Oluwagbemisola Taiwo Wins Dratech Leadership In Tech Award

By Joseph Sunday Oluwagbemisola Taiwo has been named the 2024 recipient of the Dratech International Innovation Award for Leadership in Tech, recognizing her outstanding contributions to technology, both in Africa and the United Kingdom. From her early work improving access to financial tools in rural Nigeria to leading digital transformation within the UK government, Taiwo […]

By Joseph Sunday

Oluwagbemisola Taiwo has been named the 2024 recipient of the Dratech International Innovation Award for Leadership in Tech, recognizing her outstanding contributions to technology, both in Africa and the United Kingdom. From her early work improving access to financial tools in rural Nigeria to leading digital transformation within the UK government, Taiwo has consistently demonstrated how purposeful innovation can improve lives.

A Computer Science graduate from the University of Lagos, Taiwo began her career at AgroMall, where she developed a system that registered over one million smallholder farmers many of them women into formal financial networks. Working with GSMA, she introduced mobile wallets to communities without bank access, making digital finance a reality for thousands.

“Her work didn’t just move data, it moved communities from invisibility to economic agency,” remarked Dr. Unaegbu Justina, a member of the award panel.

At NowNow Digital Systems, a key player in Africa’s fintech scene, Taiwo designed a fraud detection algorithm that reduced fraud attempts by 93%. She also led the launch of the NowNow Debit Mastercard, and rolled out a merchant portal with live transaction tracking and inventory tools for small businesses — helping to build trust in digital payments among underserved populations.

Her move to the UK marked another chapter of impact. After earning a master’s degree with distinction from the University of Wolverhampton in 2023, Taiwo joined Wolseley UK, where she helped increase product market share by 30% through strategic API delivery.

But her most transformative role came at the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP Digital). There, she led a complete overhaul of the ‘Access to Work’ programme — a critical service for citizens with health conditions. Under her leadership, the system was digitized, resulting in a 25% rise in approved grants and a 20% reduction in processing times. Manual follow-ups were eliminated through better data integration, making the service faster and easier to use.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Taiwo has dedicated herself to developing others. She founded Women in Tech Nigeria (WIT Nigeria), which has helped train over 600 women in high-demand, non-coding tech roles like product management and data analysis. What started as a grassroots initiative has grown into a thriving network of over 6,000 members.

Taiwo is also the author of The Art of Influence: A Product Manager’s Guide to Stakeholder Buy-In and Alignment, a widely praised resource with over 9,000 downloads and a 4.9-star rating. In it, she explores how influence, not authority, defines modern leadership — a philosophy she’s put into practice across all her roles.

In presenting the award, Dratech highlighted her work across three pillars: inclusive product design, talent development, and measurable, strategic impact. Whether delivering digital wallets to remote communities or modernizing government services in the UK, Taiwo has shown that the best tech solutions are those that serve people — especially those too often left behind.

In her acceptance speech, Taiwo offered a powerful reminder: “True innovation must dismantle barriers, not reinforce them. Tech leadership isn’t about disruption — it’s about ensuring every leap forward lifts others with it.”

As the global tech landscape continues to evolve, Oluwagbemisola Taiwo stands out not just for what she builds, but for who she builds it for. Her work is a testament to what’s possible when innovation is guided by empathy, vision, and a deep sense of purpose.