Remita urges purpose-driven collaboration to strengthen Africa’s digital future
Kola Oyelere,Kano
Remita Payment Services Limited (RPSL) has called for a more purposeful and authentic approach to collaboration among stakeholders in Africa’s technology ecosystem to ensure the continent achieves digital sovereignty and sustainable innovation.
Speaking at the recently concluded FITC Fintech Nigeria Technovation Conference themed “Innovation as a Catalyst: Reshaping Cross-Sector Collaboration,” Remita’s Chief Technology Officer, Mujib Ishola, said Africa must move from being a passive consumer of foreign technologies to a creator and custodian of its own digital future.
In a plenary session moderated by Catherine Onelum — and featuring other industry leaders including Adeyinka Adekoya of Interswitch Group, Tomi Badejo of Flutterwave, and Dr. Yele Okeremi of Precise Financial Systems — Ishola urged African countries to take ownership of their data and digital infrastructure.
“The narrative of Nigeria as a consuming nation is now extending into the digital space. We must reclaim ownership of that narrative and resist perpetuating cycles of technological dependency,” Ishola warned, citing the growing risk of digital colonisation.
He explained that Africa’s relationship with data has deep historical roots, noting that the continent has long had its own systems for recording and managing information. “From hieroglyphics to traditional knowledge preservation, Africa’s data frameworks have always reflected its unique worldview,” he said, urging that such heritage should inform modern digital structures.
On data governance, Ishola outlined principles for creating trustworthy collaborative systems — including clarity on ownership, secure storage, and consent-based sharing protocols. He cautioned that Africa risks losing control of its “information capital” if it continues to rely on external custodians for data management, particularly in the era of artificial intelligence.
Highlighting Remita’s leadership in digital innovation, Ishola said the company pioneered open banking architecture in Nigeria long before it became a global concept. He also praised Nigerian and African technologists as “foundational contributors” to global technology, despite often being underrecognised.
Calling for genuine partnerships within the tech ecosystem, Ishola criticised what he described as “performative collaboration,” urging organisations to work transparently and purposefully toward shared development goals.
“At Remita, we lead with purpose. For every national project, our priority is impact over profit. Building sustainable value for our country is our foremost commitment,” he stated.
When asked if Africa could lead in developing trust-based digital ecosystems, Ishola responded confidently:
“The question presupposes Africa is not already leading. Nigerian software and fintech solutions — from PFS and Interswitch to Remita — have made substantive contributions to global technological advancement.”
Remita Payment Services Limited continues to play a central role in powering Nigeria’s digital economy, providing secure platforms for payments, collections, and financial intelligence across both public and private sectors