Mitchell Elegbe, the founder and chief executive of the pan-African technology company Interswitch, has been appointed to the global jury for the 2026 EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in Monaco. He stands as the only African and the only Black entrepreneur on this year’s panel.
Elegbe began his journey in Lagos, where he identified a glaring gap in the financial infrastructure of Nigeria. At the time, the lack of integration between banks and merchants made electronic transactions unreliable. In 2002, he launched Interswitch to build the digital rails that would connect a fragmented economy.
Two decades later, his company processes billions of transactions annually and operates across several African nations. Elegbe is widely credited with democratising access to digital payments, enabling millions of unbanked citizens to participate in the formal economy.
His role on the Monaco jury will involve evaluating some of the most disruptive business leaders from around the world. For Elegbe, the appointment is not merely a personal accolade. He sees it as a signal that African innovation has earned a permanent seat at the global table.
Speaking about the honour, Elegbe said that true success is measured by the opportunities you create for others. He continues to invest in technology hubs and mentorship programmes for young African developers. Mitchell Elegbe remains a quiet but formidable force, proving that the future of finance is being written from Lagos as much as from London or San Francisco.
