When you hear stories about innovation in Africa’s financial ecosystem, few shine as brightly as that of Kayode Alao, a visionary who has seamlessly merged finance, technology, and purpose to create real impact.
From starting out as an accountant to leading a fintech company that’s changing how Africans access credit and investment opportunities, Kayode’s journey is one of persistence, curiosity, and relentless drive.
For over 15 years, he’s navigated the intricate worlds of credit operations, risk management, and digital product development, mastering both finance and code along the way.
What makes his story truly inspiring is not just the milestones he’s achieved but the why behind them, his deep desire to build systems that empower individuals, businesses, and communities.
Through LiteFi Limited, Kayode is breaking barriers, simplifying access to financial services, and giving people the tools to take control of their financial future.
His story reminds us that you don’t need to come from a tech background to build something extraordinary, you just need the courage to learn, adapt, and keep solving problems that matter.
In this interview, Kayode opens up about his journey, the lessons he’s learned, and how he’s shaping the future of financial inclusion across Africa.
CA: Kayode, your journey from accounting and credit management to leading a fintech company is truly remarkable. Can you take us back to how it all began?
Kayode: I started my professional journey as an accountant. I quickly moved into the world of credit management. My experience spans 15 years in the finance industry.
I worked in roles like accounting, credit officer, credit underwriting and compliance, credit risk, risk and data reporting and credit operations. I focused on building robust credit operations. This foundation led me to found LiteFi Limited.
CA: That’s such a solid foundation, it’s easy to see how that experience shaped your vision. Building a company like LiteFi Limited that’s driving financial inclusion across Africa takes vision and persistence. What inspired you to build it?
Kayode: I saw a significant gap in the financial market. Many salary earners and SMEs lacked access to reliable loans and investments. I am building LiteFi to solve this core problem. We drive financial inclusion and sustainable growth using technology.
CA: It’s inspiring how purpose-driven your work is. Carving out a path in finance, credit risk, and technology takes grit and vision. What was your journey like, and were there any key mentors or role models who guided you along the way?
Kayode: My career path was a deliberate blend of finance and technology. I became who I am by working on building credit operations and with some of the smartest operators in the African fintech space.
I had led credit operations across nine countries, started the credit unit at a fintech that was key to their acquisition in 2024. I taught myself to code, I learnt JavaScript and Python when I was working full time after work in the evenings, going home like 5 hours after work.
My MD then and my colleagues really supported me. This technical skill lets me build the products I design. My motivation came from seeing a problem and wanting to build a practical, scalable solution.
CA: That level of self-discipline and curiosity really stands out. The world of fintech and digital lending is fast-paced and constantly evolving. What challenges did you face while building and scaling across multiple African markets, and how did you push through them?
Kayode: Scaling across diverse African markets presents uniform challenges. Regulatory complexity is high. Data availability and quality vary significantly by country. We solved this with standardisation.
I focused on creating global policy documents and lean processes. Building data-driven operations gave us a single view of risk and efficiency. Technology provides the necessary leverage to handle this complexity.
CA: That’s such a strategic way to approach complexity. Your career has been built on hard work and persistence, from managing credit operations to founding LiteFi. What kept you motivated, especially during the tough early days?
Kayode: My motivation comes from the problem itself. I spent years in credit operations which made me see the inefficiencies firsthand. I saw how a lack of credit access hinders economic growth.
The move into product development and technology gave me the tools to fix it. Building processes that work and then automating them provides real satisfaction.
CA: You clearly have a deep connection to solving real-world problems. How has your experience and background shaped the way you handle challenges in business and leadership today?
Kayode: My background combines deep credit risk knowledge with hands-on digital product development. My leadership style is data-driven and Spartan. One of my friends once said, if you need anything done efficiently and you do not want to bother about how it is done, give it to Kayode.
Fifteen years in credit, accounting and economics gives me the micro-view of risk. Teaching myself to code gives me technical empathy with my engineering team. I avoid theoretical solutions. We build solutions that are practical, scalable, and risk-managed from day one.
CA: Interesting! You’ve inspired many in the African tech and finance space. How does it feel knowing your journey and leadership are guiding the next generation of innovators?
Kayode: I feel a strong responsibility to use what I know to contribute my fair share to society. My journey shows that a person does not need a formal tech background to build a technology company.
Finance professionals should learn to code or at least learn the software development lifecycle. It closes the gap between product need and execution.
As the owner of the product you are building, you need to be able to interpret your wants and needs to the person who is actually building the product, test and make sure what is delivered is what you requested.
I hope my story inspires the next generation to master both finance and technology. This dual skill set changes the African finance landscape.
CA: That’s a message so many young professionals need to hear. What’s next for you and LiteFi? Are there any exciting milestones on the horizon?
Kayode: LiteFi focuses on two key areas, lending and investment. While we continue to scale our core lending product, we have launched additional digital products to reduce financial friction for our users.
A major milestone is the introduction of our new investment products through our partnership with GetEquity. These products offer users opportunities for wealth creation through SEC-regulated investments.
Our internal goal remains the continuous optimisation of our credit risk models. We focus on high-efficiency, sustainable growth across all our offerings.
CA: That’s exciting, you’re clearly building for long-term impact. What’s one common misconception about fintech, credit operations, or financial inclusion that you’d like to correct?
Kayode: The biggest misconception is that fintech solves financial inclusion through capital alone. It does not. True inclusion needs three things, robust credit operations, strong risk modelling, and financial education.
Throwing money at a problem without a reliable, automated risk algorithm fails. Sustainable financial inclusion must be driven by technology-led risk management and user empowerment. That is why we are taking financial education seriously.
We educate people on topics like budgeting on our social channels. This content is gaining serious traction, we see over 70,000 views monthly.
Furthermore, we are working on a product to give people free access to their credit report once a year with LiteFi. This gives customers the necessary tools to understand and manage their financial standing.
CA: That’s such an important initiative. Finally, if you could give just one piece of advice to anyone dreaming of making an impact in Africa’s digital finance space, what would it be?
Kayode: Master a technical skill alongside your finance knowledge. Learn to code or at least understand how it works. Code gives you the power to execute the product you envision.
It removes dependence on external teams. This dual expertise in finance and technology is the biggest lever for impact in Africa’s digital finance space.
