Digital Encode Limited has emerged as the lead sponsor of the upcoming third edition of the forum (PAFON 3.0), the organisers have announced.
PAFON 3.0 is scheduled for Friday, April 24, 2026, at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki Road, Lagos, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Themed “Fair Digital Payments as a Catalyst for Deepening Financial Inclusion in Nigeria,” PAFON 3.0 serves as a strategic platform for senior executives from banks, fintechs, regulatory agencies, and technology innovators to address the evolving digital payment landscape.
As Nigeria transitions toward a cash-light economy, the forum will focus on critical pillars of sustainability, including transparency, pricing integrity, and system resilience.
Bridging Cybersecurity and Financial Inclusion
Professor Adewale Peter Obadare, the Founder/Chief Visionary Officer of Digital Encode will deliver a cybersecurity-focused keynote address that connects trust, resilience, fraud prevention, and consumer protection to financial inclusion.
His session will provide a specialized perspective on how information security serves as the bedrock of financial inclusion; exploring the vital links between building infrastructure that consumers can rely on, protecting the ecosystem to allow inclusion to scale, and ensuring equitable and secure access for all Nigerians.
Prof. Obadare is arguably the most Credential-led PAN-African Digital Trust Leader, CyberSecurity Strategist, GRC Thought Leader & Global Technopreneur.
He is a seasoned Multi-Award Cybersecurity & GRC expert with over 58 (Fifty-Eight) international professional certifications to his credit, Master of Science in Cybersecurity, Liverpool Unversity, UK, was awarded Honorarary Doctorate Degree in Cybersecurity from Trinity International University of Ambassadors Atlanta Georgia, United State of America and First Professor of Practice – Cybersecurity at Miva Open University, Abuja, Nigeria.
Prof. Obadare is a well-recognized subject matter expert with numerous successful engagements to his credit in Africa and the world.
His skills and experience spans Data Privacy, Data Protection, CyberSecurity, Information Security, Vulnerability Management, Penetration Testing, Computer Forensics, Business Continuity, I T Governance, Risk Management and Compliance.
He is a Cybersecurity Advisory Board Member for Lagos State Government, a Platinum Team Member of Open-Source Security Testing Methodology Manual (OSSTMM), as well as a lifetime member of the Open Worldwide Application Security Project (OWASP). He is an alumnus of FATE Foundation and US Department of State Exchange program.
He is also a distinguished alumnus of executive education at Harvard Business School, Harvard School of Government, MIT Sloan School of Management, MIT Professional Education and Oxford University – Said Business School.
“Without trust in the security of digital payments, inclusion cannot scale. And we are happy to welcome Digital Encode as our Lead Sponsor this year. With what the company stands for and the personality of the CVO on a global scale, we have no doubt that attendees at this year’s PAFON will go home with lots of insights.”
“The theme for PAFON 3.0 was carefully selected because if digital payments are affordable, transparent, accessible, and trustworthy, more Nigerians, especially the underserved, will participate in the financial system”,
Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi, the co-convener of Payments Forum Nigeria, noted, highlighting Digital Encode distinguished leadership in Nigeria’s cybersecurity ecosystem.
Other Confirmed speakers: Dr. Jameelah Sharrieff-Ayedun, Vice President, Fintech Association of Nigeria (FintechNGR) & CEO, Credit Registry; Uche Uzoebo, MD/CEO, Shared Agent Network Expansion Facilities (SANEF Limited): Special Guest of Honour; Mojeed Abayomi Agboola, National President, Financial Inclusion Agents Multipurpose Cooperative Society (FIAMCS); Dr. Obioha Otti, National President, Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents in Nigeria (AMMBAN); Chukwuemeka Enoch, Founder, Lagos Blockchain Week, and Sarafadeen Fasasi, National President, Association of Financial Inclusion Agents of Nigeria (AFiAN), amongst others.
The forum will feature speakers from across the financial spectrum, including mobile money operators, payment processors, and development institutions, to shape policy dialogue and industry standards.
PAFON is a premier industry gathering that aligns brand positioning with trust and innovation in Nigeria’s digital payments ecosystem. It provides a unique space for thought leadership, regulatory engagement, and market expansion within the payment infrastructure sector.
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