NewsVisa Chooses Kenya Over Nigeria For First Innovation Studio In Africa

Visa, a global digital payments giant, has opened its first innovation studio in Sub-Saharan Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.

The studio was officially opened by Dr. Patrick Njoroge, the Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya on Wednesday, at an event attended by leading banks, financial technology companies, and innovation specialists from across Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to the multinational financial services company, the new hub will serve as a launchpad to further penetrate Africa’s payment market. by bringing together the entire community of creators, innovators, tech entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, etc. to create solutions that will tackle the many pinpoints that consumers face in the financial services sector in Africa.

“Sub-Saharan Africa is a fast-growing region with a tech-savvy population. As we continue to grow digital payments adoption in the region, our aspiration is to deepen our collaboration with clients and partners in developing solutions that are designed around the unique needs of Africa,” said Aida Diarra, Senior Vice President & Head of Visa in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“As a brand built on technology, Visa has driven the major technology advancements that make electronic payments what they are today. We are confident that the innovation studio will continue that legacy and cement Sub-Saharan Africa’s position as a leader in creating out-of-the-box solutions to deal with our most pressing challenges as a region,” added Diarra.

The unveiled facility in Kenya joins a network of innovation centres operated by Visa since 2016.

It is the sixth globally, after those opened in Dubai, London, Miami, San Francisco, and Singapore.

It is the first in Sub-Saharan Africa and will provide Visa partners with cutting-edge capabilities to co-create future commerce solutions on the continent.