Vice President Kashim Shettima has welcomed Visa Inc.’s plan to establish a data centre in Nigeria, a move aimed at strengthening the country’s digital economy.
Visa Inc., a leading American multinational payment services corporation, disclosed its commitment during a courtesy visit to the Vice President at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The delegation was led by Andrew Torre, Visa’s Regional President for Central & Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA).
Mr Torre highlighted Visa’s ongoing investments in Nigeria, which exceed $1 billion, including a $200 million stake in Interswitch, a major partnership with MoniePoint to enhance digital payments, and collaboration with ThriveAgric to support smallholder farmers and improve food security.
He emphasised that the planned data centre would introduce new technologies to Nigeria, benefiting partners like Hugo and Samsung, who rely on Visa’s payment solutions for mobile transactions.
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In response, Shettima assured Visa of the Nigerian government’s full support, noting that the partnership would continue to thrive.
He commended Visa’s investment in ThriveAgric, aligning it with President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s focus on modernizing the agricultural sector, which is a key pillar of the government’s 8-point agenda.
“Nigeria is where the action is. Of the ten leading fintechs in Africa, about eight are in Nigeria, with MoniePoint as the newest addition.
“Agriculture is critical to our agenda, and President Tinubu is determined to reposition the sector through technology and modernization,” Shettima stated.
The Vice President also encouraged Visa to invest in the Outsource to Nigeria Initiative, a federal government program aimed at providing financial support for the creative sector to boost Nigeria’s digital and creative economy.
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Accompanying Mr Torre on the Visa delegation were Andrew Uaboi, Senior Vice President and Head of Western and Central Africa, and Chidozie Arinze, Vice President and Head of West Africa for Visa Nigeria.
