The Founder
and Group Managing Director of Interswitch, Mitchell Elegbe, has been named the
2023 West African Entrepreneur of the Year (Masters
Category), by professional services firm, Ernst and Young (EY). The keenly
contested award was jointly presented to him by the Regional Managing Partner,
EY West Africa, Anthony Oputa and Nigeria’s Honourable Minister for Trade and
Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, at a prestigious gala which took place in
Lagos on Thursday, March 16, 2023.
Elegbe was
awarded for his laudable contributions as an entrepreneur, to the economic
development of Nigeria and the West African region, having distinguished
himself in business leadership and technology development. This latest win is
particularly significant as it follows his emergence as
the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Emerging Entrepreneur category) 11
years ago, in 2012.
The
EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards programme celebrates successful
entrepreneurs who have combined ingenuity, hard work and perseverance to create
and sustain successful growing businesses. The programme, a yearly global
event, has enjoyed international recognition for over 30 years.
The
inaugural edition in West Africa took place in 2011 and the programme has since
then awarded several worthy Nigerians including Alhaji Aliko Dangote,
President, Dangote Group; Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, past Group Managing Director,
Access Bank and Dr. Cosmas Maduka of Coscharis Group.
The
recognition automatically qualifies Elegbe to
contest in the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the year 2023 to be
hosted in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Speaking concerning
the award, Elegbe, who expressed gratitude to the programme organisers,
said “I am indeed humbled to have been honoured with
this award and I express my heartfelt gratitude to the panel of judges and to
Ernst and Young West Africa for providing this platform that acknowledges and
celebrates entrepreneurs in the region.”
He said: “A founder is only as effective as the team
around him or her, and so this award is a reflection of the hard work and
dedication of the team at Interswitch who have dedicated themselves to
creating solutions that enable individuals and communities prosper across
Africa. This recognition will
serve to further entrench our commitment to never stop pushing the boundaries
of innovation in a bid to create an Africa where payments are a seamless
part of everyday life.”
Elegbe is a
multiple award-winning professional and a renowned business leader in the
Information Technology and Financial Services industry and is recognised for driving revolutionary payment innovation in Africa. He has won several awards, some of which include Harvard Business
School Association (Nigeria) Leadership Award in the General Management
Category; African Banker Awards 2019 as the African Banker Icon; CNBC/Forbes
All African Business Leader (AABLA) Awards for West Africa as well as Financial
Technology (Fintech) Africa Awards, Payments and Transfer category in 2016,
among other deserving recognitions.
Mitchell Elegbe founded Interswitch in 2002
to provide a solution to problems associated with payments in Nigeria. Since
then, the company has grown to be a leading payment and digital commerce
company that helps to build and manage payment infrastructure and provides
robust technology-based solutions to individuals, financial institutions, and
governments across Africa.
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