval more seamless and efficient.
“At Google Cloud, our aim is to help our enterprise customers use technology to deliver outstanding experiences for their customers,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud. “Prudential is a significant partner of ours and a leading insurer that has been protecting lives for nearly 175 years globally. Our work together will make it easier for people to safeguard their health and protect their finances for the long term with digital tools that are accessible.”
Prudential has more than 530,000 agents across its 23 markets in Asia and Africa and over 170 bancassurance partners with access to circa 27,600 bank branches, serving more than 19 million customers.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
A consortium of development finance institutions led by the African Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, and the French Development Agency are investing $618 million in digital programmes in Nigeria. The programme, which is coined Digital and Creative Enterprises Program in Nigeria, will support the creation of 225 creative start-ups and create 6.1 million jobs.
The AfDB president, Akinwumi Adesina, disclosed this on Thursday during the Nigeria International Economic Partnership Forum, at the sidelines of the United Nations 77th General Assembly in New York, United States.
A copy of Adesina’s speech, made available to our correspondent, also revealed that the digital programme will add $6.4 billion to the economy.
Akinwumi Adesina
In his speech, Adesina wooed world leaders on investments in Nigeria as he highlighted some successful industries in the country including Nollywood and fintechs.
Adesina said, “Nollywood, Nigeria’s film industry, is estimated at $7.2 billion today, and has become the second largest movie industry in the world, after Hollywood. Investors must recognise this and invest.
“That’s why the African Development Bank, together with the Islamic Development Bank and the French Development Agency are investing $618 million in the Digital and Creative Enterprises Program in Nigeria.
“The program will support the creation of 225 creative start-ups and 451 digital technologies small and medium sized enterprises. They will create 6.1 million jobs and add $6.4 billion to the economy.
“That is the power of international partnerships working for Nigeria. The future is not just digital; the future will be driven by digital revolution.
“According to estimates by McKinsey, the number of tech startups in Africa has increased by three-fold to reach 5,200 companies, with half of those being fintech companies.
“Today, Nigeria has 5 of the seven unicorns in Africa and raised almost $ 1.4 billion of the total of $4 billion raised by Fintech companies across Africa in 2021.
“When you think of financial services digital innovations, think Nigeria, with Flutterwave, OPay, Andela and Interswitch holding the status of unicorn companies, worth at least $1 billion each.
“Nigeria holds today impressive investments that are global references. The newly constructed $19 billion Dangote petrochemical and fertilizer complex (the world’s largest ammonia plant) in the free trade zone, with new deep seaport, is exactly the kind of massive infrastructural and industrial manufacturing that is needed to make Nigeria a regional and global player in gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel, and fertilizer value chains.
“Yes, Nigeria has several challenges, but Nigeria remains an attractive investment destination.”
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
Global payments company Visa has appointed Lineshree Moodley as its new Country Head for South Africa (SA). Lineshree will be responsible for the development and implementation of Visa’s growth strategy in the region and will be part of the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) leadership team at Visa.
Lineshree’s appointment is in line with Visa’s vision to continue to build a solid regional team by matching unique strengths and talents with critical business opportunities.
Lineshree Moodley
Speaking on the new appointment, Senior Vice President at Visa and Head of Sub-Saharan Africa, Aida Diarra said, “Lineshree’s appointment reflects the importance we place in the South African market and in supporting our clients and partners. The depth of experience that she brings will enable her to make immediate contributions to our strategy and growth within the region and Sub-Saharan Africa. We look forward to Lineshree’s leadership in building on our continued efforts to help accelerate digital commerce in South Africa”.
Prior to this new role, Lineshree held various positions at Visa including Head of Visa Consulting and Analytics for Sub-Saharan Africa and more recently as Interim Cluster Country Head for Visa South Africa and prior to joining Visa Lineshree was a Managing Director at Accenture Financial Services (SA).
Lineshree has over 17 years’ experience in retail banking and has made a significant impact on the future of eCommerce in Sub-Saharan Africa. She has also supported mobile network operators and fintechs across various markets to develop strategies and digitize payments within the continent.
Lineshree is passionate about ensuring business value unlocked in Financial Services (South Africa and SSA) has a direct impact on the upliftment of people, businesses, and economies.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry
