Paystack

One of my favorite things about working in fintech is seeing firsthand how technology can unlock opportunities for everyday business owners. On May 1st, I had the opportunity to speak to 50 women SME entrepreneurs about Paystack at an event called “Roots to Revenue” 🇬🇭✨ What made the event even more special was that the initiative was founded by one of our merchants, Yaa Osei Agyapong, a strong advocate of Paystack — with the goal of equipping women entrepreneurs with the skills and tools needed to run their businesses effectively online. Paystack was proud to support the initiative alongside notable brands like MoMo from MTN and China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). The room was filled with ambitious SME founders asking thoughtful, practical questions about payments, online growth, customer trust, and scaling sustainably. What excited me most? Seeing many of them immediately connect with the possibilities of digital commerce. A lot of interest centered around how easy it has become for small businesses to quickly set up an online presence and start accepting payments without needing massive technical knowledge. But beyond the presentation itself, one thing stood out clearly: 👉 The future of Africa’s digital economy will be heavily driven by women entrepreneurs. The hunger to learn, adapt, and build was undeniable. Another powerful takeaway for me was the importance of listening closely to merchants. Some shared honest feedback about their onboarding experiences, operational pain points, and the realities they face serving customers daily. Those conversations are gold. Because innovation doesn’t just happen in meeting rooms — sometimes it happens when you sit down and truly listen to the people using your product. Huge shoutout to the organizers, Obaa Essentials, the amazing women entrepreneurs in attendance, and everyone building tools that empower African businesses to thrive 🚀 Lastly, I was also delighted to reconnect with old friends, including Amanda Akushie, ACXC®,CPPC®, CPT, CCSE, MBA and Vanessa Omari who served as panelists and shared valuable insights from their experiences running their own businesses. #FintechAfrica #WomenInBusiness #CustomerExperience #SMEs #DigitalTransformation #Paystack #GhanaTech

In March, I had the pleasure of organising the first cohort of our free Data Protection Training for Paystack merchants, and honestly, the energy in that (virtual) room was something else. 🚀 So many founders and operators showed up not because they had to, but because they genuinely wanted to do right by their customers. At Paystack, we often say that building a sustainable business that competes globally takes more than a great product. You need the right systems, structures, and processes, and privacy is one of those areas that often gets overlooked until it becomes a very expensive problem. So we set out to do two things with this training: ▪️ Help merchants understand how to actually implement data protection principles in their day-to-day ▪️ Show them why compliance is good for business, not just a box to tick ✅ Simplifying compliance Our Global Data Protection Officer Toulu Akerele FIP, CIPPE, CIPM spent a good chunk of the session breaking down what it means to be a data controller across Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Côte d'Ivoire, and why registration with your local data protection authority is the very first step every business should take. A few highlights we walked through: 🇳🇬 Nigerian merchants: register with the NDPC under the right tier and file annual audits 🇬🇭 🇰🇪 Ghanaian and Kenyan merchants: renew your registration every 2 years 🇨🇮 Ivorian merchants: a one-time registration plus annual self-audit reports ✅ The cost of getting it wrong We didn't shy away from the hard truths either. Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, the NDPC can impose fines of up to ₦10 million or 2% of a company's annual gross revenue. In 2025 alone, the Commission audited over 200 organisations across fintech, gaming, and telecoms, and fined non-compliant businesses an estimated ₦5 billion. But honestly, the fines aren't even the worst of it. The real cost is the trust you lose with your customers after a breach, and that's a debt that takes years, sometimes decades, to repay. ✅ Why this matters to me Our merchants keep the ecosystem alive. So if there's a way we can make compliance feel less daunting and more doable, I want us to be in that work. For merchants who missed this cohort, don't worry, registration for our second (and final) cohort of the year opens in June 2026. In the meantime, you can read our simple guide on registering with the DPAs in Nigeria and Kenya here: https://lnkd.in/ezUt9MsW Also browse more resources on our security and data protection support page here: https://lnkd.in/eKdG9SrK A heartfelt thank you to every merchant who showed up, asked questions, and made this session what it was. 💙 #Paystack #DataProtection #MerchantGrowth #Compliance