Africa’s top 40 Digital Leaders: #8 – Nigeria’s Mitchell Elegbe, Unicorn builder

By Honoré Banda, Jaysim Hanspal
Posted on Wednesday, 17 November 2021 14:44, updated on Tuesday, 23 November 2021 10:54

Mitchell Elegbe is the MD/CEO of Interswitch

Nigerian fintech legend Mitchell Elegbe is celebrated as a pioneer of the country's digital uplift, creating Interswitch, one of Africa's first unicorns. It achieved the $1bn+ valuation after a $200m injection from Visa in 2019. He comes in at #8 on our list of Africa's Top 40 Digital Leaders.

Mitchell Elegbe founded Interswitch in 2002, after his first encounter with an ATM swallowed his card in Scotland.

An alumnus of the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) Global CEO Programme and the African Leadership Institute’s Archbishop Tutu Fellowship Programme, he now wants to help transform African economies and push towards a cashless marketplace.

He comes in at #8 on our list of Africa’s Top 40 Digital Leaders.

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