Interswitch, a leading African integrated payments and digital commerce company, has become a founding corporate supporter of the Professor Albert Alos Endowed Chair in Strategic Management, the first endowed chair established by Lagos Business School (LBS). The move underscores the company’s continued commitment to promoting leadership development, academic excellence and research across Africa.
The endowed chair, created in anticipation of Professor Albert Alos’ 87th birthday in September 2026, celebrates his remarkable contributions to management education. It is designed to strengthen Africa-focused research, enhance faculty development, encourage thought leadership and prepare a new generation of ethical business leaders capable of driving the continent’s economic transformation.
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For more than two decades, Interswitch has played a key role in reshaping Africa’s digital payments ecosystem through technology and innovation. The company believes that lasting economic growth depends not only on technological advancement but also on strengthening institutions that generate knowledge, develop capable leaders and encourage entrepreneurship. Its support for the Professor Albert Alos Endowed Chair reflects that vision and highlights the importance of closer collaboration between academia and industry in building globally competitive African economies.
The latest development also reinforces the long-standing relationship between Interswitch and Lagos Business School, a partnership anchored on shared values of innovation, leadership and enterprise development. Interswitch Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer, Mitchell Elegbe, serves on the school’s Advisory Board and is also Executive-in-Residence, providing strategic guidance while engaging students, executives and business leaders on entrepreneurship, innovation and building sustainable African businesses.
Speaking on the significance of the partnership, Elegbe said:
“Building Africa’s future requires more than technological innovation; it requires strong institutions that cultivate leaders capable of solving complex challenges and creating lasting value. Our support for the Professor Albert Alos Endowed Chair reflects our belief that academia and industry have a shared responsibility to generate the ideas, research and leadership that will shape the continent’s next chapter. We are proud to deepen our partnership with Lagos Business School in advancing excellence, innovation and responsible leadership across Africa.”
Lagos Business School also welcomed the partnership, describing Interswitch as a valued founding corporate supporter of the initiative.
According to a statement from the institution:
“It is with great pride that we welcome Interswitch Group as a founding corporate supporter of the Professor Albert Alos Endowed Chair in Strategic Management, Lagos Business School’s first endowed chair. This landmark initiative is dedicated to advancing Africa-focused research, strengthening faculty leadership, fostering thought leadership, and developing the next generation of responsible business leaders who will drive Africa’s growth on the global stage. Interswitch’s support reflects a shared conviction: that innovation, rigorous research, and deep collaboration between academia and industry are indispensable to building globally competitive institutions and driving sustainable development across Africa.”
The company’s backing of the endowed chair aligns with its broader record of supporting initiatives that promote education, innovation, entrepreneurship and talent development. Beyond revolutionising digital payments and commerce across the continent, Interswitch has consistently invested in programmes focused on financial inclusion, STEM education, youth empowerment and entrepreneurial capacity building, reflecting its belief that investing in people is essential to Africa’s long-term development.
As African economies continue to embrace digital transformation and greater regional integration, the demand for high-quality research, globally relevant management education and principled leadership continues to grow. Through this collaboration, Interswitch is contributing to the development of stronger academic institutions, cultivating visionary leaders and equipping African businesses to compete successfully in an increasingly dynamic global marketplace.
By supporting the Professor Albert Alos Endowed Chair, Interswitch is making a long-term investment in knowledge, leadership and strategic partnerships that will help shape Africa’s future. The initiative reflects the company’s enduring conviction that the continent’s greatest strength lies not only in technological innovation but also in the quality of its institutions, the calibre of its leaders and its ability to generate transformative ideas.
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