• Anthony Osijo, Bboxx Chief Financial Officer, is promoted to CEO
• Co-Founder and former CEO Mansoor Hamayun steps up to Executive Chairman

Bboxx, the data-driven super platform, has appointed Anthony Osijo as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to take the company to its next stage of growth as it capitalises on the market opportunity in Africa.

Co-Founder Mansoor Hamayun, the previous CEO, will be stepping up into the role of Executive Chairman, where he will manage the Board of Directors and concentrate on strengthening external relationships with existing stakeholders and forging new partnerships.

This strategic move allows Mansoor to leverage his extensive experience and network to further Bboxx’s mission.

Bboxx connects consumers and deploys innovative products across Africa. It has pioneered services including clean energy, clean cooking and e-mobility on a pay-as-you-go basis to households, businesses, and communities.

Mansoor Hamayun, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Bboxx, said:

“It has been an incredible journey transforming Bboxx from a startup focused on solar into a multifaceted company that improves lives through – among other things – clean cooking, sustainable transport solutions, and credit scoring. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved to date, and I have every confidence that Anthony will lead Bboxx to even greater heights. I have known Anthony for almost two decades, and I wholeheartedly trust him to manage the business while I focus on enhancing and expanding Bboxx’s external relationships. Together, we will build on the successes of the past decade to better position Bboxx for sustainable growth and impact.”

Mr Osijo, formerly the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Bboxx, has over 20 years of experience in financial services and a strong track record. He will now spearhead the company’s day-to-day operations.

He and the company’s executive team remain committed to driving forward Bboxx’s mission, focusing on innovative solutions to transform lives and unlock the potential of current and future generations in Africa and beyond.

Anthony Osijo, CEO of Bboxx, said:

“It is a privilege to lead Bboxx at this exciting time. Our mission remains to improve the lives of millions through clean energy and technology. I am particularly passionate about empowering Africa’s youth and ensuring they have the opportunities to build a sustainable future. Together, with our dedicated team and the backing of our investors, we are poised to achieve remarkable growth and make a lasting impact on the continent. I also want to express my heartfelt thanks to Mansoor for his immense contribution and continued leadership over the years.”

Anthony Osijo has been supporting and working with Bboxx since before its creation. He formally joined Bboxx as CFO in January 2021, where he was pivotal in driving the company’s accelerated growth, including playing a key role in the successful acquisition of PEG Africa in 2022.

Prior to joining the company, Anthony served as Managing Director at Credit Agricole, responsible for debt product sales and strategy.

His extensive career includes roles at UBS, Deutsche Bank, and financial institutions across the UK, Europe, and Asia.

Anthony’s leadership and strategic vision at Bboxx have been instrumental in forging strategic partnerships with global corporations like EDF and Mitsubishi, as well as attracting significant investment to fuel Bboxx’s expansion.

Mr Chapman says: 

“Despite the crises at Credit Suisse, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, First Republic Bank and rumours circulating concerning Deutsche Bank, central banks have recently increased interest rates.

“Thanks to demographic pressures creating labour shortages, some inflationary pressure is likely to remain a threat, meaning interest rates are likely to remain permanently higher than pre-Covid levels.

“There are important implications of higher interest rates when some banks are simultaneously in crisis for the supply chain.

“The era of cheap and plentiful cash appears to be over. Under such circumstances, organisations must ensure their supply chain supports cash flow as much as possible.

“The greater importance of cash flow to the supply chain means organisations are likely to put much greater emphasis on trying to restrict the geographical spread of the supply chain.

“When products are being transported, cash is tied up, and if they are shipped over long distances, cash flow can be enormously disrupted. During the period when interest rates were close to zero and credit was plentiful, the above issues were important but not as important as they are in an era of higher rates.

“As a consequence, we expect organisations to put greater emphasis on sourcing or manufacturing products in regions as close as possible to where the main market lies.

“The new emphasis on local manufacturing is an opportunity for countries like Mexico, manufacturing products for the US market, and Poland, manufacturing products for the Western European market.

Simultaneously, advances in automation technologies mean that the cost of labour is likely less important a factor than before, and we may see a shift in manufacturing to within the US and centres in Western Europe.

“And although labour shortages will mitigate the shift in manufacturing, automation technologies mean this barrier is not likely to be prohibitive.”