The Foundation

The things that fundamentally shape us rarely announce themselves. For me, it started with a prepaid card. Not a big launch or glossy campaign - just a few eTranzact reps handing out prepaid cards on the GIJ campus. I took one, slipped it into my wallet, and there it sat, forgotten until it was time. 

That time came in 2008 while running P1 Communications, an events and marketing company. I was desperately scraping together sponsorships for “Mo ne yo” (which means well done), an education awards programme to honour teachers and lecturers.  

As I flipped through my wallet, I found that forgotten eTranzact card. One phone call turned into a small sponsorship—an ad placed on the back of our event brochure.  

Nothing headline‑worthy, but it cracked the door open and led to a defining opportunity to organise an event for eTranzact to introduce digital financial services to educational leaders at CHASS (the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools).  

The event exceeded expectations, and before I knew it, I was being offered a full-time role in eTranzact's sales team 

Leaving P1 wasn’t easy, but deep down, I knew it was time for a change. That decision launched me head‑first into the world of digital finance where I started as a sales and marketing executive and quickly found myself thrust into leadership; learning in real time to explain and champion concepts the market barely understood. 

The work was messy, confusing, often discouraging but also exhilarating. Everyday brought new challenges and new ways to think about how financial services could be delivered.  

I stayed for about two years, learning about financial services, how technology could bridge gaps traditional banking couldn’t, and how corporate culture, bureaucracy, and personal principles all collide. 

When I left, I had no savings, no car, and no working phone. I moved back to my mother’s house, broke in every sense except one. What I carried with me wasn’t wealth, it was knowledge - a deep, lived understanding of fintech and that was more valuable than any asset or bank balance I could have left with. 

People often debate whether it’s better to work for yourself or for someone else. The truth is that succeeding in both paths requires courage and a commitment to constant learning.  

Here in Africa, where much remains unstructured, success means finding clarity in chaos. Often, the very limits you fear will hold you back become the advantages that propel you forward. 

Looking back, that prepaid card was my first clue that purpose doesn’t always come with a business plan. Sometimes, it waits quietly until you’re forced to dig deep, and then it’s there.

Building in Africa humbles you, but even failure leaves clues—clues that can shape the rest of your journey. 

What are the tucked-away things you’re holding on to that are quietly waiting to change everything? What's sitting in your literal or metaphorical wallet that you haven't recognized yet?