Head of MANSA

The Head of MANSA Business is responsible for leading the vision, strategy, and execution of MANSA – Africa’s centralised due diligence platform – as a core pillar of the Africa Trade Gateway (ATG). This role will scale MANSA’s impact across the continent by expanding the database of verified African entities, deepening integration with credit bureaus and compliance ecosystems, and driving commercial adoption among financial institutions, corporates, and SMEs.

The position will transform MANSA from a compliance repository into a pan-African trust infrastructure critical to trade facilitation and financial inclusion under the AfCFTA. This role is pivotal in achieving Afreximbank’s mission to expand and diversify African trade by eliminating trust deficits and enabling compliance-driven trade facilitation across the continent.

The purpose of the MANSA Platform are in many fold; a) to facilitate smooth onboarding of customers and business relationships; b) reduce operational workload and cost of compliance; enable African FIs and corporate entities to meet customer and business partners’ expectations while ensuring regulatory compliance; ensure availability of due diligence information, which will eliminate subjective evaluation of customers and mitigate against perceived risk of trading with African counterparties.

Strategic Leadership & Vision Execution

• Translate MANSA’s mandate into an actionable growth roadmap—expanding verified profiles, increasing usage, and driving regulatory alignment.
• Define and monitor KPIs for adoption, revenue, ecosystem integrations, and platform trustworthiness.
• Position MANSA as a mandatory due diligence tool for cross-border trade, in partnership with AfCFTA Secretariat, regulators, and financial entities.
• Guide development of core and complementary services (e.g., GLIEF, MANSA Lite, managed services, AEI issuance).
• Champion and articulate MANSA’s role within ATG and the broader AfCFTA landscape to internal and external stakeholders.
• As a key pillar of the Africa Trade Gateway ensure its continued integration with the ecosystem and its services including ATEX, PAPSS and TRADAR

Ecosystem Growth & Partnerships

• Deepen integration with AfCFTA Secretariat to embed MANSA into cross-border trade protocols.
• Build and scale commercial partnerships with:
• African credit bureaus and registries
• Financial institutions and regulators
• Global KYC utilities, trade platforms, and compliance networks

Commercialization & Business Development

• Define and execute monetisation strategies for MANSA through subscription plans, premium data services, consulting, and integration APIs.
• Develop commercial partnerships with banks, DFIs, fintechs, and corporates to drive recurring usage and revenue.
• Manage MANSA’s P&L and achieve revenue and user growth targets in alignment with the ATG commercialisation roadmap.

Compliance, Governance & Data Quality

• Ensure MANSA’s data model adheres to ISO standards and regional privacy and data protection laws.
• Oversee robust verification workflows via authoris ed agents and local regulators.
• Manage governance of the AEI system and strengthen transparency in Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO) data.

Stakeholder Engagement & Industry Positioning

• Represent MANSA in industry forums (e.g. FATF, GLEIF, World Bank, AML working groups).
• Lead thought leadership initiatives, capacity building programs, and compliance curriculum development.
• Engage key influencers across public and private sectors to champion MANSA’s relevance and trust footprint.

Qualifications & Requirements / Education & Certifications

• Master’s Degree (MBA or MSc) in Business Administration, Finance, Compliance, Digital Platforms, or related fields.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., CAMS, CFE, AML/CFT) strongly preferred.

Experience Requirements

• 15+ years in digital compliance, risk, or trade ecosystem roles with at least 7 years in KYC/AML/CDD leadership.
• Proven success in leading platform-based businesses or trust/data infrastructure at scale.
• Experience in working with regulators, financial institutions, and multilateral organizations in Africa.
• Deep understanding of compliance regulations, CDD, AML/CFT frameworks, and trade facilitation.
• Strong commercial mindset with experience in product monetisation and digital business models.
• Exceptional leadership, stakeholder management, and communication skills.
• Knowledge of emerging regtech trends, AI in compliance, and digital identity standards.
• Ability to thrive in a culturally diverse, cross-functional, and pan-African environment.
• Fluency in English is required; proficiency in French, Arabic, or Portuguese is a plus.