Fara Ashiru Jituboh (Okra): 10 Key Things You Must Know

Overview

Fara Ashiru Jituboh is a distinguished Nigerian technology entrepreneur and software engineer, best known as the co-founder, CEO, and CTO of Okra, a pioneering fintech startup that revolutionized open banking and financial APIs in Africa. Born in Nigeria but raised largely in the United States, Fara returned to Nigeria driven by a personal frustration with the inadequate connectivity of local fintech apps to Nigerian banking infrastructure. Her expertise in software engineering and leadership in fintech helped shape the financial technology landscape in Nigeria and Africa at large. Beyond Okra, she has held important roles at global firms and recently transitioned to a significant engineering leadership role in the UK. This article explores her journey, achievements, and the impact she has made on fintech innovation.

1. Early Life and Professional Background

Fara Ashiru Jituboh was born in Nigeria but spent much of her early life in the United States. She only spent a brief time in Nigeria as a teenager and did not initially expect to settle there permanently. However, inspired by the many latent opportunities and challenges in Nigeria's technology sector, she decided to return and contribute meaningfully. Before founding Okra, she gained valuable experience working in prominent multinational corporations such as Canva, BMW, JP Morgan, and Fidelity Investments, which enhanced her skills in software engineering and product development.

2. Founding of Okra and Its Mission

In 2019, Fara co-founded Okra alongside David Peterside in Lagos, Nigeria, aiming to bridge the gap between fintech applications and banking institutions through open finance APIs. Okra was designed as a secure API platform that allowed developers and fintech companies to access real-time financial data from bank accounts in Africa, facilitating services such as payment processing, identity verification, and transaction insights. This concept was analogous to the popular U.S. financial data aggregator Plaid but tailored for the African market’s specific needs and regulatory environment.

3. Okra’s Growth and Funding Achievements

Okra quickly gained significant traction. By early 2020, its API usage surged 175%, demonstrating high market demand for seamless fintech-bank integration. The company raised substantial capital to support its expansion, including a $1 million pre-seed round led by TLcom Capital and a subsequent $3.5 million seed round led by Susa Ventures, with overall funding exceeding approximately $16.5 million. Such funding underscored market confidence in Okra’s vision to enable African fintech innovation through infrastructure.

4. Impact on African Fintech and Open Finance

Under Fara’s leadership, Okra became a foundational player in Africa’s open finance ecosystem, serving over 400 clients that spanned fintech startups, banks, insurers, and other financial institutions. It forged key partnerships with prominent Nigerian financial platforms such as Renmoney, Branch, Bamboo, and AIICO Insurance. Okra’s APIs provided a vital infrastructure layer empowering developers to build modern, digital-first financial products, catalyzing financial inclusion and tech-driven innovation across Nigeria and beyond into Kenya and South Africa.

5. Challenges and the Launch of Nebula

Despite its early success, Okra faced growing challenges stemming from rising infrastructure costs exacerbated by Nigeria’s economic volatility and naira depreciation. Cloud service expenses, particularly from global providers like AWS and Azure, consumed a significant portion of the startup’s revenue. To counter this, in October 2024, Okra launched Nebula, an in-house naira-denominated cloud infrastructure product designed to offer affordable, locally priced cloud services and reduce reliance on costly foreign cloud providers.

6. Closure of Okra and Fara’s Transition to UK Startup Kernel

In May 2025, Okra made the difficult decision to wind down operations, marking the end of an important chapter in African fintech infrastructure. Following the shutdown, Fara Ashiru Jituboh exited Okra and accepted a leadership role as Head of Engineering at Kernel, a UK-based startup. This move highlights her continued influence and contribution to technology beyond Nigeria, while also reflecting broader challenges faced by African fintech startups, including economic pressures and competitive environments.

7. Leadership Style and Technical Expertise

Fara is celebrated for her unique dual role as CEO and CTO during Okra’s early years, combining product vision with deep technical oversight. She is known to be an expert in more than 20 programming languages and embodies a hands-on approach to leadership—actively coding and engaging with product development alongside strategic decision-making. Her leadership style prioritizes autonomy, innovation, and a supportive team culture, earning her strong endorsements from colleagues and partners.

8. Broader Influence and Advocacy for Tech Talent

Beyond her role at Okra, Fara emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, upskilling, and adaptability for tech professionals. She advocates for building versatile skill sets, personal branding, and networking as critical strategies to thrive and sustain careers in the fast-evolving technology sector. Her own career trajectory from global corporations to entrepreneurial ventures exemplifies her resilience and forward-thinking approach.

9. Contribution to Female Representation in African Tech

As a successful female tech founder raising significant venture capital and leading technically complex projects, Fara serves as a role model for women in Africa’s predominantly male tech industry. Her accomplishments help challenge stereotypes and demonstrate the critical role women play in shaping Africa’s digital economy.

10. Legacy and Future Prospects

Fara Ashiru Jituboh’s legacy lies in her pioneering contributions to open banking and fintech infrastructure in Africa. Okra’s platform, though now closed, played a vital role in demonstrating the commercial viability and importance of data connectivity between banks and third-party fintech players on the continent. Moving forward, Fara’s leadership in a UK startup signals continued influence in global tech innovation, with potential for her expertise to shape emerging solutions that may benefit Africa and beyond.

Conclusion

Fara Ashiru Jituboh’s journey from a frustrated fintech user to a groundbreaking tech entrepreneur encapsulates the dynamic possibilities and challenges within African technology ecosystems. Through Okra, she pioneered open finance infrastructure that empowered countless fintech innovations and broadened financial access for millions. Although Okra’s eventual shutdown reflects the harsh realities of scaling tech startups in volatile markets, Fara’s resilience and adaptability ensure that her impact transcends any single venture. Her story offers inspiration not only for aspiring African technology leaders but also signals the ongoing evolution and potential within the continent’s digital transformation.