Chidinma Lawanson

Chidinma Lawanson has over 25 years of experience spanning commercial banking and development finance with a deep commitment to promoting financial inclusion and tackling youth unemployment across sub-Saharan Africa. She is Founder/CEO of Springtyde & Renee Ltd., a state-licensed money lending institution. Previously, she served as Country Director for Mastercard Foundation Nigeria (2020-2023), overseeing implementation of the Young Africa Works Strategy reaching over 1 million youth. As CEO of EFInA (2016-2017), she expanded financial inclusion through innovative grants and research. She spent 21 years at Diamond Bank Plc in leadership roles including Deputy General Manager for MSME & Agency Banking and Head of Human Capital Management. She consults for international organizations including IFC, AfDB, GAIN, and Bopinc. A thought leader and public speaker, she is a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow from Boston University.