ABU YAHAYA
Accra
Summary
Pragmatic professional with solid experience in leadership roles and over 25 years of work experience. Adept at implementing strategic business plans, driving growth and improving operations. Skilled in stakeholder relations, problem-solving, and communication with good understanding of business principles, project management and team leadership. Collaborative with relentless work ethic and dedicated to building and leading talented and motivated individuals.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Vice President/Chief Technical Officer & Chief Partnerships Officer
OPay
12.2021 - Current
- Responsible for technology operations, and managing all technical partnerships for integrations and products roll-out for expansion into new countries in Africa
- Signed MoU/NDA with more than 10 partners within 3 months
- Worked with the OPay Zambian team on the SOPs/BRDs for their digital products design & development, trust bank & National Financial Switch integrations, innovative market strategies and application readiness for the market launch
- Successfully signed Group master agreements with Terrapay, UBA, Flocash and Cellulant
- Was lead driver for payment license acquisition for OPay Cote d’Ivoire
- Successfully executed bank sponsorship agreement between Ecobank and OPay Cote d'Ivoire
- Worked with UBA to design platform architecture for partnership with OPay
- Worked with product team on products/platform design and development for new African markets
- Also played role in recruitment process of country CTOs and country CEOs for other African markets
- Also current lead driver for payment license acquisition for Cameroon and CEMAC region
- Recruited a number of partners including banks & payment aggregators for partnerships to offer bill payments and last mile termination to bank accounts, mobile wallets and pay-out at bank branches
- Clarified roles, responsibilities and expectations of staff
- Formulated and executed strategic initiatives to improve product offerings
- Directed technological improvements, reducing waste and business bottlenecks
- Established and maintained strong relationships with customers, vendors and strategic partners
- Increased company growth through collaboration with sales and marketing departments
- Monitored industry trends, keeping current on latest changes and competition in industry
- Evaluated product development strategies and prepared alternative approaches to goal achievement
- Used market insights to capitalize on key business opportunities for new advantageous partnerships
- Initiated strategy to drive company growth and increase market share and profitability.
Executive Director/Global Head Digital Payments
Wari S.A.
02.2019 - 11.2021
- Improved digital financial payment services roll-out and enhanced digital eco-system through key strategic partnerships and initiatives- Interswitch (Nigeria), eTranzact (Ghana), GIMAC (CEMAC), GAMSWITCH (Gambia), and Interswitch (Kenya)
- Exhibited strong and effective negotiation skills securing lowest possible rates with partners resulting in cost savings of over 25%
- Slashed PCI DSS overall average project cost by over 30% while delivering high consistent results
- Approached and solved work problems with initiative and sound judgment
- Contributed ideas for improving work processes related to digital payments
- Maintained compliance with regulatory requirements as regards digital payments services
- Improved team performance with effective project management skills
- Developed effective channel and product strategies based on market opportunities
- Organized and coordinated project team meetings
- Responsible for digital payment operations and technologies, including payment terminals and deployment of digital equipment in partnership with enablers across all Wari markets/operations
- Initiated strategy to drive company growth and increase market share and profitability
- Established and maintained strong relationships with key customers, vendors and strategic partners
- Collaborated with legal, compliance and other professional teams to review and maintain compliance with regulations
- Formulated and executed strategic initiatives to improve product offerings.
- Exercised appropriate cost control to meet budget restrictions and maximize profitability
- Aligned department vision, goals, and objectives with company strategy to achieve consistently high results
- Represented organization at industry conferences and events.
- Maintained P&L and digital sales management
- Set organisational goals and objectives to guide and direct company focus and achieve mission fulfilment within digital payment space.
- Led recruitment and development of strategic alliances to maximize utilization of existing talent and capabilities
- Analyzed industry trends and tracked competitor activities to inform decision making
- Built and maintained strong company teams by hiring and training qualified staff to create positive and productive work environments.
- Established and maintained strong relationships with customers, vendors and strategic partners
- Developed and implemented organizational strategies to achieve set goals and objectives and secured long-term success
- Worked closely with organisational leadership and board of directors to guide operational strategy in digital payments
- Monitored compliance with laws and regulations to protect organisation from legal liabilities and penalties within digital payment space
- Represented organization at industry conferences and events
Director Digital Business
Wari S.A.
06.2018 - 01.2019
- Developed digital business strategy and road-map for Africa roll-out
- Developed and delivered the product concept & integration framework for mobile money aggregation and direct transfer to bank account across Africa
- Contributed ideas for improving new product concepts and initiatives
- Collaborated with team members to meet daily demands and handle challenging projects
- Enhanced project delivery efficiency with quick closure on pending projects - QuickTeller for VAS in Nigeria, Verve with MyWari, ImpalaPay in Kenya and FloCash in UK for VAS, mobile aggregation and online collections
- Collaborated with upper management to drive strategy and implement new processes
- Established departmental performance goals and provided feedback for underperforming areas
- Assisted with sales and marketing strategies to foster achievement of revenue goals
- Developed project budgets and managed implementation costs
- Increased card sales and pos revenue by 25%
- Paid attention to detail while completing assignments.
- Managed time efficiently in order to complete all tasks within deadlines.
- Acted as a team leader in group projects, delegating tasks and providing feedback
- Developed strong communication and organizational skills through working on group projects
- Gained strong leadership skills by managing projects from start to finish.
- Organized and detail-oriented with a strong work ethic
- Demonstrated strong organizational and time management skills while managing multiple projects
- Adaptable and proficient in learning new concepts quickly and efficiently.
- Developed and maintained courteous and effective working relationships.
- Proven ability to learn quickly and adapt to new situations
- Strengthened communication skills through regular interactions with others
- Demonstrated respect, friendliness and willingness to help wherever needed
- Exercised leadership capabilities by successfully motivating and inspiring others
- Self-motivated, with a strong sense of personal responsibility
Head Digital Banking Africa
United Bank for Africa Plc
04.2013 - 05.2018
- Achieved average year-on-year (YoY) growth of over 250% in financial performance representing over NGN1B (US$5M) in revenue per month from digital banking products
- Successfully delivered the Visa & MasterCard PoS & Web Acquiring projects worth over US$2M within budget and on time with over 30% revenue contribution to total revenue in Year 1 of launched
- Deployment of over two thousands (2,000) PoS terminals and recruitment of over hundred (100) e-commerce merchants across 18 UBA Africa subsidiaries within one year
- Developed and deployed first MasterCard Virtual companion card program with Airtel Money and MTN Mobile Money in DRC and Uganda respectively
- Developed product roll-out framework and deployment of bank-to-wallet integration solution with Orange, Airtel and MTN across Africa with impact to reach millions of mobile wallet and account holders
- Successfully delivered Issuing and Acquiring BIN sponsorship framework for UBA Group
- Planned and coordinated the sales initiatives & activities of 18 Digital Banking Heads across Africa
- Enhanced product portfolio through innovative initiatives and key partnerships with Fintech, achieving over 80% revenue increase from this space in some countries within one year
- Achieved over 30% reduction in cost through product localization by leading and rolling out first UBA Zambia Verve Prepaid card for FISP program with key partnership with Verve International
- Improved revenue performance by average of over 30% month-on-month (MoM) growth and average customer satisfaction index of 80% with several digital banking initiatives across 18 UBA Africa presence countries including mobile banking, card2wallet, GIM-UEMOA integration, debit & prepaid cards, close-loop PoS acquiring, agency banking with strategic partners, micro-savings product, cash management solutions for corporate customers, and Visa & MasterCard ATM acquiring
- Delivered sterling performance with country digital banking teams leading to several top awards for best product performance and digital banking leadership in some countries
- Met products/channels subscription and revenue targets through successful approaches to strategic sales & performance management skills which includes effective leadership, performance monitoring, coaching/mentoring and innovative team management skills.
- Trained, mentored, and developed new country heads of digital banking with positive and encouraging techniques to maximize performance and team contributions
- Mentored new team members on POS system operation, customer service strategies, and sales goals
- Acted as a team leader in group projects, delegating tasks and providing feedback
- Managed time efficiently in order to complete all tasks within deadlines
- Strengthened communication skills through regular interactions with others
- Exercised leadership capabilities by successfully motivating and inspiring others
- Self-motivated, with a strong sense of personal responsibility
- Demonstrated strong organizational and time management skills while managing multiple projects
- Proven ability to develop and implement creative solutions to complex problems
- Developed and maintained courteous and effective working relationships
- Completed paperwork, recognizing discrepancies and promptly addressing for resolution
- Demonstrated leadership skills in managing projects from concept to completion
- Passionate about learning and committed to continual improvement
- Worked effectively in fast-paced environments
- Skilled at working independently and collaboratively in a team environment
- Participated in team projects, demonstrating an ability to work collaboratively and effectively
- Resolved problems, improved operations and provided exceptional service
Head Channels
United Bank for Africa Plc
08.2012 - 03.2013
- Achieved over 50% of e-banking revenue budget for UBA Africa within 4 months
- Increased e-products uptake across UBA Africa by over 20%
- Submitted e-banking strategy report on bank’s e-banking play within 3 weeks of resumption which led to increase of 50% revenue achievement within 4 months
- Implemented key performance driven initiates such as MPR for Africa e-banking head
- Successfully facilitated online visa training on debit cards for UBA Africa that lead to over 20% increase in card uptake within 4 months
- Implemented pricing review initiatives to make products profitable
- Developed standard KPIs for e-banking heads in Africa.
- Successfully won 3 cross-border collection mandates for UBA Ghana within 5 days that has generated over GHS1.5M as inflows
- Proven ability to develop and implement creative solutions to complex problems
- Demonstrated high level of initiative and creativity while tackling difficult tasks
- Developed strong communication and organizational skills through working on group projects
Country Head Products
United Bank for Africa (Ghana)
10.2010 - 07.2012
- Developed and rolled out Visa Chip Prepaid card that targeted non-account holders for financial inclusion and also positioned as on-line shopping card with other horizontal products for specific market niches
- Developed and implemented branchless banking initiatives within Accra Mall to drive remote banking as pioneers in Ghana
- Pioneered development and roll-out of value-added services (VAS) such as air-time top up, airline ticketing and card-less ATM withdrawal on ATMs in Ghana
- Developed and deployed collection solution with other vertical products i.e Identity management for Regent University & Kumasi Polytechnic that led winning other university mandates for collections
- Developed profitability threshold for products and channels with resultant price reviews that improved revenue by 25% (GHS1.2M) within one year
- Created specific product initiatives that increased revenue from remittance by doubling number of payout points by 100% (27) through recruitment of sub-agents
- Initiated and rolled out new remittance products (Western Union and Cash-Fast) with over 100% revenue achievement for Western within first year of launch
- Used strong analytical and problem-solving skills to develop effective solutions for challenging situations
- Demonstrated strong organizational and time management skills while managing multiple projects
- Gained strong leadership skills by managing projects from start to finish
- Resolved problems, improved operations and provided exceptional service
Head E-Business
United Bank for Africa (Ghana)
05.2007 - 09.2010
- Developed and rolled out Visa EMV debit and credit cards (classic, gold and platinum) with over 60% card penetration rate within one year
- Conceptualized, designed and deployed first set of offsite ATMs through collaboration with I.T., Branch staff and MCC team
- Designed, developed and roll-out the first loyalty & super-saver electronic cards in Ghana for Melcom and Koala supermarket
- Pioneered and successfully deployed first biometric card on national switch (e- zwich)
- Developed and deployed first payment solution to United Airlines that created significant collection opportunity for UBA
- Pioneered development and deployment of mobile money for UBA with successful launch of MTN mobile money, Airtel money and tiGO Cash with over one million-subscriber base for UBA from Airtel Money
- Made significant contribution on key regulatory reforms that increased mobile money uptake and transactions with over 100% YoY growth
- Designed and implemented solution for online booking and payments of Aero ticketing at UBA branches which generated 30% increase in collections volume within first year of launch
- Received commendation from executive management on good and exemplary leadership in 2008
- Significantly increased uptime on all channels to over 99% with customer-centric focus and attitude
- Adaptable and proficient in learning new concepts quickly and efficiently.
- Strengthened communication skills through regular interactions with others
- Developed strong communication and organizational skills through working on group projects
- Cultivated interpersonal skills by building positive relationships with others
- Used strong analytical and problem-solving skills to develop effective solutions for challenging situations
- Applied effective time management techniques to meet tight deadlines
- Identified issues, analyzed information and provided solutions to problems
- Gained strong leadership skills by managing projects from start to finish
- Adaptable and proficient in learning new concepts quickly and efficiently
- Resolved problems, improved operations and provided exceptional service
- Proved successful working within tight deadlines and a fast-paced environment
- Developed and maintained courteous and effective working relationships
- Demonstrated leadership skills in managing projects from concept to completion
- Used critical thinking to break down problems, evaluate solutions and make decisions
Head Application Support/DBA & Process Automation
United Bank for Africa (Ghana)
08.2004 - 04.2007
- Developed and implemented collection solutions for businesses called Finacle@Merchant that led to significant growth on corporate customer base and deposit mobilization drive
- Successfully deployed bank’s SWIFT platform for international remittances/transfers
- Administered Oracle DB, Finacle and Unix AIX operating system on day-to-day basis
- Developed Finacle scripts for products deployment, system enhancement and complex report generation
- Implemented FX trading module in Finacle that generated over ¢3bn in FX revenue and achieved cost savings of over US$300k
- Was awarded overall best participant at banking school organized by Augusto.
- Applied effective time management techniques to meet tight deadlines.
- Proven ability to develop and implement creative solutions to complex problems.
- Worked flexible hours across night, weekend and holiday shifts.
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
- Worked well in team settings, providing support and guidance.
- Managed time efficiently in order to complete all tasks within deadlines.
- Demonstrated respect, friendliness and willingness to help wherever needed.
- Adaptable and proficient in learning new concepts quickly and efficiently.
- Learned and adapted quickly to new technology and software applications.
- Delivered services to customer locations within specific timeframes.
- Exercised leadership capabilities by successfully motivating and inspiring others.
Vice President/Group I.T. Manager
Databank Group
09.2003 - 07.2004
- Developed 3-year IT strategic plan which became blue-print for technology roll-out across all subsidiaries
- Developed Disaster Recovery Planning and Business Continuity document
- Developed IT Policy to create harmonized and secure IT work environment
- Developed policies and standards for IT equipment procurement and usage
- Created solutions to assist remote branches connect to head office through cheaper and secure link
- Designed and developed Automated Cheque Printing solution that significantly increased speed of pay-outs to customers
- In-charged of recommending and purchasing of all IT equipment with best-in-class negotiation skills that reduced overall IT expenditure by over 20%
- Re-designed and revamped corporate website which was later adjudged as best corporate website in 2005
- Managed all external IT consultants and vendors.
- Established performance goals for department and outlined processes for achievement.
Programmer/Systems Analyst
Bank of Ghana
03.1999 - 08.2003
- Designed and developed Oracle HR application for HR Department for personnel data management
- Worked as software architect and Oracle DBA to automate submission of banks’ regulatory returns
- Fixed Y2K bug on branch banking application which was developed in-house
- Designed and developed solution for 3-Year Government of Ghana Index-Linked Bond that helped government to raise critical funds for developmental projects at that time
- Served as key technical resource for resolving user incidences and challenges bank-wide
- Taught computer database concepts and application development at National Banking College.
- Utilized both agile and waterfall methodologies to develop software of varying complexity and business needs
- Suggested new technologies and tools for enhancing product value and increasing productivity.
- Mastered multiple frameworks for software development
- Collaborated with other developers to refine software design and implementation
- Worked with software development and testing team members to design and develop robust solutions to meet client requirements for functionality, scalability, and performance.
- Worked with cross-functional design teams to create software solutions that improved overall functionality and performance
- Coached interns and new employees to boost departmental efficiency.
- Incorporated database technologies into coding projects
- Performed code refactoring and optimization to improve performance
- Provided computer programming subject matter expertise to project team members
- Developed in-house applications designed for company needs
- Researched information and conducted analysis for software and systems modifications and new projects
- Collaborated with team to determine application requirement specifications
- Created databases, data entry systems, web forms and other applications for diverse uses
- Optimized application performance by developing algorithms and software to monitor and refine technical performance and configuration
- Debugged problems caused by hardware, operating systems software, application programs and network failures
- Implemented scripts to enhance user experience
Programmer/Systems Analyst
Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT)
02.1998 - 02.1999
- Administered main Oracle Pension System
- Generated several reports with SQL and PL/SQL scripting as MIS for executive Management
- Developed some reports templates and data capture forms for Student Loan Application
- Migrated some forms and reports from SQL Forms & SQL Reports to Developer/2000 for re-engineered Pension System
- Set up and created menus security roles for upgraded Pension System
- Performed data conversion and upload from Oracle 6 to Oracle 8i
- Trained new employees (Programmers) on Oracle products
- Utilized both agile and waterfall methodologies to develop software of varying complexity and business needs.
- Analyzed, reviewed and revised programs to increase operating efficiency.
- Contributed to codebase used in software deployment on multiple virtual machines
- Mastered multiple frameworks for software development
- Collaborated with other developers to refine software design and implementation
- Worked with software development and testing team members to design and develop robust solutions to meet client requirements for functionality, scalability, and performance
- Coordinated with stakeholders to define project technical requirements.
- Worked with cross-functional design teams to create software solutions that improved overall functionality and performance
- Coached interns and new employees to boost departmental efficiency
- Incorporated database technologies into coding projects
- Performed code refactoring and optimization to improve performance
- Provided computer programming subject matter expertise to project team members
- Developed in-house applications designed for company needs
- Designed intuitive graphical user interfaces to improve user experience
- Debugged problems caused by hardware, operating systems software, application programs and network failures
- Implemented scripts to enhance user experience
- Tested server code to validate code changes
- Created databases, data entry systems, web forms and other applications for diverse uses
Senior Research Assistant
University of Ghana
08.1996 - 01.1998
- Served as systems administrator for IBM and UNIX servers
- Worked on Oracle DBA & PL/SQL scripts on the Integrated Tertiary Software (ITS) project
- Managed over 50 complaints per day
- Maintained and administered University Entrance Examination
- Carried out User Acceptance Testing (UAT) during roll out of ITS platform
- Supervised data entry staff at Data Processing Centre (DPC)
- Timely resolution of all student complaints
- Acted as effective back-up to Head of Data Processing Centre (DPC).
- Worked well in team setting, providing support and guidance
- Gained extensive knowledge in data entry, analysis and reporting
- Exercised leadership capabilities by successfully motivating and inspiring others
- Worked effectively in fast-paced environments
- Used critical thinking to break down problems, evaluate solutions and make decisions
- Strengthened communication skills through regular interactions with others
- Provided general technical support in professional environment
- Developed and maintained courteous and effective working relationships.
- Cultivated interpersonal skills by building positive relationships with others.
- Developed strong communication and organizational skills through working on group projects
- Adaptable and proficient in learning new concepts quickly and efficiently
- Demonstrated strong organizational and time management skills while managing multiple projects
- Identified issues, analyzed information and provided solutions to problems
- Resolved problems, improved operations and provided exceptional service
- Skilled at working independently and collaboratively in team environment
- Proved successful working within tight deadlines and fast-paced environment
- Managed time efficiently in order to complete all tasks within deadlines.
- Learned and adapted quickly to new technology and software applications
- Self-motivated, with strong sense of personal responsibility
Education
MBA - Business Administration
Blekinge Institute of Technology
Karlskrona, Sweden09.2009
B.A. (Hon) - Computer Science and Statistics
University of Ghana
Accra, Ghana06.1996
Skills
- Player Hiring
- Agile Project Management
- People Management
- Innovation & Products Management
- Complex Problem-Solving skills
- Sales Growth
- Cultural awareness
- Budgeting and Forecasting
- Critical Thinking
- Coaching and Mentoring
- Strategic Planning
- Coordination
- Partnerships and Affiliations
- Performance Monitoring and Evaluation
- Negotiation and Persuasion
- Social Perceptiveness
- Legal Research
- Competitor Trends
- Okrs and KPIs
- Business Law
- Systems Analysis
- Relational Database Management Software
- Presentations
- Writing
Certification
Oracle Certified Professional (Oracle 8i)
Oracle Certified Professional (Oracle 10g)
Member of BCS (MBCS)
Chartered IT Professional (CITP)
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Quote
Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.
Bill Gates
Timeline
Vice President/Chief Technical Officer & Chief Partnerships Officer
OPay
12.2021 - Current
Executive Director/Global Head Digital Payments
Wari S.A.
02.2019 - 11.2021
Director Digital Business
Wari S.A.
06.2018 - 01.2019
Head Digital Banking Africa
United Bank for Africa Plc
04.2013 - 05.2018
Head Channels
United Bank for Africa Plc
08.2012 - 03.2013
Country Head Products
United Bank for Africa (Ghana)
10.2010 - 07.2012
Head E-Business
United Bank for Africa (Ghana)
05.2007 - 09.2010
Head Application Support/DBA & Process Automation
United Bank for Africa (Ghana)
08.2004 - 04.2007
Vice President/Group I.T. Manager
Databank Group
09.2003 - 07.2004
Programmer/Systems Analyst
Bank of Ghana
03.1999 - 08.2003
Programmer/Systems Analyst
Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT)
02.1998 - 02.1999
Senior Research Assistant
University of Ghana
08.1996 - 01.1998
MBA - Business Administration
Blekinge Institute of Technology
B.A. (Hon) - Computer Science and Statistics
University of Ghana
Oracle Certified Professional (Oracle 8i)
Oracle Certified Professional (Oracle 10g)
Member of BCS (MBCS)
Chartered IT Professional (CITP)
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