Mr Innocent Kawooya, NIM

My name is Innocent Kawooya, NIM, a co-founder and CEO of HiPipo, a digital innovation and financial inclusion company founded in 2005. HiPipo is a leading champion of digital and financial inclusion across Africa and is widely recognised for advancing Instant, Inclusive Payment Systems (IIPS) under the HiPipo Include Everyone Program, working with governments, regulators, FinTechs, and development partners across the COMESA region and beyond.
I am a FinTech and financial inclusion specialist, women empowerment advocate, internet entrepreneur, computer programmer, film producer, humanitarian, and entertainment executive. In 2021, I stood as a Kampala City Lord Mayoral candidate, driven by a vision of inclusive urban development and digital transformation.
I have received multiple recognitions for leadership and impact, including CEO of the Year 2021–2022 by TIG Network Afrika and FinTech CEO of the Year (MEA Region) for 2024 and 2025. In October 2024, I was awarded the Presidential Diamond Jubilee, National Independence Medal by H.E. the President of Uganda for contributions to digital and financial inclusion. In 2023, the Mojaloop Community Council voted me Co-Chair for the second time in three years.
HiPipo has been ranked among the World’s Top 20 Companies Escalating Innovation in Digital Financial Services by Global Business Leaders Magazine and named Best Financial Inclusion Organisation in East Africa at the FinTech Awards 2022 and 2023, and awarded Financial Inclusion Organisation of the Year in the MEA Region for 2024 and 2025 by Wealth & Finance International.
Through initiatives such as Digital Impact Awards Africa (DIAA), HiPipo Music Awards, Women in FinTech, 40 Days 40 FinTechs, My Doctor (telemedicine), Solar M7 (clean energy access), and HiPipo University, my work focuses on building practical, scalable solutions that expand access to health, finance, energy, education, wealth and opportunity for millions of people across Africa.
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