The Shared Agent Network Expansion Facilities (SANEF) Limited has announced the appointment of Mrs Uche Uzoebo as its new MD/CEO. This appointment is effective from February 2025.
Uche succeeds Mrs Ronke Kuye, the pioneer MD/CEO under whose leadership the company started out and experienced growth and success in its core mandate of expanding and deepening financial inclusion and agent banking in Nigeria.
Who is Uche Uzoebo?
Before her ascension to the role of CEO, Uche had served as the pioneer Chief Distribution and Stakeholder Engagement Officer of SANEF. In this role, she has engaged with both governmental and non-governmental agencies, regulators, financial services providers, enterprise support organisations and the private sector.
By virtue of these engagements, she was able to ensure the expansion of financial access points, digital financial services, economic and financial inclusion through agent networks, financial literacy and innovative technology solutions. These resulted in the achievement of SANEF’s core objectives through agent expansion, account opening, product and services expansion, technology solutions provisions, policy advocacy, stakeholder engagement, financial literacy, capacity building and awareness.
Uche is a certified Product Manager, certified Licensed National Business Development Service Provider (BDSP), member of the Association of International Product Marketing & Management (AIPMM), Global Women in Management (GWIM), Honorary Senior Member (HCIB) – the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), a fellow of Acumen, West Africa and a fellow of The Microfinance Association, UK.
Mrs Uzoebo is passionate about expanding economic inclusion and empowering women. This has led her to support and lead initiatives that advocate for the support of women entrepreneurs, equipping them to build digitally transformed businesses which benefit society.
She is also passionate about leadership. This passion has motivated her to deliver several high-impact training and well-tailored programmes to deepen knowledge and thought leadership. She has also contributed to published works, spoken at fintech and finance related conferences, thereby providing a strong voice in advancing financial inclusion and digital payment. Her practice engagements involve policy and strategic management interventions.
With such proven expertise and leadership capacity, SANEF is positioned to witness growth and a deeper commitment to achieving its core mandates and contributing to a more robust financial ecosystem.
About SANEF Limited
SANEF Limited was established in 2018 by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in collaboration with the Body of Bank Chief Executives.
Established to achieve financial inclusion in Nigeria, SANEF ensures that funding is available for CBN-licensed Super Agents and Mobile Money Operators, to expand their networks. Its core mandates include
- Enhance the capacity of mobile money operators (MMOs) and super agents to establish financial services access points in under-served and unserved locations.
- Increase agent’s penetration among the unbanked and excluded population.
- Provide a platform for achieving the financial inclusion targets.
- Create jobs and promote inclusive economic growth.