Sierra Leone’s Vult taps Ugandan fintech expert Esther Nigiwan as operations chief

Sierra Leone-based digital financial services company Vult has appointed Ugandan fintech expert Esther Linda Nigiwan as its chief operations officer (COO), as the company seeks to expand its digital payment services and deepen financial inclusion.

Nigiwan, who has relocated to Freetown, Sierra Leone, brings more than 10 years of experience in digital financial services, market expansion and commercial leadership across Sub-Saharan Africa.

She joins Vult from Pyypl, where she served as Head of Africa, overseeing expansion and financial performance across eight African markets, including Sierra Leone.

During her tenure, she led the rollout of a remittance corridor connecting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Sub-Saharan Africa, which generated close to $7 million in transaction value within its first six months.

She also built a workforce of more than 70 people across different jurisdictions and negotiated strategic partnerships with global financial technology companies, including Ripple, Flutterwave and Binance, helping secure better pricing and strengthen cross-border liquidity.

Before joining Pyypl, Nigiwan spent more than three years at SeerBit Uganda as Country Sales Manager, where she spearheaded the company’s digital payments expansion.

One of her notable achievements was originating a white-label banking partnership that onboarded more than two million customers within three months.

She previously worked in distribution and market expansion roles at Wave Mobile Money and Numida Technologies, where she developed agent networks and sales strategies as the two companies expanded their digital financial services operations in Uganda.

At Vult, Nigiwan will oversee commercial strategy as the company strengthens its wallet, card and merchant payment services for individuals and businesses across Sierra Leone.

The appointment comes as the company seeks to broaden access to secure and customer-focused financial services while increasing the use of digital payments among individuals and merchants.

Nigiwan holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA), majoring in Strategy, from Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University. She also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Makerere University Business School.

Beyond her corporate career, she writes Africa Fintech Insider, a LinkedIn newsletter covering financial technology, market expansion and digital finance across the continent.

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