Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Intreensic, Nkebet Mesele, has raised concerns about a growing talent shortfall that could threaten Africa’s digital future, warning that the continent may fall short of realising its potential in the face of an estimated 230 million digital jobs by 2030.
Speaking during an interview on Global Business Report on Arise News, Mesele said that unless critical investments are made in specialised digital training, Africa’s fintech, payments, and broader digital sectors may not be able to keep up with global trends.
“We have the roles; what we don’t have are the skilled professionals to fill them,” Mesele stated. “Without urgent investment in practical, specialised training, Africa risks missing a generational opportunity to lead in global digital finance.”
Citing findings from the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, Mesele highlighted that roles such as fintech engineers, AI experts, software developers, and big data specialists are among the fastest-growing globally. However, she warned that Africa could be sidelined unless the continent rapidly builds local talent pipelines to meet these demands.
“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 asked, leveraging her over 17 years of global and African experience in digital payments.
She noted the success of African fintech giants like Flutterwave, Paystack, and Interswitch, which originated in Nigeria and expanded continent-wide, as proof of the region’s potential. “But innovation without talent is unsustainable,” Mesele said.
Mesele’s firm, Intreensic, is taking a proactive role in solving this problem by reimagining payments education through digital platforms. The company offers flexible, online learning via a modern Learning Management System (LMS), aiming to bridge the knowledge gap in the digital payments sector.
Already, participants from Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia are enrolled in Intreensic’s courses, which include interactive content, case studies, and real-world scenarios. The training targets not just aspiring professionals but also those already active in Africa’s fast-growing fintech sector.
She stressed that access to education must be both scalable and localised to achieve meaningful impact. Intreensic plans to establish physical operations in strategic African markets to complement its digital platform and offer broader access to payments training across the continent.
“This isn’t just about jobs — it’s about sustainable innovation and economic independence,” Mesele added. “If we truly want to harness Africa’s digital opportunity, we must invest now in the people who will build that future.”
