Vult Taps Ugandan Fintech Executive, Esther Linda Nigiwan, to Drive Digital Payments Expansion in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leonean digital finance company Vult has appointed Ugandan fintech executive Esther Linda Nigiwan as chief operating officer, bringing in an experienced regional strategist to lead its next phase of business expansion.
Nigiwan has relocated to Freetown to assume the position, where she will oversee Vult’s commercial strategy as the company seeks to strengthen its digital wallet, payment card and merchant services.
Her appointment signals Vult’s focus on leveraging regional fintech experience to expand its presence in Sierra Leone’s growing digital financial services market.
Nigiwan joins Vult from Pyypl, a digital financial services company, where she served as head of Africa. In that capacity, she supervised business expansion and financial performance across eight African markets, including Sierra Leone.
One of her major achievements at Pyypl was leading the introduction of a remittance service connecting the United Arab Emirates with markets across sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative generated approximately $7 million in transaction value during its first six months, according to her professional profile.
She also established a workforce of more than 70 employees across multiple countries and negotiated partnerships with international financial technology companies, including Ripple, Flutterwave and Binance.
Before joining Pyypl, Nigiwan worked for more than three years at SeerBit Uganda as country sales manager, where she contributed to expanding digital payment services.
Her work included securing a white-label banking partnership with PostBank Uganda that supported the launch of Wendi, a digital financial platform that reportedly attracted more than two million customers within three months.
She also held positions at Wave Mobile Money and Numida Technologies, focusing on distribution networks, customer acquisition and market expansion in Uganda.
At Vult, her responsibilities will include strengthening the company’s commercial operations and expanding access to its financial products among individuals and businesses.
The company is looking to increase the adoption of digital payments while improving access to secure financial services through its wallet, card and merchant payment offerings.
Nigiwan holds a Master of Business Administration, specialising in Strategy, from Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Makerere University Business School.
Outside her corporate responsibilities, she publishes Africa Fintech Insider, a LinkedIn newsletter examining developments in African financial technology, digital finance and business expansion. African Fintech Executive & Operator