… Elegbe remains the only African on the 2026 global jury; previously became the first and only entrepreneur in 40 years to win both Emerging and Master categories in any region.
Rashidat O. Okunlade Writes
Mitchell Elegbe, Founder and Group Managing Director/CEO of Interswitch Group, has been reappointed to the global jury of the 2026 Ernst & Young (EY) World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. This marks the third consecutive year he has served in this role the only entrepreneur from Africa on the panel.
The annual awards take place in June in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Elegbe first joined the global jury at the 2024 edition.
According to EY, the World Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame honours exceptional entrepreneurial achievement. Since its launch in 1986, the program has recognised over 10,000 entrepreneurs
across 45 countries for their vision, innovation, courage, and leadership.
In June 2023, Elegbe was inducted into the WEOY Hall of Fame alongside 48 other global finalists. He holds a unique distinction: the only Black and African finalist in that year’s class, and the only entrepreneur in the 40‑year history of the awards to have won both the Emerging and Master categories at different times within the same region (West Africa).
For the 2026 edition, EY’s global leadership invited Elegbe to serve as one of nine former finalists on the judging committee. The jury includes entrepreneurs from Australia, Brazil, Germany, Hong Kong & China, Nigeria, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Elegbe is widely regarded as a pivotal architect of Nigeria’s payment innovation revolution. His work has earned global acclaim, contributing significantly to economic development in Nigeria and Africa through business leadership and technology.
His accolades include the Harvard Business School Association (Nigeria) Leadership Award (General Management category), the African Banker Icon award (2019), the CNBC/Forbes All African Business Leader Award for West Africa, and the Fintech Africa Awards Payment & Transfer category (2016). He is a Bishop Desmond Tutu Fellow of the African Leadership Institute, an Endeavor Entrepreneur, and a board member of Endeavor Nigeria.
Elegbe founded Interswitch in 2002 to solve payment challenges in Nigeria. Today, the company is a leading digital payments and commerce firm, providing technology infrastructure and solutions to individuals, financial institutions, and governments across Africa.
See the full list of 2026 global jury members:
https://www.ey.com/en_gl/weoy/judges
