For over two decades, Ehebha Griffith Onus has quietly but powerfully shaped Africa’s cybersecurity and risk management landscape.
As the Group Chief Risk Officer (CRO) at Interswitch Holdings, Griffith has developed and institutionalised risk and compliance strategies that not only supported the fintech giant’s Pan-African expansion but also created a replicable industry blueprint for managing digital risk across emerging markets.
At a time when African fintech faced heightened scrutiny over data protection, operational resilience, and regulatory compliance, Griffith’s foresight proved invaluable.
He led the design and implementation of a harmonised Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework aligned with global standards such as ISO 27001 (information security), PCI DSS (payment card security), and ISO 22301 (business continuity).
These were not just check-the-box exercises. Under his stewardship, these frameworks became living, breathing governance models—integrated into the daily fabric of Interswitch’s product design, compliance, and strategic decision-making.
“Risk management should not be reactive; it must be embedded into innovation from the ground up,” Griffith noted in a recent interview. “We trained our risk teams to be embedded in agile sprints to ensure security was built into every product release.”
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His philosophy of integrating risk into the innovation cycle helped Interswitch leapfrog traditional compliance models, turning risk into a driver of competitive advantage rather than a barrier to progress. Product managers, engineers, and risk officers began working as a single unit, ensuring that new features, services, and geographical expansions were rolled out securely, rapidly, and in line with stakeholder expectations.
Griffith’s leadership extended well beyond cybersecurity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he co-chaired Interswitch’s Crisis Management Team, ensuring the continuity of essential services, staff safety, and full regulatory compliance during one of the most challenging operational periods in modern history.
His risk protocols allowed the organisation to transition swiftly to remote operations without sacrificing system integrity or service delivery. Moreover, Griffith played a pivotal role in championing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives.
Under his leadership, Interswitch aligned its lending and investment strategies with sustainable finance principles, embedding ESG considerations into its enterprise risk assessments and capital allocation processes. This forward-thinking alignment helped the organisation navigate regulatory shifts and stakeholder expectations in the global investment landscape.
Perhaps most notably, Griffith’s operationalisation of risk appetite statements and development of key risk indicators enabled Interswitch to scale across multiple jurisdictions with clarity and control.
These frameworks gave both internal stakeholders and external partners the confidence to support the company’s growth, including international auditors who reviewed the company’s bond issuance during a major capital raise. His due diligence structures became benchmarks for how risk should be governed in high-growth African tech companies.
“As we expanded into new markets, it was critical that everyone—from our teams to our investors—feelt confident in how we managed risk,” said Griffith. “By translating abstract risk appetite into clear, measurable indicators, we didn’t just meet regulatory standards—we set a new bar for governance in Africa’s tech sector.”
Interswitch’s board of directors has consistently praised Griffith for transforming risk from a siloed function into a strategic enabler of business growth. His ability to bridge technical risk acumen with executive strategy has not only strengthened the company’s core but also inspired a new generation of risk professionals across the continent.
Griffith Onus Ehebha may not be a household name, but his influence runs deep through the arteries of Africa’s digital economy. At a time when African businesses are navigating complex risks—from cyber threats to climate-related disruptions—Griffith stands as a blueprint for leadership that is both technically rigorous and visionary.
His legacy at Interswitch is not merely one of compliance but one of transformation, where risk management is no longer seen as a checkbox but as a cornerstone of sustainable growth in the digital age.