New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Flutterwave, Africa's leading payments technology company, today announces Grammy Award-winning international artist, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, as its Global
Brand Ambassador. Flutterwave also announces the launch of Send, a remittance solution, aimed to increase remittance flow and uptake to the African continent.
Send by Flutterwave aims to offer customers the easiest way to send money to all parts of Africa from within the continent and the globe as well as provide Africans easy access to fund overseas bank accounts.
By partnering with Wizkid, Send aims to reach the global African diaspora to increase awareness of the affordable and seamless remittance service available to them through Flutterwave's infrastructure.
In 2020, about $40bn was remitted across formal channels to various countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region with Nigeria taking a significant share of total remittances. The IMF reports that remittances sent to SSA through informal channels, at 45-65% of formal flows, are significantly higher than in other regions.
Commenting on the partnership, Olugbenga "GB" Agboola, Founder and CEO of Flutterwave, said: "Wizkid's story is that of hard work, resilience and excellence. The way he constantly represents Africa in the global entertainment stage is something we love. As a leading technology company out of Africa, our values align and we're excited to have him join us to drive adoption for Send.
Flutterwave and
Wizkid share a common belief of showcasing the best of Africa to the world. Send by Flutterwave is the best remittance solution out there by coverage, cost of transactions and speed. Send represents our over five years of learning, relationship-building, research, and development in cross-border payments. It is also a truly African solution made in Africa by Africans and for the world."
GB continued "We want to create opportunities for Africans everywhere through Send. We hold our vision of creating endless possibilities in Africa close to our heart and we're excited to work with
Wizkid to drive these goals. "
Flutterwave's Global Ambassador, Ayodeji Balogun, Wizkid, commented: "I'm excited to work with Flutterwave in bringing more Africans into the digital economy through Send. We're building amazing technology in Africa and we're so proud of the work every technology company is doing to positively shape our continent for future growth.
My team and I Send a lot of money across borders every day. Using a solution developed by Africans for our daily payments needs is a thing of pride and efficiency. So, when Flutterwave reached out, it was easy to say yes.
For someone like me that's always on the go, Send offers me the opportunity to keep in touch with my responsibilities across all parts of Africa. It doesn't matter if I am in the UK and want to make a payment in South Africa, Ghana,
Kenya or Nigeria—all I need to do is Send it."
Grammy award winning singer/songwriter Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (aka Wizkid) began his career in music when he was just 11 years old in Lagos, Nigeria. His first record, Lil Prinz, was recorded in 2001 in collaboration with Glorious Five, a group consisting of Balogun and his friends from church. In 2006, he started pursuing music full-time, at first collaborating with various Nigerian pop acts including OJB Jezreel, Naeto C, and Banky W. By 2011, he was ready to record his debut studio album as a solo artist:
Superstar was released via
Empire Mates Entertainment to great critical and public acclaim across Africa, propelling him to stardom in his home country. After multiple delays and label disagreements, Balogun released his sophomore album titled Ayo in 2014. This second studio album had a multitude of guest appearances, including a spot from Femi Kuti. It also featured Balogun's global breakthrough track "Ojuelegba." Not only did the single cement his status as one of Nigeria's biggest pop acts, it was also picked up and remixed by
Drake and Skepta, thrusting
Wizkid into the international spotlight. In return,
Wizkid appeared on Drake's 2016 smash single "One Dance." In March 2017, it was announced that
Wizkid had signed a major deal with RCA and Sony International, which released his third LP,
Sounds From the Other Side, later that year. A handful of singles appeared in advance of the album, including "Daddy Yo", "Sweet Love" and "Come Closer", and were successful; the latter is certified Gold in the USA and the UK . Following his impressive international campaign,
Wizkid refocused energy on his
Starboy imprint in Africa. From releasing viral records like "Soco'' with his affiliate acts to securing partnerships with brands such as Puma,
Wizkid has solidified himself as a millennial pioneer for African entertainment. As an ode to his hometown,
Wizkid released his fourth full-length project titled Made in Lagos in 2020 with guest appearances from Burna Boy, Skepta, Damian Marley, H.E.R, Ella Mai, and more. The album is the highest charting Nigerian album on the Billboard 200 of all time, and the longest charting Nigerian album of the century on Billboard World Albums chart. Hit single "
Essence" became the first Nigerian song to feature on the Billboard Hot 100 and peak #1 on US urban radio. Made in Lagos, along with his Grammy award winning feature with
Beyonce and five sellout shows at the o2 Arena, prove Wizkid's movement to be one of lasting global impact.
