Interswitch Group, one of Africa’s leading integrated payments and digital commerce companies, hosted a high-level delegation from the British Deputy High Commission and the UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade at its headquarters in Lagos, in a bid to explore strategic collaboration in Africa’s fintech ecosystem.
The visiting delegation was led by British Deputy High Commissioner Jonny Baxter, alongside UK Trade Envoy to Nigeria Florence Eshalomi, the payment giant said in a statement on Thursday.
The engagement centred on discussions to strengthen bilateral trade ties between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, explore potential collaboration opportunities, and identify avenues for partnership to support Interswitch’s international growth and expansion plans.
Founder and Group Managing Director of Interswitch Group Mitchell Elegbe highlighted the critical role of partnerships in advancing innovation and driving financial inclusion across Africa’s digital payments ecosystem.
“As we continue to scale our operations and deepen our impact across the continent, collaborations with global partners like the UK present invaluable opportunities to accelerate growth, expand access, and deliver transformative financial solutions,” Elegbe remarked.
Other executives who were at the meeting included the Director General of Investments in Africa, Ceri Smith; His Majesty’s Deputy Trade Commissioner in Africa, Ben Ainsley; Country Director, Department for Business and Trade Mark Smithson; Deputy Country Director/Investment Officer Morayo Adekunle; and Private Secretary to the DG Investments James Harding.
On the Interswitch side, the delegation was received by Elegbe, joined by senior executives including Managing Director, Payment Processing and Switching (Interswitch Purepay) Akeem Lawal; Group Chief Financial Officer John Maguire; Managing Director, Interswitch Industry Ecosystems (Interswitch Indeco) Chinyere Don-Okhuofu; Managing Director, Payment Tokens (Verve International) Vincent Ogbunude; Executive Vice President, Strategy & Chief of Staff Ndifreke Nkose; and Chief Innovation Officer Adaobi Okerekeocha.
The UK delegation also underscored the British government’s commitment to supporting strategic investments in Nigeria and fostering stronger trade relations between both countries, particularly in sectors such as technology, financial services, and digital infrastructure.
