Meet the Nigerian woman who is a market leader in smart card technology.
It is usually unheard of when a woman takes interest in technology. Most women have been brought up believing that tech and Science are for men. However, we are lucky enough to have women like Kofo Akinkugbe. She is globally recognised for her entrepreneurial success story and strong business track record. She is founder & CEO of SecureID Nigeria Ltd a market leader in smart card technology and digital security. SecureID is a world-class manufacturing facility with the only smart card production plant in West Africa and one of only six on the continent. This company serves 16 countries across Africa and is fully certified by VISA, Verve and MasterCard.
Kofo started her career in a bank then left to start her business 12 years later.
She left to start Interface Technologies, a security management and biometrics technologies company. With a mathematics major and an MBA from the University of Strathclyde, she successfully ran Interface Technologies Ltd. (ITL) for nine years, before establishing SecureID Nigeria Ltd., an offshoot from a small department in Interface Technologies and the first VISA certified plant in sub-Saharan Africa.
As chief executive of Secure ID, which is still a relatively young firm creating MasterCard and Visa and operating in 16 African countries was obviously challenging.
Kofo is an excellent example of a chief executive that is building a successful company based on innovation. From her company, she has shared her journey with the public and gave a few tips from her own experience. For starters she cautioned against engaging only family members, urging the need to employ people with untapped talents. She urged people to test and try new things and see what would work.
She managed to be creative even if at the time when she started her company her business venture was new but her determination paid off.
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