Mitchell Elegbe, GMD / Founder, Interswitch Group, has said that one way
to fight corruption is to have the mindset of equity. He stated that
corruption and poverty go hand-in-hand.
Elegbe made this remark at the second edition of the InterswitchSPAK
Masterclass which held on Monday, August 19, 2019 in Lagos. Speaking on
the topic: ‘Can I trust you?’ Elegbe explained the relationship between
equality and equity, noting that we do not all have equal strengths,
opportunities and privileges. However, with a sense of equity, the more
privileged would share with the less privileged.
He said: “While it is wrong for the less privileged to demand equity as
a right – as that is extortion – it is important that the privileged
have a mindset of equity, that allows them to share from their
abundance. It is with this mindset of equity that prosperous communities
are built and the fight against corruption is won”.
He also added that to become successful in life, one has to be
trustworthy. He explained that being trusted goes hand-in-hand with
trustworthiness, adding that trustworthiness was a culmination of
ability, integrity and benevolence.
The Masterclass is part of the InterswitchSPAK Switch-a-Future project,
a CSR initiative of the company focused on driving increased interest in
the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
subjects among Senior Secondary School students across Africa.
Participants at the Masterclass were made up of the top 81 students out
of the over 13,322 students from various private and public secondary
schools across the 36 states of the federation, including the FCT, who
wrote the National Qualifying Examinations in April.
Other speakers at the Masterclass were Dr. Ola Orekunrin-Brown, MD /
Founder, Flying Doctors Nigeria, who spoke on the topic:
‘Entrepreneurship – Creating Sustainable Impact by Solving Social
Problems’. Dr. Brown shared the story of how she started Flying Doctors
and the challenges she surmounted. She reiterated the need for basic
financial literacy for budding entrepreneurs.
Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Senior Special Assistant to the President on
Industry, Trade, and Investment who was represented by Ayokunnu Ojeniyi,
Project Manager, Enabling Business Environment Secretariat, Office of
the Vice-President, spoke on the topic: ‘Collaborative Approach to
Social Innovation’ and why it was important to think creatively and
critically in addressing social problems.
In her welcome address, Enyioma Anaba, Group Head, Corporate Segment,
Corporate Marketing, at Interswitch, said that the Masterclass was an
integral part of the InterswitchSPAK project because the sessions were
designed to inspire the young people to contribute to solving Africa’s
many problems.
She said: “We brought together these 81 brilliant young minds to draw
from the experiences and insights of accomplished thought leaders,
thinkers and professionals who are leading lights in their respective
spheres of influence and who are practical advocates of innovation, as a
platform for social and economic development. We hope that the
interactions during the sessions will provide them with the right mental
and emotional foundations upon which to build their character for the
long haul.”
The Masterclass was a full-day of knowledge sharing and engagement
session and had these inspiring and successful men and women in our
society sharing their experiences across school, work and family life.
The participants included the 81 finalists aged between 14 and 17 years,
students from Slum2School Innovation lab, staff of Interswitch and the
media.
Cherry Eromosele, Group Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at
Interswitch, disclosed that as a progressive organisation, Interswitch
has the interest of the young African talents at heart.
She said: “For Africa’s youth to succeed in today’s knowledge-based
economy, they need to acquire the right skill sets; their minds need to
be re-engineered and reconciled with STEM education as well as
introduced to other softer skills which are not readily taught in the
classrooms. At Interswitch, we are creating a platform that allows them
to not only compete within a job market that is globalized, but to
become catalysts for the creation of job markets in themselves”.
In furtherance of the commitment to the pan-African spread of the
initiative, the InterswitchSPAK Switch-a-Future project was launched in
Kenya and the inaugural Masterclass for the finalists held in Nairobi on
August 2, 2019.