Meet Chief Operating Officers of Africa’s $1 billion Startups

Africa’s tech ecosystem is valued at an estimated $480 billion based on recent reports.

Already, the continent boasts nine startups that have hit the $1 billion valuation mark and beyond, a proof of concept of the capital raised and the confidence investors have in Africa’s startups.

Yet behind the applause for CEOs and co-founders, the true engine of every business lies in its operational structures.

Chief Operating Officers (COOs), or leaders performing equivalent operational roles, are the unsung architects of growth. They ensure that the vision set by founders translates into efficient execution, creating systems and processes that allow businesses to scale rapidly without collapsing under their own weight. In Africa’s fast-evolving markets, where challenges range from regulatory hurdles to infrastructure gaps, these leaders keep the organizational machine running smoothly.

That said, not all the African unicorn has a COO currently. Andela has no COO; Flutterwave’s COO resigned in 2024 with no replacement yet. Chipper Cash’s COO was laid off, and at MNT Halan, the head of operations role transitioned to head of account management. These gaps show just how dynamic and sometimes volatile the operational side of Africa’s tech unicorns can be.

As Africa continues to produce unicorns, it is these operational leaders who turn ambition into reality. They are the silent drivers of growth, efficiency, and scalability, ensuring that billion-dollar companies not only survive but thrive in dynamic and challenging markets.

5. Dotun Daniel – COO/CTO OPay (Nigeria)

Dotun Daniel Adekunle was appointed Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer of OPay in July 2024, bringing with him over 18 years of experience in payments, financial technology, and enterprise systems across Africa.

In his dual role, Dotun oversees OPay’s operations, product innovation, and technology strategy, ensuring seamless service delivery and driving the company’s mission to deepen financial inclusion across emerging markets. His leadership comes at a pivotal time for OPay, following its $2 billion valuation milestone in 2021, which cemented its status as one of Africa’s leading fintech unicorns.

Before rejoining OPay, Dotun served as Senior Vice President of Offline Payments at Flutterwave, where he spearheaded the company’s physical payments expansion across Africa. His earlier tenure at OPay, from 2018 to 2022, saw him lead the engineering and product teams that built the backbone of OPay’s payment infrastructure.

A graduate of Yaba College of Technology, Dotun also holds an MBA from the University of Roehampton and a postgraduate diploma in artificial intelligence and machine learning from Texas McCombs School of Business.

4. Dieter Botha – Group CTO/COO Tyme Group

Dieter Botha is the Group CTO and Operations Lead at Tyme Group, though he describes himself as the Group COO of the company, working with an exceptional team, driving the group’s mission.

He is currently leading Tyme Group’s technology strategy from Singapore, ensuring scalable operations and seamless customer experiences. Tyme Group, the South African digital lending firm co-founded by Coenraad Jonker, reached unicorn status in December 2024 after raising $250 million in a Series D round, which elevated its valuation to US$1.5 billion.

Prior to this, he served as Chief Technology and Operations Officer at TymeBank (Oct 2019 – Jul 2022), where he designed infrastructure, spearheaded product development, established security and compliance frameworks, and led high-performing engineering and IT teams, while also overseeing IT strategy and analytics as CIO.

Earlier in his career, he served at Oracle as Global Client Advisor (2014–2017), guiding enterprise clients in banking technology, and held multiple senior roles at Standard Bank Group from 1998 to 2011, including Global Head of GTS IT, Program Director GTS IT, Head of CIB Global Technology Office, and Head of Finance IT

3. Coura Sene- Regional Director Wave (Senegal)

Coura Sene Regional Director Wave Senegal

Although her title reads Regional Director at Wave Digital Finance, Coura Sene’s role extends far beyond regional oversight she effectively serves as the chief operating mind behind Wave’s expansion and day-to-day execution across Francophone West Africa. From licensing and policy to product development, partnerships, and operations, Coura ensures that Wave’s mission to make mobile money simple and affordable translates seamlessly into real-world impact across markets.

Since joining Wave in 2018 as General Manager for Senegal, she has helped the company scale its footprint into Côte d’Ivoire and beyond, culminating in Wave’s unicorn milestone in 2021 after a $200 million Series A round that valued it at over $1 billion.

Before Wave, Coura built a 20-year career managing IT and organizational projects in France and Senegal, including leadership roles at Orange, Wizall, and InTouch SA. A Polytech’Lille, University of Lille alumna, she combines technical depth with operational leadership

2. Babafemi Ogungbila– EVP operations and technology, Interswitch (Nigeria)

Babafemi Ogungbila%E2%80%93 EVP operations and technology Interswitch Nigeria

Babafemi Ogungbamila serves as the Operations and Technology Leader at Interswitch Group, where he drives the company’s mission to build a robust, seamless, and scalable payments infrastructure across Africa.

Appointed to this role in October 2023, Ogungbamila oversees both technology operations and digital transformation strategies, ensuring that Interswitch’s systems deliver the same reliability and efficiency found in global cloud environments like AWS and Azure.