Dr. Oluwatoyin Sanni, a highly respected Nigerian lawyer, investment banker, and strategic business leader, is recognised across Africa for her contributions to finance, investment banking, ESG-focused capital mobilisation, and women’s economic empowerment.
She is the Founder and Executive Vice-Chairman of Emerging Africa Group, a Pan-African financial services and investment platform that provides advisory, capital raising, asset management, fintech, and infrastructure finance solutions to governments, corporations, and institutional investors across the continent.
With over three decades of experience spanning law, finance, corporate governance, and investment banking, Dr. Sanni combines legal acumen with strategic capital market expertise. Her leadership, however, extends far beyond a single boardroom. Dr. Sanni provides strategic governance as a Non-Executive Director for Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp Plc) and chairs the Board of Directors for Layer3, a critical digital infrastructure entity.
She is a co-founder of the Africa Investment Roundtable, a pivotal initiative shaping continental investment discourse. Her deep expertise in fiscal stewardship is further demonstrated through roles on the Investment Committee for the Off-Grid Energy Fund and as a Director for the Nepad Business Group of Nigeria.
This current influence is built upon a legendary operational pedigree. Previously, as Group CEO of United Capital Plc, she provided executive oversight for a sprawling financial services group, cementing her reputation as a builder of institutions. Before that, as CEO of Trustees and Global Investor Services at UBA Group, she orchestrated complex cross-border investment strategies. Her foundational years were spent in the meticulous craft of wealth management and trust services, developing businesses from the ground up at Cornerstone Trust Limited and First Trustees Nigeria Limited.
Her vision combines sustainable economic growth, capital market development, and social impact, making her a defining voice in Africa’s journey toward stronger financial ecosystems and inclusive prosperity.
Dr Sanni sits on several boards and committees, including Transnational Corporation Plc, the Off-Grid Energy Fund – Financing Energy Inclusion (OGEF-FEI) sponsored by the AfDB and other International Development Finance Institutions, NEPAD Business Group Nigeria and the Pearl Awards Governance Board. She chairs the Technical Committee on Financial Literacy of the Nigerian Capital Market and is Ambassador/Co-chair for the Africa CEO Forum Network for Nigeria. She is also the Founder and Chairperson for the Women in Finance Nigeria Network and Founder, WIFNG UK.
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