Vult Appoints Ugandan Fintech Veteran Esther Linda Nigiwan as COO for Sierra Leone Operations

Vult, a rapidly growing digital financial super app in Sierra Leone, has appointed Esther Linda Nigiwan as its Chief Operations Officer. Nigiwan, a Ugandan fintech veteran with over 10 years of experience in digital financial services, market expansion, and commercial leadership across Sub-Saharan Africa, has relocated to Freetown to take up the role. Her expertise will be crucial in leading Vult's commercial strategy as the company aims to deepen financial inclusion in Sierra Leone.

Nigiwan joins Vult from Pyypl, where she served as Head of Africa, leading multi-country expansion and overseeing regional P&L performance across eight African markets, including Sierra Leone. During her tenure, she successfully directed the rollout of a remittance corridor linking the UAE to Sub-Saharan Africa, generating close to $7 million in transaction value within its first six months. Additionally, she built a hybrid team of over 70 people across multiple jurisdictions and negotiated strategic partnerships with Ripple, Flutterwave, and Binance.

Before joining Pyypl, Nigiwan spent over three years at SeerBit Uganda as Country Sales Manager, where she led the country's digital payments expansion and originated a white-label banking partnership that onboarded more than two million customers within three months. She began her career in distribution and go-to-market roles at Wave Mobile Money and Numida Technologies, building agent networks and sales strategies for two of Uganda's earliest digital financial services players.

Nigiwan's appointment comes as Vult is expanding its wallet, card, and merchant payment offerings to individuals and businesses across Sierra Leone. The company aims to provide secure and customer-centric financial services, deepening financial inclusion for individuals and merchants. With Nigiwan at the helm, Vult is poised to make significant strides in achieving its goals.

Vult's CEO expressed confidence in Nigiwan's ability to lead the company's commercial strategy, citing her track record of scaling digital financial services across multiple African markets. Nigiwan's expertise and experience make her the right leader for this stage of Vult's journey. Her role will be crucial in driving the company's growth and expansion plans.

Nigiwan holds an MBA with a major in Strategy from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Makerere University Business School. She is also the author of Africa Fintech Insider, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on fintech, market expansion, and digital finance across the continent.

With Nigiwan's appointment, Vult is set to strengthen its presence in Sierra Leone and make a meaningful impact on the country's financial landscape. Her expertise and experience will be instrumental in driving financial inclusion and expanding access to secure and customer-centric financial services.

Key points

• Esther Linda Nigiwan brings over 10 years of experience in digital financial services, market expansion, and commercial leadership across Sub-Saharan Africa to her new role as COO at Vult.