#AccelerateAction—the theme for International Women’s Day 2025—could not be more timely. At the current pace, the World Economic Forum projects it will take until 2158—around five generations—to achieve full gender parity. Accelerating action means driving greater momentum and urgency to dismantle the systemic barriers and biases that continue to limit women’s opportunities in both personal and professional spheres.
MODUPE LADIPO
Award-winning Global Strategy & Financial Inclusion Expert | Fintech Ecosystem Builder | Financial Sector Development Specialist | Board Member | Gender & STEM Advocate | Member of the Presidential Committee on Economic & Financial Inclusion
Modupe Ladipo is a strategic and visionary leader with 35 years of experience across financial inclusion, digital finance, capital markets, development finance, investment banking, strategy consulting, and policy reform. She has led the design of national financial inclusion strategies and managed complex, multi-donor programmes across diverse jurisdictions. With a rare blend of strategic insight, operational expertise, business development acumen, and thought leadership, she excels in navigating complex business environments. An entrepreneur at heart, she has successfully established and managed businesses.
As Founder and Managing Director of Prosperar Consulting, she champions financial inclusion and gender equity, working extensively with underserved groups, particularly women and youth-led businesses, by connecting them to finance, mentorship, and capacity-building resources. She also provides coaching on financial and economic inclusion to regulators, entrepreneurs, financial institutions, and public officials. As a member of the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI), she contributes to shaping reforms that promote inclusive growth and support Nigeria’s ambition to become a trillion-dollar economy by 2030.
A pioneer in Nigeria’s financial inclusion journey, she was the founding Executive Director of Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access (EFInA). There, she led the development of Nigeria’s first National Financial Inclusion Strategy, established the Financial Inclusion Secretariat, and introduced the Access to Financial Services in Nigeria (A2F) survey as the national benchmark for tracking inclusion. She partnered with leading financial regulators to design and advance inclusive policy frameworks—spanning agent banking, tiered KYC, non-interest banking, mobile money, and the cashless policy—while championing nationwide financial literacy programmes.
Through her initiatives, 26 million Nigerian adults gained access to the formal financial sector between 2008 and 2016. Her transformative impact earned her the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Leadership Award in Financial Inclusion (2022) and a place among the Guardian Newspaper’s ‘Top 10 Women in Finance’ (2018).
Before EFInA, Modupe built a solid career in the UK’s financial services sector, holding senior roles at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Merrill Lynch, ABN AMRO, London Stock Exchange, and Credit Suisse Financial Products (CSFP), with expertise in M&A, brokerage, capital markets, corporate strategy, and product development.
She holds an MBA from Manchester Business School, a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from University College London, and is an alumna of the Strategic Leadership in Microfinance Executive Programme at Harvard Business School.
Modupe’s Path to Impact
https://businessday.ng/bd-weekender/article/from-uk-to-nigeria-pioneering-financial-inclusion-an-exclusive-interview-with-modupe-ladipo/
As Founder and Managing Director of Prosperar Consulting, she champions financial inclusion and gender equity, working extensively with underserved groups, particularly women and youth-led businesses, by connecting them to finance, mentorship, and capacity-building resources. She also provides coaching on financial and economic inclusion to regulators, entrepreneurs, financial institutions, and public officials. As a member of the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI), she contributes to shaping reforms that promote inclusive growth and support Nigeria’s ambition to become a trillion-dollar economy by 2030.
A pioneer in Nigeria’s financial inclusion journey, she was the founding Executive Director of Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access (EFInA). There, she led the development of Nigeria’s first National Financial Inclusion Strategy, established the Financial Inclusion Secretariat, and introduced the Access to Financial Services in Nigeria (A2F) survey as the national benchmark for tracking inclusion. She partnered with leading financial regulators to design and advance inclusive policy frameworks—spanning agent banking, tiered KYC, non-interest banking, mobile money, and the cashless policy—while championing nationwide financial literacy programmes.
Through her initiatives, 26 million Nigerian adults gained access to the formal financial sector between 2008 and 2016. Her transformative impact earned her the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Leadership Award in Financial Inclusion (2022) and a place among the Guardian Newspaper’s ‘Top 10 Women in Finance’ (2018).
Before EFInA, Modupe built a solid career in the UK’s financial services sector, holding senior roles at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Merrill Lynch, ABN AMRO, London Stock Exchange, and Credit Suisse Financial Products (CSFP), with expertise in M&A, brokerage, capital markets, corporate strategy, and product development.
She holds an MBA from Manchester Business School, a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from University College London, and is an alumna of the Strategic Leadership in Microfinance Executive Programme at Harvard Business School.
Modupe’s Path to Impact
https://businessday.ng/bd-weekender/article/from-uk-to-nigeria-pioneering-financial-inclusion-an-exclusive-interview-with-modupe-ladipo/