Moses Onyekaonwu wakes up every morning thinking about one problem – why African businesses still struggle to pay international suppliers quickly, securely, and reliably.
As the founder and CEO of Rojifi, a fintech building infrastructure for cross-border trade payments, he has made it his life’s work to remove the friction that has long held African commerce back.
Rojifi is not just another payments startup. It is a technology-driven, fully licensed Money Service Business (MSB) that combines the speed and innovation of fintech with the rigour of traditional banking.
The platform leverages AI-powered fraud detection, transaction monitoring, and automated onboarding to ensure operations are secure, fast, and transparent.
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“We are combining the speed of fintech with the discipline of traditional banking, which is a balance that serious businesses need,” Onyekaonwu said.
“The platform is built to meet regulatory expectations across jurisdictions, with transparency embedded into every transaction,” he stated.
Onyekaonwu already has a track record of solving real-world trade problems. Before Rojifi, he ran multiple businesses spanning procurement, imports, and supplier relationships across Asia.
Through this work, he faced recurring challenges which were delayed access to foreign exchange, unreliable intermediaries, rejected payments, expired documents, and suppliers withholding goods due to payment complications.
“In Africa, you could have the money but not the ability to move it instantly,” he said. “The longer you wait, the more you lose because FX is volatile, prices change, and suppliers lose trust.”
These bottlenecks, which are common to countless African businesses, sparked a simple but powerful idea, which is that African companies should be able to pay global suppliers seamlessly and credibly, without offshore entities, informal brokers, or middlemen, and that idea became ‘Rojifi’.
Founded in 2023, Rojifi today provides cross-border payment solutions for African businesses in sectors ranging from SMEs to large corporations, including pharmaceuticals, airlines, oil & gas, manufacturing, and Bureau de Change operators.
Through a combination of proprietary infrastructure and strategic partnerships, Rojifi enables companies to settle international invoices in over 200 countries, supporting major currencies such as USD, EUR, GBP, and CNY.
Licensed in Canada as an MSB, the company is pursuing an International Money Transfer Operator (IMTO) licence in Nigeria, positioning it as a truly global cross-border payments player focused strictly on B2B trade flows.
For Onyekaonwu, the company’s mission is not just about moving money, but it is about building infrastructure that enables African economic participation.
“When African businesses can pay suppliers instantly, transparently, and in their own name, trade becomes easier, trust increases, and growth accelerates,” he stated.
By removing decades-old barriers, he is helping African businesses operate on equal footing in global commerce, with credibility, speed, and confidence.
What sets Onyekaonwu apart is how deeply his approach is shaped by his own entrepreneurial journey.
Experiencing these trade frictions firsthand gave him insight that many investors, regulators, and international partners often lack, which is the daily reality of African businesses trying to operate globally.
“I knew that solving this problem required more than software. It required building trust, understanding regulatory environments, and creating a platform designed from the ground up for Africa’s unique challenges,” he said.
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Under his leadership, Rojifi has grown from a small startup into a trusted partner for African businesses. The company now handles millions in transactions every month, providing secure, cost-effective, and efficient payments that give African companies the credibility and operational reliability they need to expand.
Onyekaonwu leads a team of professionals who share his vision, leveraging technology and deep financial expertise to unlock cross-border opportunities for businesses across the continent.
Onyekaonwu also sees Rojifi as a vehicle for broader economic impact. By enabling financial inclusion and access, the company contributes to job creation, trade growth, and stronger ties between African companies and the global market.
“I am always looking for new opportunities and challenges to expand our reach and impact and to innovate our products and processes,” he noted. “I believe that by empowering businesses to transact seamlessly, we can create positive social and economic change for Africa and the world.”
Despite the complexity of cross-border finance, Onyekaonwu remains focused on simplicity for his clients.
Rojifi’s onboarding process is designed to get businesses up and running quickly, while its payment systems provide flexibility, security, and transparency every step of the way.
It is this combination of technology, compliance, and deep market understanding that has allowed the company to carve out a space as a trusted partner in a market that has historically struggled with reliability and trust.
Looking ahead, Onyekaonwu has ambitious plans for Rojifi, as he envisions a future where African businesses can expand globally without worrying about currency volatility, intermediary delays, or opaque banking processes.
“Our goal is to remove every friction point that has held African trade back. We want African companies to operate with the same efficiency, credibility, and confidence as businesses anywhere in the world,” he stated.
For Moses Onyekaonwu, Rojifi is not just a fintech company; it is the infrastructure for Africa’s future. By transforming how African businesses pay, he is not only solving a transactional problem, but he is also building a platform for trust, growth, and global integration.
“Africa is ready for the world. We’re simply making it easier for the world to meet Africa on equal terms,” he stated.
