People & Lifestyle
Letshego Appoints Ato Okyir As Group Head Of New Ventures – Technology Innovation

The inclusive finance organisation’s latest appointment of Ato Okyir as Group Head of New Ventures (Technology Innovation), reiterates Letshego’s commitment to cementing Ghana as a valuable sub-regional hub for talent and expertise.
Letshego Africa, with a presence in 11 countries across sub Saharan Africa, is supporting the growth of its regional strategy by creating three sub-regional hubs to host talent, regional operations and specialist digital expertise – these hubs being Botswana, Kenya and Ghana.
The inclusive finance organisation acquired the Ghana business in 2017, and has since transitioned the operations to the Letshego brand, committing further investment into digitalisation, systems and expansion of products for the benefit of individuals and small and micro entrepreneurs across Ghana.
Letshego recognises Ghana as a valuable source of talent for the Group, with their latest regional appointment being Mr Ato Okyir as Group Head of New Ventures (Technology Innovation).
Prior to joining Letshego, Ato Okyir was the Chief Information Officer for Standard Chartered Ghana, starting his expansive technology focused career in 1993. Ato brings fifteen years of banking technology experience from across the continent. As the Chief Information Officer for Standard Chartered, he maintained the Bank’s technology infrastructure capability and supported business activities across all business segments. He also assured compliance oversight for all country and Standard Chartered Group policies, statutory regulations, local banking laws, anti-money laundering regulations and industry practices.
Marking the appointment, Andrew Okai, the Group’s Chief Executive added “Ghana is one of our largest profit generating centres, so it makes sense that we leverage the regional expertise and talent available locally, not only for the benefit of our local business and subsidiary, but also for the Group as a whole. Letshego recognises that cultural diversity in a pan-African organisation is an asset and an advantage – we are delighted to have Ato join our regional family. His digital and tech experience will prove invaluable as we achieve our ambition to be a leading digital-first, inclusive finance organisation across the continent.”
Letshego Africa recently announced its Transformation Strategy, that includes a tactical roadmap to achieve its 2025 ambitions and vision to be a world-class retail financial services organisation, spurred by digitalisation along with strategic investment into empowering and growing regional talent. In 2021, Letshego rolled out the LetsGo Digital Mall, an online platform that enables customers easy access to solutions and services, across multiple digital channels, including web, USSD, whatsapp and mobile.
Commenting on his new appointment, Ato Okyir, Group Head of New Ventures for Technology Innovation, added, “Letshego is a well-established Africa brand that is on an exciting transformation trajectory into digital. I am delighted with the opportunity to bring my own skills and experience to support a regional organisation that has such a dynamic vision to achieve sustainable growth and impact across so many sub Saharan markets.”
Letshego Ghana, a subsidiary of Letshego Group, has more than demonstrated its strategic and potential value to the Group with a cumulative aggregated growth of 600% over the last 5 years, more than tripling its proportion of profit before tax in the same period.
Letshego Ghana
In Ghana, Letshego employs over 500 local nationals, with the business led by seasoned Ghanaian banker, Arnold Parker, Country CEO of Letshego Ghana. Letshego expanded into Ghana in 2017 through the acquisition of ‘afb Ghana’. Since the acquisition and under Arnold’s leadership, Letshego has diversified the entity’s product portfolio with the addition of MSME (Micro Small and Medium Enterprise) loans, retail and corporate deposits, as well as opening two new outlets to compliment the brand’s national, omni-channel network.
Speaking on the value of Ghana in Letshego’s regional footprint, Arnold Parker noted that Ghana is proving to be a valued talent pool for regional companies across diverse sectors. He added that Letshego is one of many regional entities that invest and support Ghana’s growth potential, while gaining benefit from the passion and expertise of its people. The Ghana team remain proud to be a part of a Group that is committed to supporting inclusive finance initiatives, supporting sustainable business and growth of communities in Ghana, and across our continent.
Letshego Ghana posted record national performance for 2020, more than doubling its profit before tax year on year to GHS40 million (USDXmillion).
Letshego Holdings Ltd (“Letshego Group”) is a truly African multinational organisation, headquartered and listed in Botswana and focused on delivering inclusive finance solutions to underserved populations across its 11 sub Saharan Africa footprint.
With a staff compliment of over 3,000 – including both direct and indirect sales agents – and more than four hundred thousand customers, Letshego is synonymous with leveraging innovation and technology to improve the lives of individuals who have limited access to traditional financial services.
The Letshego Group is a truly African multinational, first opening its doors in Botswana more than 21 years ago by offering loans to government employees. Today the Group has over 3,000 employees comprising more than 21 nationalities, and supports public and private sector individual customers, as well as micro and small entrepreneurs. Letshego has operations in 11 sub Saharan African markets.
Letshego Holdings Limited (the group holding company) is listed on the Botswana Stock Exchange, with a subsequent listings including a subsidiary listing on the Namibian stock exchange, and bond listings on both the Ghana and Johannesburg Stock Exchanges.
In 2022, Letshego celebrates 24 years of supporting regional communities, making strong progress with the launch of its Transformational Strategy in September 2020, towards the Group’s vision to be a world class retail financial services organisation, improving the lives of mass and middle market individuals and micro and small entrepreneurs. For more info visit www.letshego.com
Mr. J. Ato Okyir is the former Chief Information Officer for Standard Chartered Ghana, starting his expansive career in Technology in 1993. He brings on board fifteen years of Banking Technology Experience from across the Continent.
As the Chief Information Officer for Standard Chartered, he maintained the Bank’s Technology infrastructure capability and supported the business activities across Business segments. He also ensured total compliance with all Country and Group policies, statutory regulations, local banking laws, anti-money laundering regulations, and industry practices.
Before that, he led the company’s Country Technology Management in Ghana, Nigeria, Gambia, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, and Sierra Leone. He was responsible for developing, implementing, and delivering the Group Technology Strategy for the Cluster.
Mr. Okyir played a pivotal role in Standard Chartered’s Business Process Reengineering and custody business integration as the Archway Project Manager – Infrastructure for Africa. He covered Kenya, Botswana, Ghana, Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania, and Mauritius.
He has also led Technology Risk Management and IT Security for Standard Chartered Bank in West and Central Africa. He successfully and effectively managed Information Technology risk and security controls to ensure Data Integrity, Data availability, confidentiality, and consistency of Standard Chartered databases and transaction processing systems.
Before joining Standard Chartered, he held various Information Technology roles at other companies, including Digitronix Systems, LeasAfric Ghana Limited, Agricultural Development Bank, and Electricity Company of Ghana.
Ato Okyir holds an MSc in Project Management from the University of Salford in the United Kingdom and a Post Graduate Diploma in Information Systems from Leeds Beckett University in the United Kingdom.
He has also undergone Professional training in Strategic & Scenario Planning in Accra, Business Management Programme (BMP) in Singapore, Talent Acceleration in the United Arab Emirates, and AWS & Microsoft Azure Cloud Practitioner by Skillsoft. He is a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), the British Computer Society (BCS), and the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA).
A Champion of Creativity and Innovation, and an effective communicator, Ato Okyir marries emotional intelligence and his passion for Technology to achieve positive results. He loves restoring vintage cars, long road trips, and sharing his life learnings with the younger generations.
People & Lifestyle
HAVE YOUR BATH AT LEAST TWICE DAILY DURING MENSTRUATION – DIANA HOPESON ADMONISHES YOUNG GIRLS

Mrs Diana Hopeson ( Akiwumi ) the formal MUSIGA president and a renowned gospel musician who made her mark in the early 90s with hit songs winning many National and International awards admonishes young girls to try take their bath at least two times daily during their menstrual cycle.
Joining over 400 both young girls and boys at the Ashiaman Senior High School to mark this years World Menstrual Hygiene Day Commemoration, she stressed on the need for a complete healthier menstrual management by these teenage girls bearing in mind that bathing their body is an essential part of menstrual hygiene.
A collaborative effort from the Bonabear Foundation Ghana under the auspices of the Special Monitoring Missions of the International Human Rights Commission Ghana in partnership with the SHEP Department of the Ashaiman Municipal Education Directorate of the Ghana Education Service and WO YE BRA Schools Project this year engaged the Pupils of the AshaiSec to mark the all important date on the UN calendar.
Mrs Hopeson on the theme of this years commemoration dubbed “ Making Menstruation a normal Fact of Life by 2030” also explained on the main need for every girl to know that “Menstruation leads to Procreation” therefore every growing girl must not be ashamed of her Menstruation and that it’s a normal thing. She lamented on how she felt during her “Menarche” at age 12 and the funny experiences she went through that time. Mrs Hopeson has been the project Ambassador two years running to the MENSTRUATE 2 PROCREATE initiative with a few of her friends mobilizing support for the project.

HAVE YOUR BATH AT LEAST TWICE DAILY DURING MENSTRUATION – DIANA HOPESON ADMONISHES YOUNG GIRLS
The Founder and the Project Lead of the Bonabear Foundation Ghana who doubles as the Commissioner for the Special Monitoring Missions of IHRC Ghana- Amb Dr Bernard Kofi Bonarparte in his speech added his voice to the call to totally scrap off all Taxes on Sanitary Materials and pleaded with the Government to consider implementing policies to make Sanitary materials in the Schools more accessible and free mostly in deprived communities a cross the country.
He reiterated that , it is about time Menstruation is considered as a Human Rights issue and as such the need to put in measures to ensure every girl is not denied of this Right. The need to easy access to water in the various Schools is also a contributing factor for ensuring a clean , safe and healthier society.

HAVE YOUR BATH AT LEAST TWICE DAILY DURING MENSTRUATION – DIANA HOPESON ADMONISHES YOUNG GIRLS
The Amb , also called on various corporate bodies to partner organizations and civil societies that have embarked on this journey to ensure that Ghana does not fail to achieve the agenda 2030 of the UNSDG.
All participants received free Disposable and Reusable Pads and were trained on the management of those with live demonstration from the male students of the School by the help of the School Nurse and the Lead Facilitator for the WO YE BRA SCHOOL Project-Ms Jennifer Moffat as The head Mistress of the School Madam Jemimah Quarshie and her staff received the team warmly.
People & Lifestyle
The Mommy Club premieres on 27 June 2023, exclusively on Showmax

People & Lifestyle
Yahu Blackwell The Ghanaian From the Diaspora, To be enstooled as Osu Noryaa ManTse

In August of 2023 nearing the Annual Homowo Festival; The Ghanaian boxing champion who resides in Baltimore, Maryland and serial entrepreneur will be returning back to his homeland (Ghana). Yahu Blackwell is a Ghanaian whose family lineage is among those that was taken as slaves at the “Cape Coast Castle” and the “Elmina Castle” in Ghana. (Trans Atlantic Slave Trade). (more…)
People & Lifestyle
Zeepay MD crowned Africa Fintech Leader of the Year two times running at Ghana CEO Summit 2023

Andrew Takyi-Appiah, the Managing Director (MD) of Zeepay, a leading mobile financial services company, has emerged Africa’s Fintech Leader of the Year for the second year in a row at the recently held 2023 edition of the CEO Summit.
The prestigious award was presented to him before a gathering of more than 500 of his peers, was an acknowledgement of his instrumental role in the growth and advancement of Sub-Saharan Africa’s economic landscape.
Mr. Takyi-Appiah emerged victorious amidst stiff competition from prominent figures in the fintech industry, and the award reflects the high satisfaction of users with Zeepay’s platforms and services.
Expressing his gratitude at the event which had as its theme: ‘Economic Sovereignty, Sustainable Corporate Governance, Digital Industrial Transformation: New Paths for Growth and Prosperity. A Private-Public Sector CEO Dialogue & Learning’, Mr. Takyi-Appiah stated, “Winning this award is a testament to all that African youth are Capable of and have what it takes to build global business. It means that we the youth in Ghana must be taken seriously as we have indeed taken our destiny into our hands to contribute to build a better Ghana.”
Prior to co-founding Zeepay in 2016, Mr. Takyi-Appiah held key positions at renowned organizations such as UT Bank Ghana, PwC Ghana, PwC UK, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, and GTBank.
With an annual turnover of approximately US$900 million as of 2021, Zeepay has established itself as the largest cross-border remittance aggregator in Africa. Mr. Takyi-Appiah emphasized that this accolade is a testament to the strength of Ghana’s fintech regulations and legal systems, which have contributed to the rise of companies like Zeepay.
“Our customers should expect an improved business, an increase in our distribution network and availability. Going forward our customers should expect affordability in terms of reduced cash-out fees and more product innovation. I would like to dedicate the award to all our customers and staff for believing in the dream and driving it to this growth. I feel great and excited about the additional new markets we have added to the mobile money business,” Mr. Takyi-Appiah added.
This comes as Zeepay also emerged as the number-one company in Ghana at the 19th Club 100 awards. The recognition underscores Zeepay’s exceptional performance and its significant contribution to the nation’s economic growth.
The feat was attributed to the ingenuity of CEO Andrew Takyi-Appiah and as Zeepay’s vision is to expand its presence in the fintech and mobile money space beyond Ghana.
With its innovative mobile financial services, Zeepay has been revolutionizing the remittance and mobile money sectors. The company’s impressive growth and strategic approach have propelled it to the forefront of Ghana’s business landscape. By clinching the top position in the Ghana Club 100 rankings, Zeepay has solidified its status as a key player in the country’s corporate sphere.
As Zeepay looks toward the future, it aims to leverage its success to further establish itself as a dominant force in fintech and mobile money across Africa. With CEO Andrew Takyi-Appiah at the helm, the company is poised to unlock new opportunities and drive financial inclusion on the continent.
People & Lifestyle
From Lemonade Finance to LemFi: International Payments for Everyone

In a bold move to further its commitment to providing international payments for everyone and better serve its expanding community, Lemonade Finance announces its rebranding to LemFi. The decision to change the name was driven by a desire to simplify and capture the essence of the company’s vision and to differentiate itself in the evolving financial services landscape.
Lemonade Finance was founded in 2020 with a simple vision,to empower immigrants seeking to achieve more in their lives. The company delivers its services through an app that enables users to send money to 10+ countries.
LemFi is licensed as an Electronic Money Institution with the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, under the name RightCard Payment Services. It is also registered as a Money Service Business by the Financial Transactions and Report Analysis Centre in Canada.
“The name we started with was Lemonade Finance. And as our app gained popularity, our reach expanded across multiple countries, and we became the vital link between families and loved ones separated by distance,” explains Ridwan Olalere, the CEO and Co-Founder.
However, the company’s growth and evolution demanded a name that would resonate even more deeply with its purpose while embracing the uniqueness of its community. Through extensive collaboration with the team and community, the decision to rebrand was made to better encapsulate the vision of providing a more inclusive and efficient means for people to send money home.
Introducing LemFi, a name that embodies the spirit of No Borders, No Barriers and no BS. The new name reflects the company’s dedication to simplicity, agility, and accessibility while retaining its commitment to facilitating seamless financial transactions for its users.
“Our new name, ‘LEMFI,’ represents our unwavering dedication to breaking down barriers and transcending borders,” says Ridwan. “It symbolises the strength and resilience of our community and allows us to carve our own unique meaning within it.”
The rebrand also comes with an expansion of vision. Hitherto, the goal was to power “International Payments for immigrants globally”; now LemFi aims to deliver “International Payments for Everyone”.This commitment will be demonstrated by unveiling an exciting lineup of product updates in the coming weeks and months.
The LemFi team thanks its valued users for their continued support and invites them to embark on this new chapter together. As LemFi, the company will continue building a product and expand to more countries in the coming weeks, empowering individuals to confidently pursue their dreams.
The company’s new website and social media channels will now be:
Website:www.lemfi.com
Facebook: UseLemfi
Instagram: @UseLemfi
Twitter: @UseLemfi
Email:support@lemfi.com
People & Lifestyle
YouTube’s Alex Okosi Highlights The Need For A Comprehensive Digital Trade Strategy For Africa

YouTube’s Managing Director, Emerging Markets, EMEA, Alex Okosi, was among the key speakers at the Africa Debate 2023, which took place on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at the Guildhall in London.
Okosi’s session, titled “Building a Comprehensive Digital Trade Strategy for Africa,” highlighted the challenges facing Africa in terms of digital infrastructure despite advancements in digital trade and e-commerce. He debated the best path forward for a digital trade strategy, with a focus on the 7th protocol of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on e-commerce.
Joining Okosi on the panel were Michelle Chivunga, a Digital Trade Expert for AfCFTA and Chief Executive Officer & Founder of Global Policy House, who moderated the session, as well as Wayne Hennessy-Barrett, Chief Executive Officer, 4G Capital; Peter Njonjo, Chief Executive Officer, Twiga Foods; Toulay Oueslati, Head of Trade Finance & Commodity Trade Finance, Bank of Africa United Kingdom and Hardy Pemhiwa, Chief Executive Officer & Chairman, Cassava Technologies.
Organized by Invest Africa, a leading business and investment platform with over sixty years of experience on the continent, and in partnership with Africa Finance Corporation, the event was in its 9th year and focused on Africa’s trade profile through a comprehensive programme of talks, discussions, and networking opportunities.
“I believe that digital trade has the potential to transform Africa’s economy and improve trade relations with the rest of the world. However, to achieve this goal, we need to address the challenges of infrastructure development, regulatory frameworks, and digital skills training,” Okosi said.
The panel discussion explored the future of African trade and how the private sector can best support and prepare for a more integrated and competitive African trade environment.
“Collaboration between governments, businesses, and financial institutions is crucial in creating an enabling environment for digital trade. This includes developing regulatory frameworks, financing solutions, and digital infrastructure,” Okosi added.
Okosi is a highly experienced television, content, and tech executive with over 25 years of experience building successful businesses and brands globally. He has a track record of identifying and scaling new business opportunities, generating multi-million-dollar revenue streams, and delivering profitable growth.
Currently serving as Managing Director, Emerging Markets, YouTube EMEA, Okosi has been instrumental in driving the platform’s growth across key verticals, including music, gaming, TV/film, kids & family, news, and sports. In 2022, Okosi was named one of the UK Powerlist’s 100 most influential people of black heritage for the second year in a row.
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