Bank of Kigali has appointed Obinna Ukwuani as Chief Digital Officer replacing Regis Rugemanshuro who was appointed to head Rwanda Social Security Board in February this year.
The position among other things involves leading the Digital Factory division for product innovation and development in digital banking – a role he has been working on since June.
The division is responsible for innovation such as Ikofi, a digital wallet that offers financial services with a focus on Rwandan farmers, agro-dealers, Agri-businesses and other players in the agricultural ecosystem.
Obinna Ukwuani brings to the bank experience from entrepreneurial ventures in software, agricultural processing, and education, among others.
Prior to joining Bank of Kigali, Obinna worked with Paystack, a tech startup involved in facilitating payments.
He holds a degree in Economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He launched the Exposure Robotics Academy in 2011, which is a major programme for science students in Lagos, Nigeria. Coaching 113 students in 17 states in just under 3 years, and helping the students gain scholarships into American universities.
It was a five-week residential programme of teaching creative problem solving, engineering principles, and programming to high school students during the summer.
He launched the NESA by Makers programme in 2017, a software development skills acquisition scheme for Nigerians in 2017, enabling Nigerian developers gain global skills in web development in 3 months.
In Rwanda, he launched the Makers Robotics Academy in 2018. The first robotics bootcamp in the East African nation, a programme linking Secondary school students in Rwanda with coaching from MIT robotics students.
On his appointment, Mr. Obinna Ukwuani stated:
“I carry the immense weight of my responsibility as an executive at the country’s largest bank, and the expectations of me from the Nigerian and Rwandan communities I represent and serve.
I intend to serve with excellence and integrity, and I can only hope to continue receiving the overwhelming support expressed following the original announcement.”
