Fara Ashiru Jituboh is a brilliant software engineer and tech leader. As the co-founder of Okra, she became famous for building the digital “bridges” that connect modern apps to traditional banks, making her a pioneer of Open Banking in Africa. She is rare because she has served as both the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of her company, proving she can code systems and lead businesses at the highest level.
Fara Ashiru Jituboh: The Master Engineer of Financial Data
Early Life and Background
Fara Ashiru Jituboh was born in Nigeria in 1991. When she was young, she moved around a lot, living in Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. When she was six years old, her father brought home one of the very first computers with internet access in Saudi Arabia. Fara loved it immediately. She loved computers so much that she used them as an escape from school bullies. By the time she was 13, her school in the US offered coding classes, and she fell in love with writing software.
Family Background
Fara grew up in a supportive home where her father encouraged her love for technology early on. When she was just eight years old, she wanted to start a small business doing door-to-door sales. Her father actually took her to register the business name. Later, she is married and has a son. Her family has always been a source of strength, helping her stay balanced as she navigates the high-pressure world of tech startups.
Education
Fara has a strong formal education in computer engineering:
• Bachelor’s Degree: She graduated with a B.Sc. in Computer Science from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in the US.
• Language Expert: Through her education and work, she mastered over 20 programming languages (like Python, Go, and JavaScript). This technical brilliance makes her one of the most skilled female engineers in Africa.
Early Entrepreneurial Journey
Before starting her own big company, Fara worked for some of the biggest corporate brands in the world. She started her career at BMW, where she designed the interactive digital map for the BMW Museum. She also built software tools for JP Morgan Chase, Fidelity Investments, and the design platform Canva.
When she moved back to Nigeria, she noticed a big problem: the finance apps she used in America to track her money would not work because they could not “talk” to Nigerian banks. To solve this, she first started a tech studio called Shixels Studios, building software for big clients like Airtel, AXA Mansard, and Renmoney.
Breakthrough in Fintech and Open Banking
In 2019, Fara teamed up with David Peterside to launch Okra.
• The Problem: Banks usually keep customer data locked away. If a customer wanted to connect their bank account to a savings or loan app, it was very difficult and slow.
• The Breakthrough: Okra built secure APIs (tools that let different software talk to each other). This allowed users to safely connect their bank accounts to third-party apps in real-time.
• The Success: Okra became a massive hit. In 2020, during the global pandemic, Fara made headlines by raising $1 million in early funding one of the largest amounts ever raised by an African female founder at that stage.
Business Ventures
• Okra: The open finance platform she built to serve major apps like Bamboo, Branch, and Renmoney.
• Nebula (2024): Under her leadership, Okra launched its own cloud data service to help Nigerian tech companies pay for data storage in Naira instead of expensive US Dollars.
• Kernel (2025+): Following her journey with Okra, Fara moved into a new international leadership role, joining the United Kingdom-based startup Kernel as their Head of Engineering.
Influence in Nigeria’s Crypto and Tech Space
Fara has had a huge influence on how apps handle money and data securely. By building the “plumbing” for open finance, she made it possible for newer fintech and crypto-adjacent platforms to verify user identities and process payments instantly. She proved that secure data sharing is the foundation of modern digital wealth.
Controversies and Public Attention
Fara is highly respected for her honesty and corporate governance. In May 2025, she surprised the tech world by deciding to shut down Okra’s operations. Even though the company still had millions of dollars in the bank, rising cloud infrastructure costs and a tough economic environment made it hard to grow. Instead of wasting the money, Fara transparently returned $4 million to $5 million back to her investors. This rare, honest move earned her immense praise across the global tech industry.
Lifestyle and Assets
Fara leads a quiet, professional, and product-focused lifestyle. She focuses her time on engineering and product design rather than high-society events. Her assets include her tech investments and her high-level corporate roles. She is a proud mentor who frequently speaks about breaking gender barriers, famously telling Forbes that she loves solving big problems where others see obstacles.
Personal Life
Fara is a mother and a dedicated gamer. In college, her original dream was to be a video game developer, and she even started an organization to help engineering graduates find careers in 3D animation and gaming. She loves automating everyday tasks using technology.
Net Worth
As of 2026, Fara Ashiru Jituboh’s net worth is estimated in the millions of dollars. Over its lifetime, Okra raised more than $16.5 million from top global venture capital firms like Susa Ventures and Base10. Her financial success comes from her founding equity, her successful product exits, and her high-earning role as a global technology executive in the UK.
Legacy and Influence
Fara’s legacy is pioneering Open Banking in Africa. Before Okra, the idea of open, secure financial data sharing did not exist on the continent. She also left a lasting legacy of integrity; by returning millions to investors when the business model faced tough times, she set a brand-new standard for how African founders should behave.
Conclusion
Fara Ashiru Jituboh is a true tech general. From coding as a bullied teenager to leading a multi-million dollar financial revolution, she has consistently used code to build bridges. Whether architecting cloud software in Lagos or leading engineering teams in London, her journey proves that technical mastery and transparency are the ultimate keys to a lasting legacy.
