Chidinma Lawanson is a financial services consultant with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), an arm of the World Bank, in their financial institutions group – advisory services, covering sub-Saharan Africa, in the areas of agri-finance, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise (MSME) and women’s businesses. She has consulted on a USAID project on digital payments for off-grid solar energy and on a MasterCard Foundation’s MSME scoping project. She was the CEO of Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access (EFInA) in 2016 and 2017.

She has 21 years’ experience at Diamond Bank Plc, where she held significant roles in operations and business development. She rose to the level of group head. She also headed the MSME unit, developing key partnerships with multilateral international agencies (IFC, USAID and Women’s World Banking) in the roll-out of disruptive retail banking products.