Clara B. Arthur’s appointment as CEO of Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS) represents more than just a leadership transition—it signals a new chapter for Ghana’s digital payments infrastructure. Taking the helm on September 1, 2025, Arthur succeeds Archie Hesse after his transformative decade-long tenure, bringing a unique blend of legal expertise, financial acumen, and deep payments industry experience to one of Africa’s most critical fintech institutions.
Academic Foundation: Law Meets Finance
Clara Arthur’s educational journey reflects the interdisciplinary approach that has characterized her career success. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Law and History from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, providing her with a strong foundation in regulatory frameworks and institutional analysis.
Building on this foundation, Arthur pursued an MSc in Finance and Administration from Thames Valley University (now part of the University of West London). This combination of legal training and financial expertise has proven invaluable in navigating the complex regulatory environment surrounding digital payments and financial services innovation.
Her academic background positions her uniquely to understand both the technical requirements of payments infrastructure and the regulatory frameworks that govern financial services—a critical skill set for leading Ghana’s national payments ecosystem.
Career Evolution: Two Decades in Digital Finance
With over 20 years of experience spanning banking, fintech, and digital financial services consulting, Arthur has built her expertise across multiple dimensions of Africa’s financial technology landscape. Her career trajectory demonstrates a consistent focus on payments innovation and financial inclusion initiatives.
Her journey through various leadership roles has provided comprehensive exposure to different aspects of digital finance, from traditional banking operations to cutting-edge fintech solutions, positioning her to understand the full ecosystem that GhIPSS serves and coordinates.
Deep GhIPSS Experience
Arthur’s connection to GhIPSS runs deep, having served as General Manager for Business Development from 2015 to 2020. During this pivotal period, she played an instrumental role in developing and implementing transformative fintech solutions that have become foundational to Ghana’s digital payments ecosystem.
Her tenure coincided with critical infrastructure developments including GhIPSS Instant Pay (GIP) and GhanaPay, initiatives that drove the integration of mobile money platforms with traditional banking systems. This experience provides her with intimate knowledge of the technical, operational, and strategic challenges facing Ghana’s payments infrastructure.
This institutional knowledge, combined with her understanding of stakeholder relationships across banks, mobile network operators, and fintech companies, positions her to lead GhIPSS with both continuity and innovation.
Banking Sector Leadership
Before her initial GhIPSS tenure, Arthur built substantial experience within Ghana’s banking sector. At Ecobank Group, she served as Head of ATM & Card Technology, gaining deep expertise in payments infrastructure and card-based transaction systems that form crucial components of modern digital finance.
Her role as Head of E-banking at Fidelity Bank Ghana further expanded her understanding of digital banking services and customer-facing technology solutions. These positions provided hands-on experience with the operational challenges and opportunities that banks face in delivering digital financial services.
This banking sector background enables Arthur to understand GhIPSS’s role from the perspective of its primary stakeholders, ensuring that infrastructure development aligns with practical banking needs and customer expectations.
International Consulting Expertise
Arthur’s experience extends beyond Ghana’s borders through her consultancy work with international development organizations. As a Digital Financial Services Consultant for CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor), she gained exposure to global best practices in financial inclusion and digital payments innovation.
Her work as a Remittance Expert for the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) provided specialized knowledge in cross-border payments and inclusive digital payment systems. This international perspective brings valuable insights about regional payment interoperability and global standards for digital financial services.
These consulting roles demonstrate her ability to apply payments expertise across different market contexts while contributing to policy discussions about financial inclusion and digital transformation in developing markets.
Vision for Digital Transformation
Arthur’s appointment comes at a critical juncture for Ghana’s payments ecosystem. The country has made significant progress in digital financial inclusion, with mobile money adoption reaching impressive levels and interoperability between different platforms becoming increasingly seamless.
Her strategic mandate involves leading GhIPSS through Ghana’s next wave of digital transformation, with emphasis on regulatory readiness, expanded fintech partnerships, and enhanced instant digital payment capabilities. This vision aligns with Ghana’s broader digitalization agenda and the Bank of Ghana’s commitment to financial inclusion.
Arthur’s unique combination of regulatory knowledge, technical expertise, and stakeholder relationship management positions her to navigate the complex balance between innovation and stability that characterizes successful payments infrastructure development.
Industry Recognition and Leadership Transition
The appointment received strong endorsement from Dr. Johnson Asiama, Governor of the Bank of Ghana and Board Chairman of GhIPSS, who praised Arthur for bringing “fresh perspective and strategic vision” to the institution. This support from Ghana’s central banking leadership signals confidence in her ability to advance GhIPSS’s mission.
Arthur’s response to her appointment reflected both familiarity and ambition: “It is more of a return for me… together we will… shape a future in the payments industry that we can all be proud of.” This statement suggests continuity with GhIPSS’s established direction while indicating readiness for strategic evolution.
The leadership transition occurs as Ghana’s payments landscape continues evolving rapidly, with new technologies, regulatory frameworks, and market participants creating both opportunities and challenges for the national payments infrastructure.
Strategic Priorities and Market Context
As CEO, Arthur inherits an organization that has successfully established foundational payment rails and achieved significant interoperability milestones. Her challenge will be advancing these achievements while preparing Ghana’s payments infrastructure for emerging technologies and evolving market demands.
Key strategic priorities likely include expanding cross-border payment capabilities, enhancing cybersecurity frameworks, supporting fintech innovation while maintaining system stability, and ensuring that Ghana’s payments infrastructure can support the country’s broader economic development goals.
The role requires balancing multiple stakeholder interests while maintaining the technical integrity and operational reliability that characterizes successful payments infrastructure.
Future Outlook and Industry Impact
Arthur’s leadership of GhIPSS positions her to influence not just Ghana’s payments ecosystem but the broader West African regional landscape. As digital payments become increasingly important for economic inclusion and development, the decisions made at GhIPSS will have lasting implications for millions of Ghanaians.
Her combination of legal training, financial expertise, and deep payments industry experience provides a solid foundation for navigating the complex challenges ahead. Success in this role could establish new benchmarks for payments infrastructure development across Africa.
Broader Implications for African Fintech
Clara Arthur’s appointment reflects broader trends in African fintech leadership, where experienced professionals with deep local market knowledge are taking on roles that shape continental digital finance development. Her success could influence how other African countries approach payments infrastructure governance and development.
The intersection of her legal background, financial expertise, and payments experience represents an increasingly important leadership profile for Africa’s evolving fintech ecosystem. Her tenure will be closely watched as a test case for interdisciplinary leadership in complex technical domains.
As Ghana continues positioning itself as a regional fintech hub, Arthur’s leadership of GhIPSS will play a crucial role in determining whether the country can maintain its innovation trajectory while ensuring the stability and inclusivity that sustainable digital finance requires.
Her story serves as an inspiration for other professionals who have built expertise across multiple domains, demonstrating how diverse backgrounds can contribute to leadership in Africa’s most critical technology infrastructure organizations.
