By Modupe Gbadeyanka
An expert in the digital payment and fintech space, Mr Damola Giwa, has been appointed by Jumia Nigeria to head JumiaPay Nigeria as part of efforts to position the firm as a leader in the ecosystem.
Before joining Jumia, Mr Giwa was the Group Head of Verve Digital and New Business at Interswitch group, a rival company, with responsibility for Verve digitalization, innovation, and new business strategy across Africa.
He also led the pan-Africa expansion of Verve as the Group Head of Verve International Issuing and Acquiring Business.
Earlier in his career, he worked in the Digital Banking group of Stanbic IBTC Bank (a member of the Standard Bank Group) as the Head of Acquiring and Head, eBusiness Service Management.
He also led various project management, service management and business operations teams across the retail banking, stockbroking and investment banking divisions of the bank.
The graduate of Economics has over 17 years of experience in business leadership, strategy and innovation and holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Ilorin and Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria as well as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. He also has various certifications in Business Agility, IT Service Management, Lean Six Sigma and Project Management.
Commenting on his appointment, Mr Giwa said he “cannot wait to work with the team as we take JumiaPay to greater heights in Nigeria. My priority is to focus on the realisation of the company’s objectives by providing innovative financial solutions to everyone.”
The CEO of Jumia Nigeria, Mr Massimiliano Spalazzi, expressed optimism that Mr Giwa will bring his wide experience and training to carry out the company’s quest to serve its customers better.
“The fintech industry is one that thrives on innovation – both in processes and security. Since JumiaPay plays heavily in this sector, it is important that we remain relevant and innovative in the digital payment space to make our consumers feel satisfied and secure. Damola Giwa is widely exposed, both academically and experientially, an attribute that we need to drive JumiaPay in Nigeria,” he said.
