Fara Ashiru Jituboh, based on the provided context:
Fara Ashiru Jituboh Departs Okra, Joins UK Startup Kernel as Head of Engineering
Lagos, Nigeria –
Fara Ashiru Jituboh, the influential co-founder and former CEO/CTO of Nigerian fintech pioneer Okra, has announced her departure from the company and has taken on a new role as Head of Engineering at Kernel, a British startup specializing in AI-powered revenue operations. This move, which occurred in May 2025, coincides with the confirmed shutdown of Okra’s operations.
Jituboh, a highly respected software engineer with expertise in over 20 programming languages, co-founded Okra in 2019 alongside David Peterside. The company quickly rose to prominence by building open finance infrastructure, enabling users to securely connect their bank accounts and financial data to third-party applications.
Okra played a crucial role in pioneering open banking in Africa, successfully integrating with major Nigerian commercial banks and serving over 400 clients, including Access Bank and Renmoney. Under her leadership, Okra raised over $16.5 million in funding.
Her decision to establish Okra was driven by a personal frustration with the lack of connectivity between Nigerian banks and the fintech apps she used to manage her finances. Prior to Okra, Jituboh gained significant experience building and scaling products with Fortune 500 companies in the USA, including JP Morgan Chase, Fidelity Investments, BMW, and Canva. She also co-founded Shixels Studios, where she led the development of technology for clients like Airtel and AXA Mansard.
Okra’s closure in May 2025 marks the end of a five-year journey. Jituboh confirmed that the company decided to wind down operations, citing a challenging environment with rising foreign exchange and infrastructure costs, as well as a competitive landscape with better-funded rivals.
In her new role at Kernel, Jituboh will lead technical growth, applying her extensive experience in fintech and API infrastructure to the burgeoning field of AI revenue tools.
Her departure and Okra’s shutdown represent a significant shift in Nigeria’s fintech landscape, with the industry now watching to see who will continue to drive innovation in the open finance space.