Munya Chiura

Fintech Africa Advisory Board Member

MPOWER Financing

Head of Africa Business Development

Revio

Strategic Advisor

Chapter54

Mentoring program with Partech Partners and KfW for European Tech companies scaling up in Africa.

Mentor

RaliCap

Rali Cap Ventures is a global community of fintech angels investing in and alongside an exclusive portfolio of top-tier early-stage venture funds in  Sub-Saharan Africa.

Limited Partner (Angel Investor)

Pavilion

The Revenue Collective is a private members-only organisation consisting of top senior commercial leaders in major cities around the world.

Member

Flutterwave

At Flutterwave, we are on a mission to build payments infrastructure to connect Africa to the global economy.

Head: Rest of Africa, Growth 

Flywire

Flywire is a global payments enablement and software company that combines proprietary global payments network, next-gen payments platform and vertical-specific software to deliver the most important and complex payments for our clients and their customers.

Sales Manager, Education for South Africa

Head of Middle East and Africa, Payments 

Payments Consultant - Africa

GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group)

Expert in the financial services and telecommunications sectors

Council Member

Harare Receivables Exchange

Harare Receivables Exchange ('HRE') is a trading platform for the sale and purchase of invoices. Developing this platform is accomplished through a phased implementation of educating the market as well as trading to develop and clearly understand the multiple dimensions of trading invoices in the Zimbabwean environment.

Non-Executive Director

Chairman of the Board

Village Capital

Village Capital is a global venture firm that discovers, develops and invests in entrepreneurs solving real-world problems.

Since 2009 we have been one of the world’s most active early-stage investors, investing in over 70 ventures across 15 countries and supporting hundreds more through our collaborative venture development programs. Village Capital graduates have leveraged initial capital 25:1, created over 10,000 jobs, and served over 6 million customers. For more information, visit www.vilcap.com and follow @villagecapital on Twitter.

FinTech | Africa | Growth | Expansion | Payments | Partnerships | LinkedIn Influencer | Ex-Flywire | Ex-Flutterwave

I have over 25 years of experience in a variety of highly competitive, cutting-edge markets, and fast-paced industries including, Payments, Fintech, Renewable Energy, ICT, Financial Services, Human Resources, Telecom, Healthcare, Venture Capital and Private Equity.  I possess strong technical and business qualifications with a solid track record in sales, strategic planning, business development, project and product management, and Six Sigma/Operational Excellence strategies. Africa is the Future!

One of the earliest initiatives from the start of my term in office, was to properly define and outline a comprehensive Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Nigeria. The need to coordinate and harness the power of AI for national development is a critical element in our journey towards the use of technology to accelerate productivity in our country. AI offers us the opportunity to leverage technology to solve some of our most complex and urgent challenges in education, agriculture, healthcare and so much more.

Recognising the incredible depth of talent of Nigerian descent scattered all over the world working in the field of AI, we very quickly looked to identify some of these leading researchers and started to engage them in a number of our initiatives. 

From the National Artificial Intelligence Research Scheme (NAIRS) to the Fourth Industrial Revolution Technology Application (4IRTA) project, we have worked with these talented academics and entrepreneurs towards the mainstreaming of the application of AI in our everyday lives. 

As a next phase of these collaborations, I am pleased to confirm that we will be hosting the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Workshop from April 15th to 18th, 2024 in Abuja. The workshop, which is supported by Luminate will develop a co-created framework for a multi-year strategy and action plan for the research, application and adoption of AI in Nigeria. Participants at the workshop will include 120 of Nigeria’s leading researchers and startups in AI. We are also grateful for the support from several other partner organisations who will be joining us in Abuja.

It is my belief that the resulting strategy will help us deliver the priorities and implementation  approach towards improving lives and growing our economy through the application of AI.

This is a significant step for us and we will be sharing more in the days ahead.

It's true - anything worth building takes commitment and time! TLcom Capital LLP  embarked on our Africa tech investing journey several years ago when it was only a vision. Today, I am delighted to share news of the final close of our TIDE Africa Fund II at $154mn. At more than twice the size of our first fund, TIDE Africa Fund II officially positions TLcom in a select category of investors on the continent, which have raised a second, large fund solely dedicated to technology. This signals tremendous growth for our firm over the last few years.

In addition to the confidence today’s announcement reaffirms in our team’s ability to execute, it’s an indicator of the massive tech opportunity in Africa and the immense value which stands to be generated as we remain dedicated.  

We look forward to doubling down! Thank you to our LPs for their support. 

https://lnkd.in/dc5B2WeH

#AfricanTech #VentureCapital #Startup

www.bloomberg.com • 1 min read

Africa’s Largest Early-Stage VC Fund Raises $154 Million to Expand Into Egypt

Any international student can relate to this! Almost 27 years ago, even despite working some incredible internships during college and graduating from Lehigh University, I then really wanted to work in the U.S. I printed out 500 resumes, went door-by-door to potential employers in New York and Philadelphia. Unfortunately, I never got one single job! Less than 1.6% of job postings in the U.S. employment market are friendly to international talent, and 12% of  US companies expressly reject any sponsorship, according to the International Talent Friendliness Index (ITFI) 

By God’s grace, had it not been for some incredible mentors who believed in me, mainly Tony Holcombe and Robert Quaife, CLU, ChFC, MSFS, I would not have received my first job in the United States with great companies including Comdata (now part of FLEETCOR) and Ceridian which provided a solid foundation for my global career success. 

This is why we at MPOWER Financing are excited about our partnership with  F1 Hire to support international students boost their career in the US. #internationalstudents #careerdevelopment #careergrowth #fintech #internationaleducation #educationloans #careerreadiness
 
Please reach out to me if you would like to know more!! https://t2m.co/yUdpr8k
 
EdTechReview Media Pvt Ltd Shalini Pathak Lisa Kaplan Jennifer R. White  Morrison Shafroth Leigh Hennen Diane Cothran Lisa Kaplan Stacey Garrett Koju Dr. Fanta Aw Supriyo Choudhury Oyindamola H. Rasheed Sandra Tenorio

I am very happy to share insights from my recent op-ed in the Financial Times.
 
Emerging markets have often been viewed as risky, but new data from the Global Emerging Markets Risk Database Consortium paints a different picture. With comparable default rates and superior recovery rates, investing in emerging markets offers resilience and potential.
 
The statistics, spanning 30 years of lending, show that the risks in emerging markets compare favorably with other asset classes. Additionally, the portfolio diversification they offer proves beneficial during global stress periods.
 
As a co-founder and major contributor to GEMs, IFC is committed to providing crucial data to help investors make informed decisions about emerging markets. Reallocating just 1% of global assets each year could significantly impact growth and development in these countries.
 
Read more: http://wrld.bg/PWRb50Ro0tq

The World Bank IFC - International Finance Corporation

ft.com • 3 min read

Better risk data should boost confidence in emerging markets

Thank you Africa Fintech Summit and The Kenyan Wall Street. for putting me on the spot about what the craziest thing I've ever bought with money :-) A blast from #AFTSLusaka in 2023 #lusaka #zambia #africa #fintech #food #africameansbusiness #africarising #theafricawewant

MPOWER Financing Jennifer R. White Oyindamola H. Rasheed Zekarias Amsalu Dubale, FCCA Charles Isidi Morrison Shafroth

herald.co.zw • 3 min read

Urologists focus on men in cancer fight

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) has announced Manu Smadja as an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Mid-Atlantic Award finalist! The award is a preeminent business award for leaders who disrupt and revolutionize markets while having a transformational impact on the lives of others.

Click on the link below to read more:
https://lnkd.in/d2C8Mxfs

Emmanuel Smadja

#mpowerfinancing 

The Africa fintech and payments landscape is bustling with so much activity, making it hard to keep pace! Here, I share my insights on three standouts themes that particularly resonated with me in Q1'24 enjoy!

#africa #fintech #payments #africameansbusiness #africarising #theafricawewant

Munya Chiura on LinkedIn • 3 min read

"Insights on Q1'24 Africa Fintech: My Perspective"

A big thank you to Hindsight Ventures and the selected 30 incredible African startups from Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, Kenya and Morocco for putting up with me last week so I could share my thoughts on building for Africa! The AFRISE Challenge is an initiative by Concordia University and Hindsight Ventures that provides an opportunity for high potential African youth aged 18-35 to rise up in their entrepreneurial journey through a structured boot camp and accelerator program #africa #nigeria #senegal #uganda #kenya #morocco #startups #fintech #arts #healthcare #healthtech #education #agriculture #agritech #climatetech #energy 

Some key startup considerations we discussed:
- Lack of market need
- Ensuring you have product market fit
- Cash is King
- There is always competition!
- Solo Founder? Co-Founders? Management dynamics
- The importance of scale  

Jagruti Bista Claire Sonia Hawa Mariam Keita Ajay Ramasubramaniam GetEquity (Techstars ‘23) TechField Build Ventures Africa Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) Kenya Impact Hub Dakar TECHNOPARK Maroc (MITC) Sen Startup Uclab Studio Fiona Makena Emmanuel Akandwanaho Photokabada Ltd Tropical test SowPrecise Africa Ecomak Recyclers Munakyalo Agrofresh ™️ PesaSave FarmCI Direx Riwe Technologies WymBee Univers Casa Bio Clozetsales Skill-Up With Kahdsole (SUWK) Canine Safaris Ltd Cactus Innovation Retailloop 0 Emission Technologies munyasa Hellen/Helton Traders Nana Klay

Africa’s payments landscape is full of icons–Cellulant, Interswitch, Paga, Paystack, and Flutterwave, to name just a few. And with good reason. Moving money digitally is a fundamental activity in a digital economy. But when it comes to consumer payments, what infrastructure is needed? Why do some payment methods work better in some places than others? And is infrastructure-building the best way to create value, or is owning the last mile through an API the golden ticket?

Even before speaking to Wiza Jalakasi, Director, Africa Market Development for EBANX, I knew I’d name this episode of The Trajectory Africa, “The Hard Thing about (Consumer) Payments” as a reminder of my problematic early assumptions about the ease of solving for payments vs. other financial transactions. Because of the visibility and early success of pioneers, I'd bookmarked payments in the “solved-ish” category. 

But as my conversation with Wiza makes very clear, the battle is far from won. To quote Samora Kariuki, my guest on the previous episode, “It’s still very early in the morning on day 1.” Well, then...let’s press play, shall we?

PS If you want more top tier insights from Wiza, check out his stellar piece on the hard thing about subscription payments (link in the comments). 

share.transistor.fm

The Hard Thing about (Consumer) Payments in Africa

Happy Friday! Hey Africa Early Stage Founders, applications are now open for the Plug and Play Africa Morocco Accelerator! Only 20 startups will be selected for this incredible opportunity to accelerate your startup's growth, benefit from incredible mentors, have access to global experts, and tap into a vast ecosystem and alumni network offering business development and funding opportunities. #africa #morocco #fintech #education #retail #smartcities #healthtech #sustainability #energy

You can apply here: https://lnkd.in/dECCagdd

STARTGATE UM6P - Mohammed VI Polytechnic University Moroccan Retail tech Builder Plug and Play Tech Center Sarina Amini Aziz El Hachem Mohamed Zemmourine Wissal Bentaleb

Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Africa: 2024 may prove to be the first year ever where the total investment in climate tech will surpasses fintech funding in Africa #africa #fintech #climatechange #climatetech #mitigation #adaptation #africameansbusiness 

You can read more here: https://lnkd.in/dzzx7Nvv

IOL News Abraham Augustine Easther Chigumira Andile Masuku United Nations University Claudia ten Have, PhD Hayden Simmons Kyane Kassiri

A massive congratulations to AfriCred a leading credit marketplace dedicated to fostering educational opportunities across Africa and an MPOWER Financing partner for your recent US$ 3.2 million in education funding! 

The funding will support students from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa #internationaleducation #studentfunding #africameansbusiness #africarising #theafricawewant 

Independent Newspapers Nigeria Sid Maheshwari Prudence Sunguti Sylvia Soi Ibironke Dokunmu Allen Samson Adarighofua David Ighodaro Jennifer R. White Oyindamola H. Rasheed

independent.ng • 2 min read

AfriCred Empowers African Students With Over US$ 3.2m Education Funding For International Studies

Dreaming of a US/Canadian STEM or MBA degree? I'm honored to participate in an informative webinar this coming Thursday, April 11th @ 6PM WAT #africa #us #canada #studyabroad #internationaleducation #stem #mba #vestiwebinar 

Learn how to:
📍Secure funding for your Masters program
📍Explore financing options for STEM & MBA degrees
📍Navigate the application process for US & Canadian universities

Don't miss out! Register now: https://lnkd.in/dpjiuprA 

Vesti MPOWER Financing Olusola Amusan Abimbola Amusan JD Seyi Falokun, CISA Moyosore Folarin-Ottun Olubunmi Opadoyin Ifeoluwa A. Jennifer R. White Oyindamola H. Rasheed Clement Ahiekpor 

The South African Reserve Bank has released a digital payments roadmap toward the goals of its Vision 2025 which will include Stablecoin and retail CBDC sandboxes #southafrica #africa #stablecoins #cbdc #blockchain #digitalpayments #inclusivepayments #africameansbusiness 

Derek Andersen Cointelegraph South African Reserve Bank Angela itzikowitz 

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