Nigeria, July 7 -- In 2020, Nigerian startup Okra burst onto Africa's fintech scene with an audacious promise: to become the "super connector" for open banking on the continent.

Co-founded by software engineer Fara Ashiru Jituboh and entrepreneur David Peterside, Okra positioned itself as the missing link between banks, fintechs, and millions of consumers, offering developers API tools to securely access real-time financial data. The pitch struck a chord with investors hungry for the next big fintech infrastructure play in Africa. By mid-2021, Okra had raised an eye-catching $16 million, backed by heavyweight names like TLcom Capital, Susa Ventures, and Accenture Ventures - all betting that African fintech could leapfrog outdated banking...