L-R: Ben Ainsley, His Majesty’s Deputy Trade Commissioner for Africa; Jonny Baxter, British Deputy High Commissioner; Florence Eshalomi, UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria; Mitchell Elegbe, Founder/GMD Interswitch Group; Akeem Lawal, MD, Payment Processing and Switching (Interswitch Purepay) and Ceri Smith, Director General- Investments for the UK Department for Business and Trade during the Delegation’s visit to Interswitch Group Headquarters in Lagos recently.
Interswitch Group, one of Africa’s leading integrated payments and digital commerce companies, recently hosted a high-level delegation from the British Deputy High Commission and the UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT) at its headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The visiting delegation, which was led by the British Deputy High Commissioner, Mr. Jonny Baxter, alongside the UK’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria, Florence Eshalomi MP; Director General – 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 Mitchell Elegbe, Founder and Group Managing Director, Interswitch Group, joined by senior executives including Akeem Lawal Managing Director, Payment Processing and Switching (Interswitch Purepay) John Maguire, Group Chief Financial Officer; Chinyere Don-Okhuofu, Managing Director, Interswitch Industry Ecosystems (Interswitch Indeco); Vincent Ogbunude; Managing Director, Payment Tokens (Verve International); Ndifreke Nkose Executive Vice President, Strategy & Chief of Staff, and Adaobi Okerekeocha, Chief Innovation Officer.
Discussions during the visit centred on strengthening bilateral trade ties, exploring potential collaboration opportunities, and identifying avenues for partnership to support Interswitch’s international growth and expansion plans.
Speaking during the engagement, Mitchell Elegbe, Founder & GMD of Interswitch Group, highlighted the significance of partnerships in driving innovation and 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,” he said.
The UK delegation also emphasized the UK 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.
The visit underscores Interswitch’s role as a key player in Africa’s rapidly evolving digital economy and reaffirms the importance of international collaboration in unlocking sustainable economic growth.
