President Bola Tinubu has given the assurance that his administration would support businesses in the financial technology sector that provide payment infrastructure services for Nigerians and Africans.
This is just as Flutterwave explained that it is seeking to be listed on the Nigerian Exchange and solicited the president’s support.
The president gave the pledge on Saturday when he played host to the leadership of Flutterwave and Alami Capital at the State House in Abuja.
Flutterwave, a leading Fintech company founded by young Nigerians and headquartered in Lagos, operates in the United States, Canada, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, South Africa, and 29 other African countries.
The CEO of Flutterwave, Olugbenga Agboola, a co-founder, Adeleke Adekoya; Oluwabankole Falade and Mitesh Popat, represented Flutterwave at the meeting, while Ms Oluseun Olufemi-White represented Alami Capital as its CEO.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun led the delegation to meet President Tinubu.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), Dr. Armstrong Ume Takang, and the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Inuwa Kashifu Abdullahi, also attended.
President Tinubu said Nigeria was genuinely open to business, adding that as president, he was also determined to remove all obstacles to allow companies to thrive.
He commended Flutterwave’s commitment to building capacity in the digital economy sector, especially as it was being made possible by energetic, young Nigerians.
He said he was honoured to be the President of a country with such a youthful and resourceful population.
The president added that the leadership Flutterwave provides in the digital world is what Nigeria needs today to grow its economy and make life easier for most of its population.
Earlier in his remarks, Edun said Flutterwave had made significant progress since its establishment 10 years ago.
According to him, it has created jobs and helped diversify the economy by providing innovative digital platforms and payment services in Nigeria and across Africa.
On his part, CEO of Flutterwave, Agboola, said the company had made it easy for Nigerians to pay for some global services with Naira and provided payment platforms for Nigerians in the diaspora who were willing to send money to families and relatives in the country.
According to him, Flutterwave, valued at over $3 billion, is a Nigerian export and brand with a workforce of over 1,000 Nigerians.
He said the company seeks to be listed on the Nigerian Exchange and solicited the President’s support.
Also speaking, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of MOFI, Takang, said as Africa’s biggest economy, Nigeria must demonstrate its economic prowess by strategically positioning products and services by Nigerian companies, such as Flutterwave, in the homes of all Africans.
He said Flutterwave spends millions of dollars monthly on hosting services, adding that the money goes to other countries.
Takang suggested supporting Galaxy Backbone’s hosting services to enable it to handle companies like Flutterwave.
