#WCW: Natalie Payida Jabangwe – Businesswoman

Our #WCW today is Natalie Payida Jabangwe, a trailblazing Zimbabwean computer engineer and business executive whose journey from humble beginnings to global leadership is nothing short of inspiring. Born in the United Kingdom around 1983, she returned to Zimbabwe as an infant and grew up in Norton, where she attended Dudley Hall Primary School before moving on to Chinhoyi High School. Her early years laid the foundation for a remarkable career defined by resilience, vision, and a passion for innovation.

Jabangwe’s academic path reflects her determination to excel in technology and leadership. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Middlesex University in the UK, and through a scholarship, studied at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Later, she pursued an Executive MBA at Imperial College London, specializing in hi-tech strategy, corporate turnaround, and brand management.

She further strengthened her leadership credentials with a Master’s degree in Organisational Leadership from the University of Oxford, through the prestigious Tutu Fellowship. Her career began with bold steps into the world of digital finance and technology. At just 21, while interning in the office of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, she helped draft the city’s first IT security policies — a clear sign of her forward-thinking approach.

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She later worked as a Senior Mobile Financial Services Consultant, shaping strategies across 52 countries and contributing to major global deals, including a PayPal partnership. These early experiences sharpened her skills in systems, security, and scale. Natalie’s rise to prominence came when she was headhunted to lead EcoCash Zimbabwe in 2014.

As CEO, she transformed the mobile money service into one of Africa’s largest fintech platforms, serving over nine million users and processing more than US$16 billion annually — a figure equivalent to over 70% of Zimbabwe’s GDP at the time. Her leadership not only revolutionized digital payments in Zimbabwe but also positioned her as one of Africa’s youngest and most influential fintech executives. Her impact extended beyond EcoCash.

At Sanlam Group, she served as Group Digital Executive Officer, overseeing a US$600 million digital strategy budget across 34 African markets, India, and Malaysia. Today, she leads the Timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation as CEO, steering a US$1 billion startup fund designed to empower young innovators, scale technology solutions, and drive inclusive economic growth across the continent. Her work embodies her belief in bottom-up economic models that place Africa’s future in the hands of its innovators.

Globally recognized for her leadership, Jabangwe has been named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, a Desmond Tutu Fellow, and a Choiseul 100 honouree. She has served on the UN Secretary-General’s Digital Financing Taskforce and continues to champion financial inclusion, women in STEM, and Moonshot Leadership. With her voice and vision, Natalie Payida Jabangwe stands as a beacon of possibility, proving that African women can lead boldly on the world stage while shaping the future of technology and entrepreneurship.

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