By Chinenye Anuforo
As Africa anticipates a staggering 230 million digital jobs by 2030, a critical talent shortfall is threatening to derail the continent’s digital aspirations. Nkebet Mesele, Founder and CEO of Intreensic, a payments education and advisory firm, is urgently calling for a rapid evolution in fintech, payments, and digital education systems to avert a looming crisis.
In a recent interview on Arise News’ Global Business Report, Mesele issued a stark warning: “We have the roles, what we don’t have are the skilled professionals to fill them. Without urgent investment in practical, specialized training, Africa risks missing a generational opportunity to lead in global digital finance.”
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 highlights technology-related roles, including fintech engineers, AI and machine learning experts, software and application developers, and big data specialists, as among the fastest-growing opportunities globally. However, Mesele cautioned that Africa risks being left behind if its workforce isn’t adequately prepared for these evolving demands.
Drawing on over 17 years of experience in global and African digital payments markets, Mesele emphasized, “The payments and fintech ecosystem in Africa is growing at a remarkable pace, but do we have the right skills to power this growth?”
She pointed to the success of African fintech unicorns like Flutterwave, Paystack, and Interswitch as evidence of the continent’s innovative capacity. “The emergence of fintech unicorns… demonstrates the continent’s capacity to lead in digital innovation. But innovation without talent is unsustainable. If we truly want to harness the full potential of Africa’s digital economy, investing in scalable, specialized payments and fintech education must become a priority across Africa.”
To address this critical gap, Intreensic, under Mesele’s leadership, is reimagining payments education across the continent. The firm delivers courses through a state-of-the-art online learning management system, providing flexible and accessible training to learners across Africa. Participants from Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia are already benefiting from Intreensic’s digital platform, which offers engaging content, interactive sessions, and real-world case studies.
Intreensic plans to further expand its reach by establishing localized operations in key African markets, aiming to make specialized education and expertise more accessible to everyone involved in the burgeoning payments sector.