Former Okra CEO Fara Ashiru Jituboh joins UK startup Kernel as Head of Engineering

Fara Ashiru Jituboh, the co-founder and former CEO/CTO of Nigerian fintech startup Okra, has stepped down from her leadership role to join Kernel, a UK-based Revenue Operations (RevOps) startup, as Head of Engineering. This move marks a significant transition for both Jituboh and Okra, a company that has been instrumental in shaping Africa’s open finance landscape.

Her departure comes just months after Okra’s strategic pivot into cloud infrastructure with the launch of Nebula, signalling a new chapter for the fintech company and its leadership.

Jituboh’s story is one of resilience and innovation. Born in Nigeria and raised in the United States, Jituboh holds a B.S.C. in Computer Science from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. With expertise in over 20 programming languages, she built a formidable career working with global giants like BMW, JP Morgan Chase, Fidelity Investments, and Canva.

Her return to Nigeria was sparked by a personal frustration: the lack of integration between Nigerian banks and the fintech apps she relied on to manage her finances. This gap inspired her to co-found Okra in 2019 alongside David Peterside, with a mission to build Africa’s first API-driven “super-connector” for real-time financial data exchange between customers, applications, and banks.

Under her leadership, Okra became a trailblazer in Nigeria’s open banking sector. Launched in January 2020, the company connected to all major Nigerian banks, achieving a 99.9% uptime and integrating with over 400 businesses, including Access Bank, Interswitch, and Renmoney. 

Okra’s API facilitated services such as account authorisation, identity verification, and payment processing, enabling businesses to create seamless, digital-first financial products. The startup’s rapid growth was underscored by a $1 million pre-seed round in April 2020, led by TLcom Capital, followed by a $3.5 million seed round in 2021, backed by Susa Ventures, bringing total funding to over $15 million.

Jituboh’s hands-on leadership style earned her widespread praise.  Her ability to translate customer needs into actionable solutions, such as developing Okra Lite for smaller clients, cemented her reputation as a product-driven leader.

Okra’s pivot to cloud infrastructure

In October 2024, Okra made a bold pivot from its open banking roots to launch Nebula, a cloud infrastructure service designed to challenge global giants like AWS and Microsoft Azure. The move was a strategic response to Nigeria’s economic challenges, particularly the naira’s depreciation, which doubled cloud computing costs for local businesses reliant on dollar-based services. 

Nebula, built on Tier 3 and Tier 4 data centres, offers low latency, compliance with local data residency laws, and the ability to pay in naira, a critical advantage in a market strained by forex volatility. Jituboh herself emphasised the need for homegrown solutions, stating on LinkedIn, “For too long, Africa has leaned on imported solutions, paying premiums for software and services… Now, there’s a cloud built here for us.”

The launch of Nebula positioned Okra alongside other Nigerian cloud providers like Nobus, Galaxy, and Layer3, all vying to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign cloud services. However, reports suggest that Okra’s open banking business faced challenges, with at least three original products discontinued due to softening demand. The pivot to cloud services was seen as a bid to diversify revenue streams in a competitive market.

Jituboh begins a new chapter at Kernel

Jituboh’s move to Kernel, announced today, marks her return to a technical leadership role. Kernel, a UK-based RevOps startup, focuses on optimising revenue processes for businesses through innovative software solutions.  Jituboh’s extensive experience scaling systems and infrastructure makes her a natural fit. 

Meanwhile, Jituboh’s exit from Okra raises questions about the fintech’s future direction as it navigates its cloud-focused strategy. For Jituboh, joining Kernel offers an opportunity to apply her expertise in a new market, potentially shaping the RevOps landscape with the same ingenuity that defined Okra’s rise. Her journey reflects the broader evolution of Africa’s tech ecosystem, where local innovation is increasingly competing on a global stage.