As Paga marked its 16th anniversary, our founder and Group CEO, Tayo Oviosu, reflected on a remarkable journey that began in 2009 with a mission: to make it simple for one billion people to access and use money.
It was a bold dream, born not just out of ambition, but out of a desire to solve real, everyday problems for Nigerians.
In a recent LinkedIn article commemorating this milestone, Tayo shares the Paga’s evolution story and offers a glimpse into the future.
He recalls the early days: “Back then, we wanted to give people the freedom to live an everyday life – one where making a payment was not what prevented you from doing what you were trying to accomplish – whether that be paying for school fees, a meal, your television, or electricity. We were making life possible.”
That ethos has fueled everything we’ve built. We started small, with big dreams. Today, we’re a leading payments and financial services ecosystem. And the progress has been remarkable.
Paga has processed over 472 million transactions, valued at more than ₦24 trillion (US $53 billion). Our first thirteen years were spent building the infrastructure and ecosystem from the ground up, because it simply didn’t exist when we started.
The results speak for themselves: 61% of all transactions in our history have been processed in just the past three years, a true testament to the scale and momentum of our growth.
And we’re just getting started.
But as Tayo notes, “It is not enough to make life possible.” With Africa’s population expected to double by 2050, the future demands more.
The next chapter for Paga is about empowering Africans with the Freedom to Thrive, a vision for a continent where:
- Individuals can work globally without limitations
- Businesses engage in cross-border commerce seamlessly
- Every small enterprise is fully digital, efficient, and equipped to grow
In this next chapter, we are ensuring that Africans are not just surviving but thriving in a connected global economy.
Join us as we build a future where every African can thrive, locally and globally.
Read Tayo’s full article on LinkedIn: Paga is Sweet 16.
