Fara Ashiru Jituboh is not just reshaping Africa’s economic landscape; she’s proving that innovation, resilience, and technical brilliance are the hallmarks of industry-defining leadership.
As the CEO and CTO of Okra, Africa’s first API fintech super-connector, she is leading a digital revolution that is breaking down long-standing financial barriers in Nigeria and beyond.
Born in Nigeria on March 28, 1991, but raised in the United States, Jituboh’s journey into tech began early.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, a foundation that allowed her to master over 20 programming languages—a rare feat, even among the world’s top engineers.
Before founding Okra, she built an impressive résumé, working with JP Morgan Chase, Fidelity Investments, Daimler Mercedes Benz, and Canva, among others.
However, despite her success abroad, Jituboh saw a glaring problem back home in Nigeria: the lack of financial infrastructure that allowed for seamless banking integrations.
In a country where cash transactions dominated and banking APIs were nearly nonexistent, she saw an opportunity to build something transformative.
In 2019, Jituboh co-founded Okra alongside David Peterside.
The startup launched officially in 2020, just as the world grappled with the pandemic.
Rather than slowing down, Okra capitalized on the digital acceleration wave, securing an unprecedented $1 million pre-seed funding in 2020—one of the largest early-stage rounds ever raised by an African female entrepreneur.
Okra’s platform acts as a bridge between banks, fintech applications, and consumers, allowing real-time financial data sharing and payments. This innovation effectively removes a major bottleneck that previously hindered financial product development in Nigeria.
The company’s momentum continued, attracting a $3.5 million seed round led by Susa Ventures, bringing total funding to $4.5 million.
TLcom Capital, a prominent African VC firm, also backed Okra, marking its first investment in fintech—a testament to the company’s disruptive potential.
With Africa’s male-dominated fintech scene, Jituboh is a rare leader—doubling as both CEO and CTO.
This dual role has allowed her to shape both the technical architecture and business strategy of Okra, ensuring that the company’s vision remains uncompromised.
Despite the industry’s gender disparity, she remains undeterred. “I can do something really big and really impactful here,” she once told Forbes. “There’s so much opportunity to solve problems.”
Her impact extends beyond business. As an inspiration to African women in tech, Jituboh has shattered ceilings and redefined what is possible for female engineers and entrepreneurs in fintech.
Africa’s fintech sector is projected to reach $65 billion by 2030, and Okra is well-positioned to be a major player in that transformation. With a scalable business model and cutting-edge technology, Jituboh’s company is already working with financial giants like AXA Mansard and Airtel.
As Africa moves toward an open finance ecosystem, Okra’s infrastructure could become the backbone of digital banking across the continent. For Jituboh, this is only the beginning.
Fara Ashiru Jituboh is not just building a company—she’s engineering the future of African fintech.
As more investors, startups, and regulators rally around the promise of financial inclusion, Okra’s role can only grow. And at the centre of it all is Jituboh—a woman who saw a gap, took a risk, and is now reshaping the financial fabric of a continent.
If history has taught us anything, it’s that the most disruptive companies are often built by those who dare to solve the biggest problems. And in Africa’s fintech revolution, Fara Ashiru Jituboh is leading the charge.
