Visa appoints Tanzanian as regional head for East African market

He will be tasked with driving business expansion, deepening client engagement, and promoting the adoption of digital payment solutions to foster financial inclusion and economic growth.

Visa said in a statement on Monday that in his new role, Mr Makere will oversee a diverse portfolio of clients, setting business objectives, leading key projects, and supporting the rollout of new products and services. 

His mandate includes enhancing Visa’s value proposition, improving revenue performance for both Visa and its partners, and strengthening executive relationships across the region.

Vice president and general manager for East Africa at Visa, Chad Pollock, welcomed the appointment, highlighting Mr Makere’s extensive experience in digital financial services and business development.

“We are delighted to welcome Victor to the Visa East Africa leadership team,” Mr Pollock said. “With his distinguished track record in digital financial services, merchant acquiring, and strategic business development, we look forward to his significant contributions to Visa’s efforts to enhance financial inclusion and expand digital commerce across Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda.”

He added: “His leadership and expertise will be invaluable as we continue to build a resilient and inclusive digital payments ecosystem in the region.”

Mr Makere expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity, citing Visa’s commitment to innovation and inclusion as a key motivation.

“I am excited to join Visa and play a key role in accelerating the growth of digital payments across Tan-zania, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda,” he said. “Visa’s commitment to financial innovation and inclusion aligns perfectly with my vision for transforming the payments landscape.”

He continued: “I look for-ward to collaborating with our clients, partners, and stakeholders to deliver cutting-edge, secure, and seamless payment solutions that drive economic growth and empower businesses and consumers across the region.”

Mr Makere brings extensive experience in the financial services sector, particularly in mobile pay-ments and digital banking. Prior to joining Visa, he served as head of Merchant Payments at Airtel Money Tanzania, where he led the strategic direction for mobile and merchant payment solutions.

He also held senior roles at CRDB Bank and Standard Chartered Bank Tanzania, where he spearheaded digital banking transformations and merchant acquiring initiatives. 

At CRDB, he represented the bank-ing industry through the Tanzania Bankers Association (TBA), playing a leading role in promoting in-teroperability across financial institutions and enhancing the national digital payments infrastructure.