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BENJAMIN FERNANDES<br />
(Founder and CEO of NALA)<br />
shares his story and why NALA matters.<br />
Why did you start NALA?<br />
“I believe every African deserves<br />
a chance to turn their dreams<br />
into reality.”<br />
When I left Africa in 2015 I knew<br />
I had to use the opportunities I’d<br />
been granted to help my people.<br />
My goal was to pave the way for<br />
others to achieve their ambitions<br />
and change the world we live in.<br />
I also know it takes drive, commitment<br />
and resilience to make<br />
that happen – all qualities we<br />
African people have plenty of.<br />
But financial support from friends<br />
and families can make a massive<br />
difference to those on the African<br />
continent and its diaspora.<br />
Why Africa? Why now?<br />
”My mission is to create community-powered<br />
financial solutions,<br />
making it easier to make daily<br />
payments and do business in an<br />
increasingly global Africa.”<br />
Every year billions of dollars<br />
are sent from overseas to Sub-<br />
Saharan Africa, earned and given<br />
by people who decided that<br />
although missing the family is<br />
hard, missing an opportunity<br />
is harder. Millions of Africans<br />
live and work away from home,<br />
driven by the vision of a future<br />
they want to build for their loved<br />
ones. Growing up in Tanzania and<br />
watching how mobile payments<br />
were changing the world around<br />
me, I wanted to help catalyze<br />
that change. I left Africa in search<br />
of these opportunities because<br />
I was blessed by people who<br />
believed in me. When I returned,<br />
one burning question became<br />
my driving force…<br />
“How do I bring those same opportunities<br />
to millions of people<br />
across the continent I love?”<br />
So, what’s the plan?<br />
“Africa is the most expensive<br />
place in the world to send money<br />
to. We lose billions in fees every<br />
year.”<br />
At NALA we are using the latest<br />
technology and working<br />
with local communities to make<br />
payments as hassle-free as possible.<br />
Our easy-to-use app allows<br />
anyone to send money from the<br />
UK or US to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania,<br />
Ghana and Rwanda quickly<br />
and at the lowest rates available.<br />
But this is just the beginning. As<br />
NALA grows, we aim to build a<br />
banking and payment platform<br />
for Africans, by Africans. I’d love<br />
you to join us on this journey and<br />
work with us as we help unlock<br />
opportunities for Africa and her<br />
people.<br />
5TH EDITION | JULY <strong>2022</strong><br />
65
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