TECHNOLOGY is at the centre of the success that Lupiya has achieved, says the online lending marketplace co-founder and chief executive officer Ms Evelyn Chilomo Kaingu.
Speaking when the ICT Association of Zambia (ICTAZ) Chief Executive Officer Mr Chellah Silavwe visited the Lupiya offices yesterday, Ms Kaingu expressed optimism of what the future in tech holds and is looking forward to collaboration with ICTAZ.
ICTAZ has taken on a strategic direction to position itself beyond being a regulator by ensuring that the association provides value to members and the stakeholders in the ICT industry.
The association is striving to ensure that tangible value is created for members and that the tech sector is unified in achieving business success. The duo agreed that several countries such as the United States of America and India could point to ICT as a driver of the economy, adding that the human resource of Zambia’s ICT sector held the potential to provide tech solutions that could result in increased revenue.
Mr Silavwe congratulated Ms. Kaingu on emerging as the CEO of the Year at the ICTAZ 2024 ICT Awards and presented her with a certificate of recognition and the Award plaque. He emphasized that apart from the annual awards ceremony, ICTAZ would begin to undertake activities that would shine a spotlight on the players in the ICT space.
He said Zambia had many outstanding ICT professionals and tech based innovations that have not been widely acknowledged. There are plans for a monthly tech newsletter, tech podcast, talent identification, innovation hackathons, professional development engagements and stakeholder collaborations aimed at raising the profile of ICT.
The ICTAZ CEO also highlighted the need for high-level stakeholder engagement that could ensure information sharing, policy direction and tech innovation. He said Zambia had witnessed changes in the legislative policy relating to information and communications technology. Adding that a think-tank engagement on cyber security was amongst the planned engagements.
During the meeting, the Lupiya CEO accompanied by Lupiya head of technology Penjani Mkandawire, shared that the firm placed a priority on tech innovation because it drives growth. Adding that constant innovation was required to meet the demand of customers.
Ms Kaingu said she was greatly honoured to have won the award, especially in light of the prestigious chief executive officers that were nominated in the category.
The ICTAZ 2024 ICT Awards were decided by public vote and professional adjudication with the winners announced at a gala event that boasted the best of the ICT sector and celebrated the innovations of individuals and firms.
Lupiya has been described as a neobank providing online loans, payments and investments, access to finance for individuals and SMEs looking to grow. The company offers a range of products and services, including mobile banking and bill payments.
She is an award-winning young leader whose selfless belief in people drives her to innovate solutions that are people centric. Her ideas are well-placed in considering small enterprise and technology as enablers and measurements of economic progress in Africa. She has first-handedly designed products with very few resources and built Lupiya to be a million-dollar business.
